Space Law, Administrative/Regulatory
US space operations in the 'gray zone'
By Dorn McGrath, Michael Beckwith
Rising launch activity at Vandenberg Space Force Base has sparked legal disputes between SpaceX and the California Coastal Com...
Consumer Protection Law, Banking
NACHA's 24-hour rule puts small businesses at risk of financial ruin
By Jayne T. Kaplan
Small business owners who fall victim to unauthorized withdrawals have just 24 hours to fight back under the National Automate...
Study from UC Irvine finds 43% of data brokers ignore requests to delete personal data and the other half use the law to gathe...
Technology, Labor/Employment
AI and the shifting landscape of exempt employee classification
By Brett C. Bartlett, Phillip J. Ebsworth
Artificial intelligence is increasingly reshaping employees' duties and workflows across industries, creating efficiency gains...
Wills, Estates & Trusts, Tax
5 critical steps for administering trusts and estates with cryptocurrency holdings
By John ("J.D.") Rees
With nearly one in four Californians owning digital assets, trust and estate fiduciaries need a new playbook to manage concent...
Criminal, Civil Procedure
Parallel proceedings, conflicting rules: Managing civil and criminal exposure
By Reza Torkzadeh, Allen P. Wilkinson
When civil and criminal cases overlap, conflicting rules create high-stakes risks. Here's how lawyers can navigate parallel pr...
Law Practice, Ethics/Professional Responsibility
Billable hours are dying - here's what's replacing them
By Jonathan Littrell
Value-based pricing offers a compelling alternative -- tying fees to results rather than time, rewarding lawyers for deliverin...
Securities, Banking
Stablecoins gain clarity under GENIUS Act as legal questions linger for banks and fintechs
By Moorari Shah, Maxwell Earp-Thomas
The law brings long-awaited clarity to stablecoins but leaves banks, fintechs and regulators facing unresolved legal and ove...
Intellectual Property, Civil Procedure
Judge dismantles SAD strategy in IP mass joinder cases
By Milord A. Keshishian
Judge Kness's Eicher Motors opinion unravels the "Schedule A" litigation model, finding that mass joinder TROs and ex ...
Intellectual Property
How 'art law' went from niche curiosity to legal mainstream
By Simon J. Frankel
Once a niche subject, art law has grown over the past half century into a recognized legal discipline shaping disputes over ow...
Intellectual Property, Entertainment & Sports, Administrative/Regulatory
Building compliant partnerships in the content creator economy
By Tisha Morris, Nyanza Shaw
How the rapidly growing $500 billion content creator economy is reshaping the entertainment industry, creating complex legal n...
State Bar & Bar Associations, Civil Rights
Most Californians can't get legal help and the consequences are deadly
By Diego Cartagena, David A. Lash
The California State Bar's 2024 Justice Gap Study reveals a worsening crisis in civil legal access, with 70% of households fac...
Civil Litigation, Alternative Dispute Resolution
Legendary trial lawyer Gerry Spence leaves lessons for courtroom and beyond
By Leonid M. Zilberman
Late trial legend Gerry Spence, renowned for his mastery of fear, truth, and justice in the courtroom, leaves a timeless legac...
Immigration, Criminal, Constitutional Law
Courthouses should be gateways to justice not traps of fear
By Louis J. Shapiro
ICE courthouse arrests, like the public detention of Steven Rony Reyes in Los Angeles, undermine trust in the justice system, ...
Immigration, Construction
As immigration enforcement intensifies, legal risks mount for construction firms
By Jane Kutepova
As labor shortages persist across the U.S. construction industry, a parallel crisis is unfolding -- one grounded in heightened...
Judges and Judiciary
'Our Town,' our court: Life lessons from a retired judge's brief return to the bench
By Anthony J. Mohr
In a brief return to the bench, a judge finds that, much like in 'Our Town,' the small details of daily life are the ones that...
Obituaries
Law in service of others: The legacy of Frederick M. Nicholas
By Cole Nicholas
Frederick M. Nicholas, who died June 28, founded the nation's largest pro bono law firm, Public Counsel. His grandson, Cole Ni...
Health Care & Hospital Law, Data Privacy
The legal fallout from the largest healthcare data breach in the U.S.
By David A. Rawi
The February 2024 cyberattack on Change Healthcare, a UnitedHealth subsidiary, exposed sensitive medical data of nearly 190 mi...
Litigation & Arbitration, California Supreme Court
Supreme Court saves an arbitration deadline from preemption by making it more palatable
By Marc D. Alexander
In Hohenshelt v. Superior Court, the California Supreme Court preserved Civil Code §1281.98 from federal preemption b...
Constitutional Law
2nd Amendment weirdos - Part V: A view from the bottom
By Myron Moskovitz
In a sharply reasoned yet ultimately reversed opinion, Judge Carlton Reeves applied the Supreme Court's own "historical tradit...
California Supreme Court
California Supreme Court upholds out-of-state forum clauses without jury trials
By Paul A. Reynolds
In EpicentRx, the California Supreme Court upheld a forum selection clause naming the Delaware Court of Chancery, rejec...
Labor/Employment, Class Action, Alternative Dispute Resolution
Pre-mediation strategies to win class and PAGA cases
By Barbara DuVan-Clarke, Danielle L. GruppChang
Mediation in class and PAGA cases is essentially inevitable, so attorneys should prioritize early and thorough preparation -- ...
Constitutional Law
Chris Kluwe's losing First Amendment lawsuit isn't the free speech fight we need
By Samuel P. Nielson
Former NFL player Chris Kluwe's lawsuit against the Huntington Beach Union High School District over his anti-MAGA speech is l...
Law Practice
The curiosity gap: Strategic networking and the referral paradox
By Thomas Riebs
A curious, deliberate approach can turn casual contacts into a powerful revenue-generating network.
Intellectual Property, Constitutional Law
Functionality finds its 1st Amendment voice in the 9th Circuit
By Antonio R. Sarabia II
In recent Ninth Circuit cases, courts have expanded the functionality defense in trademark and trade dress law -- traditionall...
Entertainment & Sports
House rules: Protecting college athletes' finances in the new era of compensation
By Frank N. Darras
In June 2025, a $2.8 billion settlement in House v. NCAA gave college athletes new rights to direct payments and NIL ...
Family
Common mistakes in family law matters: Pitfalls practitioners and courts should avoid
By Patti C. Ratekin
Family law cases are often costly, complex and emotionally charged, and common procedural mistakes -- from faulty proof of ser...
Civil Procedure
Rooker-Feldman: Jurisdictional limits beyond preclusion
By Megan Fitz-Patrick
The Ninth Circuit reaffirmed that the Rooker-Feldman doctrine bars federal review only when a plaintiff claims injury from a s...
California's cultivated meat sector battles USDA, trade barriers under Trump
By Dr. Chang Kyoung (CK) Choi, Roberto Escobar
No longer just labs of innovation, California's cultivated meat firms are now global trade actors -- pushing for a seat at the...
Law Office Management
Reconfiguring law firm management with automation and emerging tech
By Danny Abir
Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and cloud-based tools are transforming law practice from optional aids into...