Special Reports
Top Real Estate and Development Lawyers 2025
Rebuilding LA:
The Daily Journal's fire coverage portal
Judicial Profile
Judge Lawrence Riff probes with questions and hypotheticals to distill legal principles
MCLE
State Supreme Court takes on compelled arbitration and elder abuse
The California Supreme Court is poised to clarify when ar...
By Mike Arias, Destiny D. Hooper, Uri H. NivRebuilding after wildfire means knowing the tax rules
Wildfire victims may be able to reduce, delay, or avoid p...
By Alex Z. Brown, Robert W. WoodThe Supreme Court's dismissal of Labcorp v. Davis
In a closely watched case that could have drastically res...
By Brian Danitz, Vasti Montiel
Today's News
Government, Constitutional Law, 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
9th Circuit appears sympathetic to Trump in National Guard dispute
By Craig Anderson
During oral arguments on Tuesday, all three judges on the panel appeared to sympathize with Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate's argument that the p...
Civil Rights, Civil Litigation
McDonald's settles racial discrimination lawsuit with Byron Allen
By Skyler Romero
McDonald's and Byron Allen settled a racial discrimination lawsuit, ending litigation with a confidential agreement to maintain their business relationship, ...
Government
San Francisco judge stays a telecom fees case, sets AT&T trial
By James Twomey
A San Francisco judge stayed a $240 million lawsuit against U.S. TelePacific claiming it underpaid 911 fees, while AT&T faces trial for alleged fraud in ...
LA Fires, Insurance
State Farm accused of underinsuring wildfire victims
By Antoine Abou-Diwan
State Farm is accused of underinsuring California wildfire victims by manipulating reconstruction estimates and pushing high-risk policies to the FAIR Plan, ...
Government
State senator and litigator recognized for commitment to justice, public service
By Malcolm Maclachlan
Sen. Tom Umberg, D-Santa Ana, will receive the Shattuck-Price Outstanding Lawyer Award from the Los Angeles County Bar Association this week, honoring his ra...
Intellectual Property, Entertainment & Sports
Turkish record company sues YouTube over music video copyright
By Wisdom Howell
Arts Records LLC accuses YouTube of illegally copyrighting its music videos and ignoring takedown requests for Turkish artist Muazzez Ersoy's content.
Columns
Torts/Personal Injury, Civil Litigation
Lead and mercury exposure in firefighters: What to look for and what comes next
By Kathleen N. Mastagni Storm, Jonathan Drake Char
As urban fires grow more toxic, firefighters face mounting exposure to dangerous substances like mercury, lead, and carcinogen...
Constitutional Law
When the military meets the streets it's a dangerous step toward autocracy
By Dan Jacobson
The deployment of military forces to Los Angeles amid peaceful protests lacks constitutional or statutory justification and ra...
True democracy requires not domination or division, but humble, courageous collaboration across our differences.
Verdicts & Settlements
| Elder Abuse | Lois J. Phillips, James Abb... | $10,000,000 |
| Hostile Work Environment | Ashley Cummins v. The City ... | $10,000,000 |
| Auto v. Auto | Regino Gomez-Garcia v. Glad... | $8,569,756 |
| Unlawful Disposition of Hazardous Waste | The People of the State of ... | $7,500,000 |
| Defamation | Curtis Heffernan v. Ignite ... | $6,500,000 |
| Auto v. Motorcycle | Thereon McDaniel v. Redwood... | $5,300,000 |
| Hostile Work Environment | Lindsay Knott v. Birdwell C... | $3,680,000 |
| Premises Liability | Victoria Barbara v. Stater ... | $1,741,484 |
| Wage and Hour | Vance Coar, individually, a... | $1,250,000 |
| Negligence | Alejandro Alonso v. City of... | $1,000,000 |
On the Move
Nicolaides Fink Thorpe Michaelides Sullivan LLP
Christopher T. Hicks joined Nicolaides Fink Thorpe Michaelides Sullivan LLP as an associate in La Jolla. The move was Jun. 9, 2025.
Details
Nicolaides Fink Thorpe Michaelides Sullivan LLP has 88 attorneys in 6 offices including San Francisco; Los Angeles; San Diego. Among the law firm’s key practice areas are Insurance Coverage. The firm’s website is nicolaidesllp.com
Address
4225 Executive Square, Suite 1250 , La Jolla California 92037 USA
T:
(858) 257-0700
F:
(858) 257-0701
Featured Content
The art of storytelling at trial requires that we, as trial lawyers, know not just the facts of the case but our clients' hope...
There is a time and place for everything--including a time to mediate an insurance coverage or bad faith claim.
Community News
Judge Allison Westfahl Kong, Judicial Appointments Secretary and honoree Luis Céspedes and Judge E. Carlos Dominguez
L.A. County Superior Court Criminal Division Supervising judge Yvette Verastegui, Judge Latrice A.G. Byrdsong, Judge Thomas Rubinson, Judge Jessica C. Kronstadt, Judge Wendy Segall and Commissioner Karine Mkrtchyan
L.A. County District Attorney Nathan Hochman and Judge Drew E. Edwards
Steven M. Sepassi, ADR Services Inc. Mediator, Armenian Bar Association Board of Governors vice chair Steven J. Dadaian of Encino and Lucie Barron, ADR Services Inc. founder and president
Commissioner Kjehl T. Johansen and Commissioner Paul Bruguera
Judge Cathy J. Ostiller and Judge Linda L. Sun
Judge Virginia Keeny and Commissioner Karine Mkrtchyan
(Ret.) Judge Paul A. Bacigalupo of ADR Services Inc. and Judge Connie R. Quiñones
Judge Rupert A. Byrdsong, Judge Mary Ann Murphy and Judge David V. Herriford
Judge Randolph M. Hammock, Commissioner Karine Mkrtchyan, Judge Scott J. Nord and (Ret.) Judge Greg Keosian
Deputy Public Defender Vera Koulian and Judge Victor Avila
Judge Jerry B. Marshak, Commissioner Karin Borzakian and Judge Louis T. Parise Jr.
Judge Lauren A.R. Lofton, Judge Steven P. Pfahler and Judge Brock T. Hammond
Beatriz P. Flores of Santa Barbara and Judge Robert B. Broadbelt
Judge Deborah A. Horowitz and Judge David E. Hizami
2nd District Court Justice Gonzalo Martinez; Leonel Armenta, law student and paralegal at Law Offices of Gerard V. Kassabian; and Commissioner Amir Ahanorov
Judicial Appointments Secretary and honoree Luis Céspedes and his wife, Laurrel Montoya Céspedes
Narine Mkrtchyan of Glendale and Marina Samson of Ivie McNeill Wyatt Purcell & Diggs
Judge Michael D. Weinstein, M. Anthony Brown of Spertus Landes & Josephs LLP, Judge Ryan D. White, Judge Cathy J. Ostiller and Judge Rupert A. Byrdsong
Judge Shelley L. Kaufman and Deputy Public Defender Mary M. Dolmadjian
Orange County Judges Olga Giller and Isabel Apkarian
ADR Services Inc.'s advertising manager Seepan Yekanian and Lucie Barron, founder and president
Commissioner Amir Ahanorov, Judge Michael P. Pulos and Judge Isabel Apkarian
Judge Jerry B. Marshak, Judge Michael R. Amerian and Commissioner Amir Ahanorov
Judge Joel L. Lofton, Gerard V. Kassabian of Sherman Oaks and (Ret.) Judge Stephanie Bowick
2nd District Court Justice Elwood G. Lui, Associate Justice Martin J. Jenkins, honorees Associate Justice Joshua P. Groban and Judicial Appointments Secretary Luis Céspedes, and Judge Rupert A. Byrdsong
Judge Robert B. Broadbelt, Judicial Appointments Secretary and honoree Luis Céspedes, Judge Elizabeth L. Bradley and Commissioner Karine Mkrtchyan
Commissioner Karine Mkrtchyan, (Ret.) Judge Suzanne G. Bruguera, Judge Lucy Armendariz, Judge Linda L. Sun and Judge Wendy Segall
Commissioner Karine Mkrtchyan, Armenian Bar Association’s Chairwoman of the Board of Governors Lucy Verpetian, Judge Gabriela D. Shapiro and Judge Armenui A. Ashvanian
L.A. Superior Court research attorney Sam G. Bruguera, (Ret.) Judge Suzanne Bruguera, Armenian Bar Association’s Chairwoman of the Board of Governors Lucy Verpetian and Commissioner Paul Bruguera
Armenian Bar Association’s Chairwoman of the Board of Governors Lucy Verpetian, Golden State Bank’s Elsy Attarian and Janet Vartanian (Relationship Bankers) and Harout Boudoukian (Head of Deposits)
Judge Adan Montalban and Judge Lucy Armendariz
Judge Michael D. Weinstein and Judge Richard S. Kemalyan
Razmig Sarkissian of Los Angeles and (Ret.) Judge Zaven V. Sinanian of Signature Resolution
Storm Palyan LLP’s Darius A. Vosylius, Anthony D. Palyan, Steven V. Matossian, Tigran Palyan and Agnessa Arutunyan (firm administrator)
Carpenter & Zuckerman’s Edward A. Cherkezian and Edward Hovannisian, Hovsep Trdatyan of Trdatyan Law Firm and Michael G. Geragos of Carpenter & Zuckerman
Law school students Hasmik Manucharyan and Fenia Hakobyan
Deputy Public Defenders Gegam P. Petrosyan and Mary M. Dolmadjian, Suzy S. Marjanian of Koletsky Mancini Feldman LLP and Knarik Boyadzhyan of Virtue Recovery Center
Judge Gabriela D. Shapiro, Judge E. Carlos Dominguez, L.A. County Assisting Presiding Judge Ricardo R. Ocampo, Commissioner Karine Mkrtchyan, Judge Jana M. Seng, Judge Terrance T. Lewis, Judge Armenui A. Ashvanian, Judge Jessica C. Kronstadt and Judge Lauren A.R. Lofton
Judge Lucy Armendariz and Judge E. Carlos Dominguez
Gideon Kracov of ADR Services and Kahren Harutyunyan of Balaban & Spielberger LLP
Co-Chair of the Armenian Bar Association Judicial Evaluation Committee Ara R. Jabagchourian of San Mateo, his wife Lori Jabagchourian, and Judge Mark C. Kim
Judge Armenui A. Ashvanian presenting the honors to California Supreme Court Associate Justice Joshua P. Groban, and Armenian Bar Association’s Chairwoman of the Board of Governors Lucy Verpetian (center)
Armenian Board of Governors Armen K. Hovannisian of Sherman Oaks, Judicial Appointments Secretary and honoree Luis Céspedes, Judge Martin J. Jenkins and Armenian Bar Association’s Chairwoman of the Board of Governors Lucy Verpetian
Judge Ruth A. Kwan and Deputy Judicial Appointments Secretary Adam W. Hoffman
Judge Michael R. Amerian presenting the honors to 2nd District Court of Appeal Justice Helen Zukin, and Armenian Bar Association's Chairwoman of the Board of Governors Lucy Verpetian
Maro Burunsuzyan of Glendale, Mariya Melkonyan of Glendale, Svetlana Darbinyan of Law Offices of Andrew Zeytuntsyan and Ani Nalbandian of Burbank
Garo Mardirossian of Los Angeles, Sevana Shaverdian, Artin N. Shaverdian and Lloyd W. Pellman of Nossaman LLP
2nd District Court of Appeal Justice and honoree Helen Zukin and Judge Elizabeth L. Bradley
Judicial Appointments Secretary and honoree Luis Céspedes and 2nd District Court of Appeals nominated Judge Armen Tamzarian
Appointments Secretary Luis Céspedes, California Supreme Court Justice Josh Groban, and 2nd District Court of Appeal Justice Helen Zukin were recognized at the sold-out event.
Daily Appellate Report
Criminal Law and Procedure, Constitutional Law
U.S. v. Barry
Probable cause existed to search non-residence apartment under the parolee-search condition exception where parolee had a key to the apartment and showed intimate familiarity with it.
Habeas Corpus
In re Rogowski
Governor's reversal of parole granted to inmate serving indeterminate life sentence was upheld because the inmate's inconsistent statements regarding his crime demonstrated a material lac...
Criminal Law and Procedure
People v. American Surety Co.
Because criminal court failed to forfeit bond after defendant's initial disappearance, it lost jurisdiction and civil court erred in not vacating forfeiture and exonerating bail.
Dependency
In re Jayden A.
Despite mother not appealing dependency court's jurisdictional finding, father's appeal challenging the jurisdictional finding was not rendered moot.
Municipal Law, Employment Law
Palms Springs Promenade, LLC v. Dept. of Industrial Relations
Although partially funded by city tax dollars, development project was not municipal work eligible for City's anti-prevailing wage ordinance because project was not primarily for a public...