In a mobile society it can be expected that when couples with children separate, one member of the couple may need or choose to relocate beyond commuting distance from the other parent. Technology now adds a new twist to relocation arrangements: virtual visitation.
Filed under: Family Law, Legal Topics | Tagged: custody, relocation, Skype, video conferencing, visitation | Leave a Comment »
As part of CEB’s commitment to bringing together California’s legal community, our blog will post a short interview with one of your fellow attorneys.
This week, we profile Neil Shapiro:
CEB: What is your practice area and how did you choose it?
Neil: I stumbled into First Amendment law when I was asked in my first year of practice to assist on a big libel case. I loved the subject matter and volunteered to do as much as was around. That led to representing publishers, which in turn led to copyright and trademark issues and litigation. At the core, though, I am a business litigator who is comfortable in the referenced specialty areas. (more…)
Filed under: Business, Civil Litigation, Legal Topics, Profiles | Tagged: First Amendment | Leave a Comment »
The most common claims made against real estate brokers are for fraud and deceit. Most brokers are sued for either not providing information or misrepresenting the information they do provide. Brokers who cross the line are being aggressively pursued by California’s Department of Real Estate (DRE), despite its staff and budget shortages. In fact, the DRE has revoked 50% more licenses in 2009-2010 than in 2006-2007. (more…)
Filed under: Legal Topics, Public Law, Real Property, Tort Law | Tagged: department of real estate, discipline, fraud, real estate brokers | Leave a Comment »
A criminal jury’s expectations of the quality of forensic evidence has changed greatly due to a juror phenomenon known as the “CSI effect.” This phenomenon is named after the popular police television series “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” which depicts forensic science as the magical key to solving grisly crimes. Jurors who watch these shows may erroneously believe that they have great knowledge and insight about the use of this evidence, even when their understanding of forensic evidence is based on fictional crime scene technicians and the evidence they can get in their cases. (more…)
Filed under: Criminal Law, Evidence, Legal Topics | Tagged: criminal law, CSI effect, jurors, scientific evidence | Leave a Comment »
As part of CEB’s commitment to bringing together California’s legal community, our blog will post a short interview with one of your fellow attorneys.
This week, we profile incoming State Bar president Bill Hebert:
CEB: What is your practice area and how did you choose it?
Bill: I generally classify the work I do under the rubric of business torts, which over the years has included antitrust, trade secrets, interference with contracts, false advertising, and unfair competition. I got interested in these types of claims while I was working as a legal assistant at Ackerman, Johnston, Campbell & Parkinson, where I learned from smart and honest lawyers who were doing interesting work. (more…)
Filed under: Business, Civil Litigation, Legal Topics, Profiles | Tagged: business torts, State Bar president | Leave a Comment »
The issue of how to retain women lawyers has been mulled over and studied many times over the last couple of decades. In 2004, the ABA noted that “the number of women making partner at large law firms has lagged behind their male counterparts.” Women continue to bail out before partnership much more often than men, and, in a survey of 84 Georgia law firms (.pdf), many of them cite “the desire for a different schedule or professional dissatisfaction as their reason.” (more…)
Filed under: Practice of Law | Tagged: law firms, partnership, women | Leave a Comment »
The following is a guest-blog post from attorney and CEB author Michael Denison:
Virtually every lawyer who is sued for legal malpractice or malicious prosecution has committed some kind of error. However, in defending such suits, it is often clear that the error is not an act or omission of legal malpractice, or conduct that would support malicious prosecution; rather, it is typically the failure to document the file with memos, telephone logs, transmittal forms, and/or reports to the client. (more…)
Filed under: Practice of Law | Tagged: avoiding, legal malpractice | 1 Comment »
As part of CEB’s commitment to bringing together California’s legal community, our blog will post a short interview with one of your fellow attorneys.
This week, we profile attorney Arthur Mazirow:
CEB: What is your practice area and how did you choose it?
Art: For many years I was a transactional real estate lawyer specializing in industrial and commercial development and leasing in Southern California. I chose the real estate field because I majored in real estate when I attended the UCLA School of Business. (more…)
Filed under: Legal Topics, Profiles, Real Property | Tagged: Mazirow, real estate | 1 Comment »
As Corporate Counsel puts it, “[t]he day of weight discrimination as a legal matter is only dawning.” The ramifications of such laws are vast and frightening to employers. Instead of being afraid, employers, and the attorneys who represent them, need to be prepared for likely growth in this area of the law. (more…)
Filed under: Employment Law | Tagged: discrimination, employment, weight | 1 Comment »
For all you wannabe screenwriters out there (we know how many attorneys hold on to that secret dream!), and those who represent them, the perennial issue is how to protect great ideas for screenplays from being poached. A recent 9th Circuit took on this issue and held that two screenwriters who claimed their idea for a screenplay had been copied without permission did not have a case for copyright infringement, but nevertheless could sue under state contract law based on an implied-in-fact contract. (more…)
Filed under: Business, Legal Topics, New Legal Developments | Tagged: copyright infringement; breach of contract, implied contract, screenwriters | Leave a Comment »
