GUEST COLUMNS
Friday, October 17, 2025
Despite longstanding precedent affirming the public's right to access civil court proceedings, recent actions in Los Angeles courtrooms underscore the need to reaffirm a core principle: Public and press access to civil proceedings is a constitutional right -- one that has never been more vital.
Banksy's mural at London's Royal Courts of Justice highlights the complex legal landscape of the Visual Artists Rights Act, which grants authors of recognized visual art the 'right of integrity' to prevent destruction or alteration of their works, creating potential liability for building owners even when artworks are installed without permission.
Thursday, October 16, 2025
California personal representatives must
conduct diligent, country-specific searches to identify heirs abroad, since failure to do so can reopen estates, delay distributions, and expose fiduciaries to liability.
The 2025 California Legislative Session enacted major reforms to the state's cannabis and hemp laws -- including new hemp regulations, a temporary cannabis tax cut, tighter controls on online sales, and faster approval for substance research -- marking one of the most significant overhauls of the industry since legalization.
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
In California trust litigation, determining whether a settlor's mental ability meets the lower testamentary standard or the higher contractual one often decides who controls an estate -- and the outcome of the entire case.
Class actions in California are high-stakes, complex and slow -- demanding strategy, persistence, and careful management to deliver real results.
Tuesday, October 14, 2025
The pending 3rd Circuit appeal in Thomson
Reuters v. ROSS Intelligence could set a landmark precedent on whether
using proprietary legal research headnotes to train AI constitutes copyright
infringement or fair use, potentially reshaping how commercial AI platforms are
developed across legal, medical, financial and other research-intensive fields.
California's diverse, high-value specialty crops are poorly served by federal farm subsidy programs designed for bulk row crops, and modernizing aid to reflect real economic losses, export risks, and timely delivery is critical to sustaining the state's farms and the national food supply.
Monday, October 13, 2025
Trump's bid to use the National Guard as a political tool has sparked lawsuits claiming he overstepped his authority and threatened the balance between federal and state power.
Under the Government Claims Act, a claimant need not file a pre-suit claim with a public entity when seeking purely declaratory relief, though any subsequent monetary claims must be preceded by a government claim.
Friday, October 10, 2025
Opened in 1891, Los Angeles' Red Sandstone Courthouse symbolized the city's civic pride, growth and legal development, and though it was demolished after earthquake damage in the 1930s, its legacy endures through preserved architectural elements and its influence on subsequent courthouses.
Effective commercial mediation requires recognizing and managing the human elements -- emotions, histories, biases and interpersonal dynamics -- that can either facilitate or impede settlement, rather than focusing solely on financial and legal positions.
Thursday, October 9, 2025
School injury cases can be complex and fact specific -- Doe v. Mount Pleasant Elementary School District serves as a practical starting point for analyzing claims tied to school-sponsored overnight retreats.
Bronshteyn
serves as a reminder of the broad discretion trial courts hold in awarding
attorney's fees to prevailing plaintiffs in employment litigation -- and the
difficulty defendants may face when trying to overturn such awards on appeal.
Wednesday, October 8, 2025
Despite more than 20 years of mandatory harassment training in California, workplace sexual harassment complaints have risen sharply, highlighting that compliance-focused programs fail to change culture and that effective prevention requires ongoing, interactive, and inclusive approaches emphasizing bystander intervention, relevance and psychological safety.
If you want to be paid, refusing to hand over a Form W-9 may not make sense.
Tuesday, October 7, 2025
Many workers believe they're in a hostile work environment, but unless mistreatment is tied to a legally protected trait, the law often doesn't consider it unlawful.
War teaches luck matters. So does the law. Survival in court often depends on which lawyer, judge, or county you get -- not just your merits. To make justice fair, we need funding parity, standardized protocols and consistent representation -- so outcomes aren't left to chance.
Monday, October 6, 2025
Ross Intelligence is appealing a Delaware court ruling that held its use of Thomson Reuters' copyrighted headnotes for AI training was not fair use, in a case that could have sweeping implications for how AI models legally access and learn from copyrighted material.
By grounding complex disputes in universal moral principles, trial lawyers can make any business case accessible and compelling.
