Do you own a house with someone and don’t want to register as domestic partners, but you still want an exclusion from a change in ownership for property tax purposes when you die? Now you can. Here’s how it works. (more…)
Filed under: Estate Planning, Legal Topics, Real Property, Tax Law | Tagged: change in home ownership, coowner, cotenant, domestic partners, property tax, property tax reassessment, same-sex couples | 1 Comment »
After a money judgment has been entered against him or her, what can a debtor (or debtor’s attorney) do?
Filed under: Civil Litigation, Legal Topics | Tagged: creditor, debtor, enforcing a judgment, judgment, judgment debtor, money judgment, setting aside a judgment | Leave a Comment »
Once you’ve considered the pros and cons of moving for summary judgment generally, you’re ready to get down to the specifics of your case and whether a summary judgment motion is the right move for you.
Filed under: Civil Litigation, Legal Topics, Litigation Strategy, Pretrial Matters | Tagged: pretrial motion practice, separate statement, summary adjudication, summary judgment | 1 Comment »
Given that California courts’ no longer consider summary judgment to be a “disfavored” procedure, you should always think about moving for summary judgment. But make sure to weigh the pros and cons before making your move. (more…)
Filed under: Civil Litigation, Legal Topics, Litigation Strategy, Pretrial Matters | