How Turkey and Biden pulled off a hostage exchange that went largely unnoticed
By Omer Ilter
Under President Joe Biden, the U.S. and Turkey, both seasoned practitioners of "back channel" diplomacy, achieved a remarkable...
Labor/Employment
Key changes every employer needs to know about the latest employment laws
By Dean A. Rocco
California's newest laws offer protections for victims of violence, limit mandatory attendance at employer meetings, and ban r...
Civil Rights
California's racial justice reform falters under judicial bias
By Lateef Gray
California's Racial Justice Act aims to eliminate racism from criminal courts, but recent judicial bias cases reveal the need ...
The California Pro Bono Portal: Volunteering made easy
By Jenni Gomez-Haddad
Despite the staggering unmet civil legal needs of low-income Californians, highlighted by the State Bar of California's 2019 J...
Corporate, Business Law
Attorney fees for total victory: Is Musk's Tesla pay case a blueprint?
By Brian Danitz
When attorneys scored a complete victory against Elon Musk's $56 billion Tesla pay package, Chancellor McCormick faced a novel...
Labor/Employment
SB 399: Employers can't force workers to listen to them
By JJ Johnston
Starting Jan. 1, 2025, California's SB 399 will ban employers from penalizing workers for skipping meetings on political or re...
Criminal, Constitutional Law
Trump's inauguration will be a felonious first
By John H. Minan
President Donald Trump will be sworn in next month, regardless of a conviction on 34 counts of falsifying business records in...
Tax
Can Trump's tax plan support both an aging infrastructure and population?
By Selwyn D. Whitehead
As Trump eyes extending his 2017 tax cuts, a $35 trillion national debt and mounting social costs pose critical challenges, cr...
Government, Criminal
Biden's half-step on death row is only a partial victory
By Robert M. Sanger
President Biden's commutation of 37 out of 40 federal death row sentences is a partial but important step in fulfilling his pr...
Environmental & Energy
SB 253 puts companies on the climate clock
By David R. Singh , Morgan D. MacBride
California's new Corporate Climate Data Accountability Act mandates large businesses to report Scope 3 greenhouse gas emission...
U.S. Supreme Court, Tax
Supreme Court takes on FCC's taxing power: A game-changer for telecom?
By Imad Matini , Paul A. Werner
On Nov. 22, 2024, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to review a Fifth Circuit ruling in Consumers' Research v. FCC, which d...
Technology, Tax, Government
Trump's EV crackdown sets up California legal battle for 2025
By Mark A. Neubauer
A Trump-Musk administration may end federal EV tax credits and emission regulations while California imposes stricter oversigh...
Technology, Government
The future of US policy on Chinese EV manufacturers
By James Kim
As geopolitical and economic stakes rise, the U.S. is grappling with Chinese EV dominance, balancing trade barriers against th...
International Law, Government
Greenland bound? Trump's annexation gambit faces legal and logistical icebergs
By Dan Lawton
President-elect Donald Trump's recent interest in purchasing Greenland, met with mockery and Denmark's refusal to sell, has sp...
Law Practice
The essential guide to succession planning for lawyers approaching retirement
By George Brandon
Succession planning is both a professional and ethical responsibility, safeguarding your firm's legacy, client relationships, ...
The federal government often avoids taking responsibility for actions that affect property owners, leading to prolonged liti...
The proposed civility rules for attorneys are unnecessary, unenforceable, and risk stifling reasonable disagreements, ultimate...
Letters
Richard Quinones was a prosecutor who believed in redemption
By Louis J. Shapiro
The Los Angeles legal community is shocked and devastated upon hearing about the death of Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney...
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals
9th Circuit confirms expert prep fees are recoverable
By William A. Foster
The Ninth Circuit's Miller v. Sawant ruling allows recovery of expert preparation fees for depositions under Rule 26, a...
Attorney General Rob Bonta's support for the FTC's proposed ban on non-compete agreements underscores the state's leadership i...
In 2015, a medical scare led me to fully embrace my identity as both a writer and an attorney, realizing I'm not defined by ju...
Securities, Administrative/Regulatory
5th Circuit vacates SEC approval of NASDAQ board diversity rules
By Teresa L. Johnson , Sara Adler
The 5th Circuit found that the diversity rules were not a disclosure requirement but a public-shaming penalty, and concluded t...
Taking notice: Premises liability requires support
By Andrew O. Smith
The California Court of Appeals upheld a summary judgment in favor of a shopping center and its janitorial service, ruling tha...
SB 940 misrepresents certification, misuses terms like "independent," and needs clearer language and amendments.
U.S. Supreme Court, Intellectual Property
Supreme Court IP cases to watch in 2025
By Monica M. Arnold , Michelle E. Armond
The 2024-2025 Supreme Court term will tackle key intellectual property cases, including issues of personal jurisdiction in pat...
Year-end is a stressful period with significant tax considerations, especially for law firms and individuals operating on a ca...
Labor/Employment, Civil Rights
DEI under the spotlight: Trump's DOJ v. EEOC
By Tal Burnovski Yeyni
President-elect Trump's nomination of Harmeet Dhillon to lead the DOJ's Civil Rights Division signals a potential clash with t...
Technology, Contracts, Alternative Dispute Resolution
Arbitrating smart contract disputes: A comprehensive approach
By Daniel B. Garrie , Gail A. Andler
As smart contract adoption grows, arbitration provides an effective mechanism for resolving related disputes, aligning with th...
Technology
Communications providers that failed to prevent robocalls on FCC's naughty list
By Anita Taff-Rice
The Federal Communications Commission moved to permanently block calls from 2400 carriers that failed to tackle robocalls.
A legal battle in Sacramento over a 500-foot radio tower pits CapRadio, claiming ownership based on a 1990 agreement, against ...