Friday, October 3, 2025
The music industry's 1990s sampling battles mirror today's AI copyright disputes: both pit innovation against ownership, both sparked chaos and lawsuits, and in both cases, the path forward lies not in endless litigation but in creating predictable licensing systems that balance creativity with compensation.
California's new "No Secret Police" Act aims to restore public trust, but its real test is whether state power can withstand federal supremacy in enforcing accountability.
Thursday, October 2, 2025
California's Honest Pricing Law and the FTC's Junk Fees Rule are forcing businesses to show all-in prices, driving costly system changes and exposing them to lawsuits and consumer backlash.
Vietnamese American nail salon owners and manicurists are challenging California's AB 5 law, claiming it unfairly forces nail techs into employee status while sparing other beauty professionals.
Wednesday, October 1, 2025
The 9th Circuit's unpublished Moreland decision
reinforces that private CERCLA cost recovery hinges on strict compliance with
the National Contingency Plan (NCP), not on state agency labels.
Despite decades of settled law, the federal government is still fighting airport noise claims -- this time over Navy jet flights.
Tuesday, September 30, 2025
Assembly Bill 365, the Justin Kropp Safety Act, transforms the tragedy of journeyman lineman Justin Kropp's preventable death into a lasting legacy of worker protection by requiring AEDs, training, and emergency protocols at high-voltage worksites to save lives in the future.
Vexatious litigants pose unique challenges for public entities when acting as defendants, since existing California statutes focus primarily on abusive plaintiffs, leaving a gap in the law that forces municipalities and other plaintiffs to waste resources responding to frivolous motions and appeals -- a problem that may require legislative reform to address.
Friday, September 26, 2025
With geopolitical threats mounting, venture capital is pouring into dual-use tech startups as the U.S. defense sector finds new allies in Silicon Valley.
Thursday, September 25, 2025
Assembly Bill 288, recently passed by the California Legislature and awaiting Governor Newsom's signature, empowers the state labor board to enforce workers' and businesses' rights when the federal NLRB is defunct or inactive, ensuring fair resolution of labor disputes, protection of union rights, and stability for employers and employees alike.
Wednesday, September 24, 2025
The landmark New York Times v. OpenAI case, arising from alleged copyright violations by ChatGPT and CoPilot, is shaping the emerging legal landscape for artificial intelligence by raising questions about IP rights, data privacy, evidentiary privileges, and corporate liability that could define AI regulation for years to come.
With packaging making up over half of California's landfill waste, CalRecycle has launched a second attempt at rulemaking to implement the state's packaging EPR law, SB 54.
Tuesday, September 23, 2025
For a litigator, Yiddish brings not just color to the courtroom, but character--capturing the humor, heartache and humanity the law alone can't express.
The assassination of Charlie Kirk highlights the urgent need for comprehensive firearms licensing and regulation, alongside improved mental health care, as a practical path forward beyond partisan debates over assault weapons and mental illness.
Monday, September 22, 2025
Municipalities acquiring property for public projects often overlook a critical step--skipping a Phase I ESA can lead to liability, hidden contamination and missed chances for crucial funding.
Plaintiffs often discover that lawsuit settlements are taxed on the gross amount, including their lawyer's share. Here's how the tax code handles fee deductions and what exceptions apply.
Jimmy Kimmel's suspension from ABC over his controversial monologue about Charlie Kirk has sparked fierce debate, highlighting the tension between a private employer's contractual rights and the broader societal interest in protecting open political commentary and satire.
Homeowners who signed onto the Army Corps' "free" Los Angeles wildfire debris cleanup, whether unknowingly or with no alternative, assumed sweeping liability through a boilerplate indemnity clause making them financially responsible for any damages or lawsuits arising from the government's own cleanup work.
Shutterstock
San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus participating in the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco in 2024.
San Mateo County Sheriff Christina Corpus participating in the Chinese New Year Parade in San Francisco in 2024.
