GUEST COLUMNS
Monday, September 14, 2026
Kevin Reddington didn't get Lindsay Clancy acquitted. But in a triple-murder case that looked indefensible, he got 11 of 12 jurors to see it his way.
The 4th Circuit's decision provides a useful, defense-oriented roadmap for resisting environmental injunctions premised on alleged future health effects where the movant cannot show likely irreparable harm.
Friday, September 11, 2026
A recent ruling overturning economic
espionage convictions shows how timing, and even a defendant's ineptitude, can
undermine proof that stolen trade secrets were intended to benefit a foreign
government.
The 9th Circuit's Ding decision clarifies when later-discovered sexual harassment claims can shift a case from arbitration to court, while making knowledge and waiver central to the forum analysis.
Thursday, September 10, 2026
California courts are chipping away at privity as a shield for construction consultants, with Lynch signaling broader potential liability to project owners, particularly in residential construction.
California's proposed Billionaire Tax Act presents estate planners with significant challenges, including retroactive application, anti-abuse provisions and unresolved questions about its treatment of trusts.
Wednesday, September 9, 2026
Stock options and other equity compensation can build significant wealth, but their tax treatment is anything but simple--especially for Californians, where moving out of state may not end state tax obligations.
California's strict subjective standard for the "expected or intended" insurance defense gives policyholders powerful arguments against insurers seeking to deny coverage or recoup payments for the recent wave of sexual abuse cases arising from decades-old abuse.
Tuesday, September 8, 2026
Employers should recognize that seemingly neutral workplace policies can disadvantage employees with invisible disabilities and take proactive steps to provide reasonable accommodations, reduce implicit bias and create a genuinely inclusive workplace.
As remote work expands, FEHA's retaliation protections extend beyond the physical workplace, requiring California employers and employees to consider how virtual communications, offsite conduct and workplace complaints may give rise to liability.
Friday, September 4, 2026
Tesla's camera-only driving system and electronic door handles share the same dangerous design philosophy: abandoning proven redundancy for technological elegance, with preventable deaths as the consequence.
AI tools have changed dramatically since 2023, but the questions, risks and ethical considerations largely have not. Whatever the technology can do, the lawyer remains responsible for the result.
AB 2253 could undermine California's recycling goals by restricting a key accounting tool for chemical recycling, potentially discouraging investment, limiting options for hard-to-recycle plastics and sending more recyclable material to landfills.
Thursday, September 3, 2026
Purchase agreements for buildings still under construction must precisely allocate the risk of delay--distinguishing between a building's readiness for use and its readiness for legal closing--to protect buyers with firm business deadlines and prevent disputes over what "ready" really means.
California Labor Code Section 1102.5 is a strong weapon for employees, and a recent major verdict shows why employers faced with whistleblower retaliation claims should proceed carefully.
Wednesday, September 2, 2026
Leaving California may not end California tax obligations for residents with stock options or other equity compensation.
The 9th Circuit's Ding decision allows
employees who discover a viable sexual harassment claim after arbitration
begins to invoke the EFAA and move their case to court, while limiting that
option to circumstances where the claim was not previously known or withheld.
Tuesday, September 1, 2026
California negligence law already knows how to allocate responsibility when technology replaces the person behind the wheel.
Can courts still enforce pre-dispute employee
arbitration agreements that do not meet the Armendariz requirements?
Monday, August 31, 2026
AI has made it easier than ever to imitate a celebrity. A four-step strategy can give celebrities and their families the best chance of maintaining control over their identities.
Population, industrial and trucking growth are converging to make the Inland Empire an increasingly consequential center for civil litigation in California.
Friday, August 28, 2026
Age alone is not enough to take away an elderly driver's license, but California has safeguards to determine when someone should be reexamined--or not driving at all.
The Court of Appeal's decision in People v. Cruz improperly expands resentencing relief by eliminating enhancements based on conduct already admitted or proved, giving defendants an unwarranted sentencing windfall and undermining culpability-based punishment.
Thursday, August 27, 2026
North Carolina's high court struck down a condemnation that failed the Constitution's public use requirement, offering a lesson for courts elsewhere, including California.
Large logistics projects bring investment, jobs and delivery capacity, along with truck routing, school-zone safety and carrier-accountability issues that belong in the planning process before the first serious crash.
Wednesday, August 26, 2026
California's 2023 partition law was well intentioned, but it overlooked how California property law actually works. A 2026 update can fix those oversights and create a more perfect partition.
Early court rulings are divided over whether AI-generated litigation materials are protected by privilege or the work-product doctrine, while judges are increasingly restricting the use of public AI tools in discovery over confidentiality and data privacy concerns.
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
In re Tung Trust held that a generic survivorship clause does not override California's anti-lapse statute, underscoring the need for estate planners to explicitly condition gifts on survival and clearly specify alternative dispositions.
A lis pendens can be a powerful tool in family law, but California courts require attorneys to specifically identify the property and plead a claim affecting its title or possession before recording the notice, or risk expungement and attorney fees.
Monday, August 24, 2026
With NIL valuations and endorsements influencing every stakeholder in college sports--from the players and coaches to a school's administration--it's time to embrace the new reality and help student-athletes make informed decisions or step aside.
Comet's $40 million trade secret verdict unraveled on appeal, illustrating how midtrial claim changes, jury instructions, and an all-or-nothing damages strategy combined to turn "remarkable" evidence of misappropriation into reversible error.
Friday, August 21, 2026
San Francisco's expanded Fair Chance Ordinance prohibits employers from basing adverse employment decisions on out-of-state convictions or unresolved arrests for conduct lawful in California in four categories.
A recent debate over California's Proposition 45 has raised a surprisingly basic question: "Are data centers eligible for the measure's streamlined review process?"
Thursday, August 20, 2026
California art transactions sit within ordinary commercial law, but art-specific statutes can displace familiar assumptions about freedom of contract, remedies and risk allocation--making a generic commercial-sales form an imperfect fit.
The 9th Circuit has narrowed the Lanham Act's false advertising reach, holding that allegedly false claims about a product idea's creative origin are not actionable under the statute.
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
ICE's planned use of electric-shock G.L.O.V.E. devices raises serious legal and accountability questions about whether deploying them against protesters can satisfy constitutional use-of-force standards without clearer rules, stronger justification and meaningful oversight.
As courts grapple with whether algorithmically generated feeds are "expressive," the answer may determine the extent of social media platforms' First Amendment rights in the age of AI.
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Nearly 50 years after MICRA's enactment, California's medical malpractice landscape is evolving in ways that affect both injured patients and the practice of law.
A new regional storm water permit expands compliance obligations to previously unregulated Los Angeles County facilities, requiring operators to evaluate storm water and potentially address pollutants draining from their properties.
Monday, August 17, 2026
California employers and unions can obtain workplace violence restraining orders quickly, yet few use them. Understanding the streamlined process can help protect employees from recurring threats, violence and harassment.
AT&T's effort to retire traditional landline service in California presents a classic federalism dispute over the boundary between federal authority and state regulation of essential communications infrastructure.
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