Judicial Profile
Judge June J. An's dependency court: Where lives -- and doors -- are changed forever
MCLE
Workaholic and worn out: Don't let work stress lead you astray
Lawyers are among the professions most vulnerable to alco...
By Alanna G. Clair, Shari L. KlevensInformal discovery conferences in California courts
The sunsetting of California's informal discovery confere...
By Stuart M. RiceTax triage for LA fire victims
Navigating the tax implications of insurance proceeds aft...
By Alex Z. Brown, Robert W. WoodSpecial Coverage
Special Reports
Leading Commercial Litigators 2025
The annual supplement honoring the top performing bet-the-company litigators across the country.
Today's News
LA Fires, Environmental & Energy
Litigation likely over EPA wildfire cleanup, attorneys say
By Skyler Romero
The EPA has given itself a 30-day deadline to clean up toxic waste from recent Los Angeles County wildfires, but objections have been raised about that predi...
Ethics/Professional Responsibility
Former captain says San Mateo sheriff gave him illegal orders
By James Twomey
A former San Mateo County Sheriff's captain has filed a lawsuit alleging whistleblower retaliation and wrongful termination by Sheriff Christina Corpus, who ...
Civil Litigation
Debris from nearby fire not loss of property damage, panel rules
By Antoine Abou-Diwan
A California appeal court sided with Wawanesa Insurance, denying Saddle Ridge Fire victims' claims for smoke damage, setting a precedent for future wildfire ...
Antitrust & Trade Reg.
Holdouts in Silicon Valley-backed planned city want antitrust claims dismissed
By Malcolm Maclachlan
Paul and William Dietrich, Solano County landowners, insist they never conspired to inflate prices and accuse Flannery Associates of using litigation as leve...
Labor/Employment
Bonnie Plants settles farmworker retaliation claims with ALRB
By James Twomey
Bonnie Plants LLC has settled with the Agricultural Labor Relations Board for $114,834.40 after eight farmworkers claimed they were laid off for reporting un...
Class Action
Lawsuit claims a spoonful of sugar is bad medicine
By Devon Belcher
A lawsuit claims Nature's Path toaster pastries contain too much of the wrong kind of sugar.
Columns
Government
Trump's power grab and the threat to American democracy
By Erwin Chemerinsky
In just three weeks, the Trump administration has engaged in an unprecedented disregard for the law, violating constitutional...
Labor/Employment
California exempt status explained: Navigating salary and duties tests for employers
By Jonathan Fraser Light
Employers in California often struggle with determining salaried exempt status for employees, as it involves both a "salary ...
LA Fires, Insurance
California Court of Appeal decision sets dangerous precedent for wildfire insurance claims
By Shant A. Karnikian
A recent California Court of Appeal ruling in Gharibian v. Wawanesa narrows the definition of "direct physical loss," p...
Verdicts & Settlements
Bad Faith | Passport 420, LLC; Spring C... | $21,581,371 |
Consumer Protection | Ralph Milan and Elizabeth A... | $12,000,000 |
Consumers Legal Remedies Act | Anne Moulton, individually ... | $3,000,000 |
Wage and Hour | Tiffany Soliman, on behalf ... | $2,425,000 |
Wage and Hour | Lucas Andrews and Lauren An... | $2,026,613 |
Disability Discrimination | Joann Sakurada v. Keyes Com... | $1,514,000 |
Wage and Hour | Michelle Mason v. Eastwestp... | $1,200,000 |
Wage and Hour | Daija Walker and Adam Joy, ... | $1,104,807 |
Wage and Hour | Jason Beinbrech, individual... | $1,100,000 |
Malpractice | Doe Minor v. Roe Physician | $990,000 |
On the Move
Judicate West

Michael Strauss joined Judicate West as a neutral in Los Angeles. The move was Feb. 6, 2025.
Details
Judicate West has 88 attorneys in 6 offices including Downtown LA, Oakland, Sacramento, San Diego, Santa Ana, West LA/Century City. Among the law firm’s key practice areas are alternative dispute resolution. The firm’s website is https://www.judicatewest.com/
Featured Content
Eight key factors that make early mediation a valuable tool in civil cases
JAMS neutral reflects on her career, what inspires her and what brought her back to JAMS after 20 years on the bench
Alternative Dispute Resolution
Community News
Slideshow, Community News
OCBA held its Judges' Night and Annual Meeting
By Ricardo Pineda
Mei Tsang of Umberg/Zipser was sworn in as OCBA president, along with the 2025 board of directors.
Attorney Profiles
Estate Planning and Probate Directory
A comprehensive directory of estate planning and probate attorneys throughout California.
Podcasts
In this compelling season premiere of In the Public Interest, three distinguished WilmerHale experts dive into the comp...
Daily Appellate Report
Criminal Law and Procedure
People v. Gonzalez
An unauthorized sentence that was able to be corrected did not warrant a resentencing.
Criminal Law and Procedure
People v. Martinez
No violation of criminal defendant's state right to a speedy trial where his claims of prejudice were conclusory and speculative rather than supported by particular facts.
Securities
Pirani v. Slack Technologies, Inc.
Sections 11 and 12 of the Securities Act require plaintiffs to show that the securities they purchased were registered under a materially misleading registration statement and prospectus,...
Criminal Law and Procedure
U.S. v. Thompson
Defendant's previous child molestation conviction triggered a 10-year increase to his mandatory minimum sentence for a subsequent child pornography conviction.
Attorneys
Greer v. County of San Diego
Reports on meetings of review board that included legal counsel for purposes of assessing liability for past events and preventing exposure due to future events were shielded by attorney-...