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NEWS
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Friday, October 17, 2025 |
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| A San Francisco federal judge granted a temporary restraining order blocking the Trump administration from issuing reduction-in-force notices during the government shutdown, siding with unions challenging the legality of planned layoffs. | |
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Friday, October 17, 2025 |
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| A Sacramento Superior Court judge expressed doubts that taxpayer organizations have standing to challenge a new law revising how the state taxes business income. The case tests whether SB 167 unlawfully changes state tax rules under the guise of clarification. | |
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Friday, October 17, 2025 |
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| You're never too young to get your finances in order, and the decisions you make now can help you develop positive habits to build wealth down the road. | |
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Thursday, October 16, 2025 |
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| The American garage's reincarnation looks different depending on the resident: It might be a hideaway man cave, a she shed, a home theater, a workshop, a crafting zone or a band practice room. | |
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Thursday, October 16, 2025 |
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| Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed AB 250, creating a two-year window in 2026-27 for adult survivors of sexual assault to bring previously time-barred civil claims. The law targets cases involving alleged institutional "cover-ups" but excludes public entities. | |
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Thursday, October 16, 2025 |
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| A judge upheld Tesla's arbitration win against a former employee who claimed bias, after the arbitrator switched legal standards in the middle of the case. | |
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Wednesday, October 15, 2025 |
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| A San Francisco judge awarded X Corp. $150,000 in attorney fees but criticized its "stunning" overbilling after it partially won an anti-SLAPP motion against Don Lemon's contract suit over a canceled deal. | |
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Wednesday, October 15, 2025 |
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| Upstart financial technology firms are connecting outside financial advisers to employer-sponsored plans, allowing the advisers to take steps like rebalancing accounts on behalf of their clients. | |
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Tuesday, October 14, 2025 |
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| Sacramento County Superior Court Judge Lauri A. Damrell dismissed a case brought by Indian gaming tribes against California cardrooms, ruling that Senate Bill 549--the state law granting tribes standing--was preempted by the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Attorneys for the tribes said they plan to appeal the decision. | |
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Tuesday, October 14, 2025 |
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| Gov. Gavin Newsom signed SB 79, requiring cities in the state's largest urban counties to allow apartments within a half mile of major transit. The law could trigger legal challenges from cities over land-use control and CEQA. | |
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Tuesday, October 14, 2025 |
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| The arrival of Sora, along with similar AI-powered video generators released by Meta and Google this year, has major implications. The tech could represent the end of visual fact -- the idea that video could serve as an objective record of reality -- as we know it. | |
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Monday, October 13, 2025 |
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| Justice Martin J. Jenkins, who made history as the court's first openly gay member and served more than three decades on state and federal benches, announced Thursday he will retire at the end of the month. | |
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Monday, October 13, 2025 |
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| Senior U.S. District Judge Lee H. Rosenthal signed off on the deal on Thursday, calling the settlement "fair, reasonable, and adequate" and saying it was "negotiated vigorously and at arm's length." | |
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Monday, October 13, 2025 |
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| Oakland, long regarded as a scrappy, more affordable city across the bay from San Francisco, has struggled since the pandemic with crime, an enormous deficit and a civic embarrassment when its mayor was recalled and federally indicted. But the city's residents are especially frustrated with illegal dumping these days. | |
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Friday, October 10, 2025 |
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| As companies increasingly turn to AI to sift through thousands of job applications, candidates are concealing instructions for chatbots within their resumes in hopes of moving to the top of the pile. | |
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Friday, October 10, 2025 |
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| Michael Mongan, who served six years as solicitor general, argued major cases for the state, including the Proposition 12 challenge. Last month, Attorney General Rob Bonta named Samuel Harbourt to replace Mongan as solicitor general. | |
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Friday, October 10, 2025 |
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| Taxpayer groups told the state high court that San Jose's $3.5 billion pension obligation bonds required a public vote. Several justices questioned that claim, suggesting the city was merely restructuring an existing debt. | |
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Thursday, October 9, 2025 |
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| California will reform Medi-Cal communications for blind recipients under a court-approved settlement resolving a lawsuit over inaccessible notices, improving access and compliance with disability rights laws statewide. | |
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Thursday, October 9, 2025 |
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| Thankfully, last week's explosion and fire at California's second largest refinery, Chevron's El Segundo plant, was not an environmental catastrophe. But it could have serious economic and political impact. | |
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Thursday, October 9, 2025 |
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| A San Francisco judge tentatively awarded LegalMatch co-founder Anna Ostrovsky $8.34 million, finding she was wrongfully terminated in retaliation for exposing concealed cryptocurrency transfers, violating California whistleblower protection laws. | |
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Wednesday, October 8, 2025 |
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| Pay-advance apps are marketed as a way to help workers living paycheck to paycheck pay for unexpected expenses, but workers are often using the apps to manage basic expenses like groceries, rent and other needs, a new report found. | |
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Wednesday, October 8, 2025 |
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| A San Francisco judge granted Mintz Levin a protective order blocking a subpoena that sought testimony from attorney Cheryl Reicin in a sexual assault and retaliation suit against venture capital firm Blumberg Capital. | |
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Wednesday, October 8, 2025 |
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| Nearly six years after granting review, the California Supreme Court will hear a case on Wednesday to decide whether judges must assess a defendant's ability to pay before imposing fines, fees, and assessments -- and who bears the burden of proof -- resolving a statewide split in the appellate courts. | |
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Tuesday, October 7, 2025 |
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| This is both an admission and an observation: The ramifications of homelessness, for most people, are anecdotal. | |
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Tuesday, October 7, 2025 |
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| A San Francisco district judge refused to pause union litigation during the government shutdown, while the Supreme Court continues granting Trump administration stay requests in other cases. | |
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Tuesday, October 7, 2025 |
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| A federal lawsuit alleges fertility test company Proov shared sensitive health data with Google despite assurances it would not track or sell customer information. | |
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Monday, October 6, 2025 |
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| Some of the events planned for the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028 are far from the heart of the city. | |
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Monday, October 6, 2025 |
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| The panel ruling, on remand from the U.S. Supreme Court, leaves California's rule intact over a dissent arguing the statute is preempted by federal law. | |
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Monday, October 6, 2025 |
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| A coalition of tribes urged a Sacramento County judge to preserve their lawsuit against card rooms, arguing a new state law allows them to challenge games they say infringe on exclusive tribal rights. | |
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Friday, October 3, 2025 |
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| Attorneys for Meta, TikTok, Snap and Google filed motions for summary judgment Tuesday seeking dismissal of bellwether school district lawsuits in federal court accusing them of fueling a youth mental health crisis. Defense lawyers argued the claims are barred by Section 230 and the First Amendment and asked U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers of Oakland to exclude plaintiffs' expert testimony. | |
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Friday, October 3, 2025 |
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| A judge allowed PG&E to present defenses in a class action over toxic smoke from the 2021 Dixie Fire, as plaintiffs seek medical monitoring costs for exposed residents without current illness. | |
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Friday, October 3, 2025 |
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| As an investor, it can be difficult to navigate the ups and downs of the market and understand what the movements mean for your portfolio - particularly when you're seeing constant headlines on the topic. | |
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Thursday, October 2, 2025 |
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| Employers across California continue to grapple with how best to balance workplace safety, employee rights, and compliance with ever-changing drug and alcohol regulations | |
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Thursday, October 2, 2025 |
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| Tech trade associations warn the measures threaten free expression and could trigger constitutional challenges. The push follows Newsom's signing of SB 53, a sweeping AI safety law. | |
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Thursday, October 2, 2025 |
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| The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association challenges San Jose's $3.5 billion pension bond, saying voters must approve the debt -- a case that could reverberate in cities across California. | |
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Wednesday, October 1, 2025 |
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| A judge dismissed the San Francisco police union's lawsuit over a department policy limiting low-level traffic stops, citing local authority and failure to exhaust remedies before the state labor board. | |
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Wednesday, October 1, 2025 |
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| Expect to pay more for health coverage next year -- possibly a lot more -- whether you get your health insurance from an employer or on a health care exchange. | |
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Wednesday, October 1, 2025 |
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| A Sacramento judge is weighing whether the California Highway Patrol's decades-old beard ban unlawfully discriminates against Sikh officers whose faith requires uncut facial hair. | |
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Tuesday, September 30, 2025 |
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| Gavin Newsom jetted off to New York last week to portray himself as the alternative to Donald Trump on climate policy. | |
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Tuesday, September 30, 2025 |
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| In an era when legal associations are shrinking, Los Angeles attorney Randall A. Miller is stepping into a leadership role with one that's thriving -- and entirely self-funded. As the new chair of the ABA's Standing Committee on Professional Liability, Miller brings decades of expertise in legal malpractice to a group that's staying relevant by tackling some of the profession's biggest challenges. | |
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Tuesday, September 30, 2025 |
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| An appellate panel rejected Bank of America's bid to appeal a San Diego district judge's certification of a class in a consumer class action alleging it failed to safeguard unemployment benefits stolen from over 100,000 Californians during the pandemic. | |
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Friday, October 17, 2025 |
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| Despite an aggressive legal defense led by former U.S. Labor Secretary Thomas Perez, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to oust Sheriff Christina Corpus--the county's first Latina and first female sheriff--after finding misconduct and abuse of authority. Her attorneys plan to appeal, calling the action unconstitutional and discriminatory. | |
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Thursday, October 16, 2025 |
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| Instagram, which is owned by Meta, said it would begin limiting the content its teenage users can see, based on the PG-13 ratings system used by the film industry. | |
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Wednesday, October 15, 2025 |
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| A divided 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to revisit a lower court order keeping federal funding flowing to lawyers who represent unaccompanied migrant children. The decision preserves a program the Trump administration tried to cut off, with sharp disagreement among the judges over whether the case involves protecting vulnerable minors or judicial overreach into executive spending. | |
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Tuesday, October 14, 2025 |
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| A San Francisco judge partially overruled a demurrer that could shape the outcome of a high-stakes legal fight between Peter Thiel-backed venture fund Mithril Capital and its former managing director, James O'Neill. The dispute centers on allegations of data theft, fraud, and unpaid carried interest. | |
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Monday, October 13, 2025 |
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| In a 5-2 decision, the court said judges may use a 2021 resentencing law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom to reconsider life sentences if they apply Proposition 36's public safety standard. | |
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Friday, October 10, 2025 |
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| The "Safe Learning Environments Act" strengthens oversight of school employee misconduct, expands training and background checks, and broadens the definition of grooming to include electronic communications--measures aimed at preventing future abuse in California's K-12 schools. | |
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Thursday, October 9, 2025 |
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| A San Jose federal judge declined to dismiss key claims in a lawsuit brought by major music labels against the developer of AI chatbot Claude, while Reddit continues its separate complaint against the company following Anthropic's $1.5 billion settlement with authors and publishers. | |
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Wednesday, October 8, 2025 |
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| Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed AB 1155, a McGeorge clinic-originated bill requiring California law schools to allow students to receive compensation for professional externships that also carry academic credit, effective Aug. 1, 2026. | |
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Tuesday, October 7, 2025 |
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| Judge Christine Van Aken denied motions to dismiss fraud claims in a heated legal dispute involving Berding & Weil LLP, real estate developer Walid Mando, and over $100,000 in contested legal fees. | |
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Monday, October 6, 2025 |
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| Plaintiff's attorneys plan to appeal after losing the first Uber sexual assault bellwether trial, criticizing the judge for admitting evidence they say violates California's rape shield law. | |
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Friday, October 3, 2025 |
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| Conflict panel attorneys who step in when federal defenders have conflicts haven't been paid since July 3, with no relief in sight during the government shutdown. Judges are delaying hearings for lack of counsel, and ex-prosecutors are volunteering to keep cases moving. Bench officers and defense leaders warn that dismissals may be next if funding isn't restored. | |
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Thursday, October 2, 2025 |
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| A judge sanctioned Bricoleur Vineyards' CEO $8,000 over a failed motion targeting the financial ties of his accuser's former lawyer in a sexual abuse lawsuit stemming from decades-old allegations. | |
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Wednesday, October 1, 2025 |
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| Shareholders suing Elon Musk over 2022 tweets about his Twitter acquisition argue Quinn Emanuel partner Alex Spiro's role as both trial counsel and firsthand witness would confuse a jury and violate ethical rules. | |
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Tuesday, September 30, 2025 |
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| Legal and sports experts discussed the financial and structural challenges facing college programs under the landmark House settlement at Thursday's Association of Business Trial Lawyers panel in Los Angeles. | |