A contractor that lied about its workers' comp coverage to save its license ended up losing $1.55 million in fees and its abil...
You thought there'd be no math?!
Military Law
Lawsuit challenges VA's decision to deny abortions to veterans
By Eileen C. Moore
The VA's near-total elimination of abortion care and counseling for veterans, which took effect Dec. 31, 2025, under Secretary...
Torts/Personal Injury
Uber background checks, criminal records and passenger assault claims in California
By Jean-Claude Lapuyade, Yosi Yahoudai
How rideshare screening actually works, when a driver's criminal record matters and what a passenger injured by an Uber driver...
Why?
By Arthur Gilbert
A retired judge humorously reflects on everyday frustrations--from cyclists without helmets and cell phone distractions to tat...
AI can produce well-researched and logically organized appellate briefs, but experienced appellate lawyers remain better at st...
Properly structured litigation funding agreements can allow law firms to defer taxation until case proceeds are realized while...
Criminal
The public defender crisis Clara Foltz tried to prevent
By William M. Paparian
As the 25th anniversary of the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center approaches, California's first woman lawyer's le...
Ethics/Professional Responsibility
How to respond to State Bar letters of inquiry
By Christine C. Rosskopf
Attorneys who receive a State Bar letter of inquiry should respond promptly and strategically, understanding the procedural re...
Environmental & Energy
Litigation threatens enforcement of California's SB 54 efforts to reduce plastic waste
By Sarah P. Bell
California's enforcement of Senate Bill 54 faces competing legal challenges, with one lawsuit attacking the statute's constitu...
The Supreme Court's decisions in Case v. Montana and Chatrie v. United States establish a modern Fourth Amendment frame...
Tax
A drafting ambiguity could cost Hollywood its tax credit boost
By Jackie Ward, Skyler Calkins
Following the approval of California's 2026-27 budget, dozens of legislators are urging Gov. Newsom to exempt the entertainmen...
Environmental & Energy
Federal attacks on greenhouse gas emissions regulations: What's at stake for California?
By David Pettit
The Trump administration's rollback of federal and California vehicle emissions standards threatens to worsen the state's alre...
Litigation & Arbitration
Preparing for the first procedural hearing in arbitration: What counsel should know
By Tricia Bigelow
Successful arbitration depends on thorough early case management, with attorneys carefully navigating AAA procedural requireme...
Family
Rethinking application of the disentitlement doctrine in cases involving domestic violence
By Melissa B. Whalen, Sarah Fiskin
As California courts increasingly apply the disentitlement doctrine to family law disputes, it should never be used to strip d...
Despite civil contempt's criminal-like protections--including proof beyond a reasonable doubt and the right to counsel--Califo...
Law firms that treat AI as more than a technology purchase--while preserving human judgment and client relationships--will gai...
Family
Divergence, not deficit: What family law must learn about neurodiversity and disability
By Abbas Hadjian
The 14th Annual Cultural Competency in Family Law Practice Seminar urged lawyers and judges to view disability and neurodiverg...
Family Law's evolution over 250 years, from Visigothic codes through Seneca Falls to a diverse modern bench, shows the Founder...
The Supreme Court's review of Grand v. City of University Heights will examine the intersection of religious freedom, l...
Civil Procedure
California's new jury selection law changes the rules of the voir dire game
By Allen Felahy
California's new jury selection rules dramatically reshape peremptory challenges, raising the bar for striking prospective jur...
Judges and Judiciary
Defending the judiciary's core function: J.O. v. Superior Court and our court's response
By Sergio C. Tapia II
The California Supreme Court's landmark J.O. decision restores judicial oversight of bad-faith judicial disqualificatio...
Labor/Employment
Why mentorship and culture beat compensation in law firm retention
By Marsha L. Kempson
As law firms compete to retain legal talent, new data shows that compensation alone is not enough; associates are more likely ...
Criminal
DREAM Court: A model court marking 10 years of serving LA's most vulnerable children
By Annabelle G. Cortez
Marking its 10th anniversary, Los Angeles' DREAM Court has served sexually exploited children as dependents rather than crimin...
Law Practice, Civil Rights
Lawyers cannot close the justice gap alone
By Scott L. Cummings, Kate Crowley Richardson
California's proposed Rule of Court 9.45.1 would expand access to justice by allowing trained, attorney-supervised Community J...
Technology, Judges and Judiciary
Beyond chatbots: Is there a role for adjudicative AI?
By Karin Schwartz
As artificial intelligence transforms legal practice and increases demands on already overburdened courts, California's judici...
Torts/Personal Injury
No permit, no defense: Hold delivery platforms and retailers liable for unpermitted drivers
By Arash Homampour
California's Motor Carriers of Property Permit Act may provide a new legal theory for holding delivery platforms such as Uber ...
Family
A new approach to fighting child exploitation
By Shelly Caterino, Maria Blanco
DREAM Court's trauma-informed, collaborative approach brings together courts, attorneys, social workers and community partners...
As court congestion strains Riverside and San Bernardino counties, attorneys must adapt their litigation strategies by managin...
Existing laws penalize fraud in commerce but provide few consequences for knowingly false claims about elections, prompting ca...