GUEST COLUMNS
Friday, May 8, 2026
The House of Representatives has passed bipartisan legislation that would amend the Internal Revenue Code so survivors of sexual abuse and unwanted, illegal sexual contact no longer pay taxes on their legal settlement income.
As EPA PFAS drinking water standards shift and evolve, lawsuits over contamination and responsibility are rapidly expanding across the country.
Thursday, May 7, 2026
Neuroethics is rapidly emerging as a critical but underdeveloped field in law and policy, leaving the legal profession unprepared for the fast-moving rise of neural data collection, fragmented state regulation, and the coming challenges of neurotechnology across privacy, employment, IP and constitutional law.
As AI transforms computing into a race shaped as much by climate, water and power as by code, modular micro-data centers are redefining digital infrastructure by strategically shifting heavy workloads to cooler, resource-rich regions while preserving latency-critical capacity in selective local hubs like California.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
The Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling in Louisiana
v. Callais fundamentally undermined the Voting Rights Act by requiring
proof of intentional discrimination under Section 2, making majority-communities
of color districts far harder to create and defend.
As California's employment enforcement landscape grows increasingly aggressive, employers must prioritize proactive audits, updated timekeeping policies, and continuous compliance monitoring to navigate the state's unforgiving wage and hour laws heading into 2026.
Tuesday, May 5, 2026
The U.K.'s upcoming Competition and Markets Authority evaluation of the proposed Paramount-Warner Bros. transaction illustrates a growing reality in global merger review: Approval from U.S. regulators is no longer sufficient to ensure a deal's completion.
The 2024 decision in Gilead Tenofovir Cases, Gilead Sciences v. Superior Court of the City and County of San Francisco, effectively imposed a new "duty to innovate," creating unprecedented liability for product manufacturers across the state.
Monday, May 4, 2026
As AI increasingly provides actionable assistance in dangerous contexts, the law must confront whether existing concepts of criminal liability are adequate when technology functionally aids violent crime without possessing human intent.
On April 22, the attorney general amended the Code of Federal Regulations, placing state-licensed medicinal cannabis into Schedule III--but in states like California, where 95% of retailers hold both medical and adult-use licenses, significant questions remain.
Friday, May 1, 2026
Uber has spent five years arguing Proposition 22 rewrote California tort law; a recent arbitration award confirms it did not--Section 5354 still imputes driver negligence to the permit holder, regardless of classification.
Even well-intentioned workplace initiatives may invite legal scrutiny--the EEOC's lawsuit against Coca-Cola illustrates an expanding view of actionable harm under Title VII.
Thursday, April 30, 2026
An offshore oil operator is caught between dueling sovereigns--ordered by the federal government to produce and by California to stop--risking significant penalties no matter which command it follows.
Prop. 36 promised accountability with rehabilitation, but its early implementation shows a deeper civil rights problem: discretion is driving unequal outcomes across California.
Wednesday, April 29, 2026
College football's unchecked NIL economy, transfer chaos and fragmented governance are creating legal and competitive instability that could be mitigated by a centralized, sport-specific commissioner.
The EEOC lawsuit against a Coca-Cola beverage distributor over a women-only company retreat marks the first time the agency has taken legal action against corporate DEI programming.
Tuesday, April 28, 2026
Despite perceived declines in Foreign Corrupt Practices Act enforcement, companies should continue to invest heavily in compliance because other statutes, global regulators, contractual obligations, and enduring business risks make anti-corruption compliance as important as ever.
With regulatory scrutiny of data centers intensifying across California, the success or failure of a project hinges on understanding the state and local frameworks standing between developers and approval.
Monday, April 27, 2026
The rise of AI-informed and data-savvy clients in family law is transforming attorney-client relationships by shifting consultations from procedural education to strategic counseling, requiring greater transparency, coordination and multidisciplinary practice management.
A copyright lawsuit over critical YouTube videos has been cited as part of a growing "copyright silencing" trend, raising concerns that infringement claims are being used to deter speech rather than protect markets.
Friday, April 24, 2026
As CARB implements a first-in-the-nation climate risk disclosure framework, it is giving insurers a pass even as other companies must assess and disclose climate risks.
Meta's removal of end-to-end encrypted Instagram DMs raises a threshold question: whether users' expectation that their messages are "private" carries any meaningful protection under California law.
Thursday, April 23, 2026
As agencies adopt law enforcement technology to improve investigations, these tools also generate vast records, requiring careful CPRA analysis to determine what must be disclosed.
AB 890 expanded nurse practitioner autonomy while leaving ownership unresolved--creating tension between the statute's grant of independence and California's ban on the corporate practice of medicine.
Wednesday, April 22, 2026
Prop. 65 has mushroomed from a modest regulatory requirement into one of the most powerful litigation tools in the world--and for manufacturers, suppliers and retailers, the question is no longer whether the law applies, but whether they are prepared to deal with the consequences.
ICE detention deaths are rising, often preventable and frequently tied to private contractors--yet California plaintiffs' attorneys have stronger tools than many realize to force accountability and recover damages.
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
On May 11, 1880, one of the American West's deadliest shootouts killed seven men at Mussel Slough in a railroad-versus-settlers dispute -- and the echoes still shape California government today.
A wave of class actions over influencer-marketing disclosures has turned compliance with FTC endorsement standards into active litigation under state consumer protection laws, prompting brands and attorneys to tighten contract terms governing clear and conspicuous sponsorship disclosures.
Monday, April 20, 2026
Amid mounting stress in the opaque private credit market, Burnell v. BlackRock TCP Capital Corp. spotlights investor claims that lenders inflated portfolio values--raising the specter of litigation reminiscent of the 2008 financial crisis.
Mittal v. Unilever frames a threshold question: when do statements made in the ordinary course of corporate governance become actionable defamation under the First Amendment.
Friday, April 17, 2026
U.S. military interventions are costly and often ineffective, leaving instability abroad while increasing financial, human, and political strain at home.
An ongoing oil shock is exposing California's energy vulnerability and the limits of Title 24, which, while improving efficiency, is increasingly misaligned with electrification, AI-driven demand and climate resilience needs.
Thursday, April 16, 2026
In California wildfire claims, insurers rely on Xactimate software--often using outdated data and adjustable inputs--to undervalue repair costs, making it critical for attorneys to challenge these estimates and ground claims in actual market conditions and policy terms.
Even when a mediation ends with a binding term sheet, the possibility that it becomes the only agreement should make you think about addressing tax issues upfront.
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
A California appellate decision confirms that ignorance is no defense for prime contractors when payroll records show no apprentices.
AI adoption is already widespread, making bans unrealistic and strategically unsound; instead, leaders must distinguish value-enhancing use from risky shortcuts--often by asking better questions.
Tuesday, April 14, 2026
Federal investigators found nursing homes are drugging dementia patients and falsifying diagnoses, even as regulators consider weakening oversight.
Outdated federal law has failed to keep pace with modern medicine and underscores the urgent need for reform to ensure women can access comprehensive, lifesaving care, including preventive treatment, reconstruction, and coverage for post-surgical complications.
Monday, April 13, 2026
When the Pasadena/Altadena wildfires left rental housing standing but uninhabitable, the problem was not the law but its enforcement--making the writ of mandate a particularly sharp tool for closing that gap.
Human performers rely on privacy and publicity rights to control their brand. But when the performer is an animal, those doctrines fall away--leaving trademark law to fill the gap.
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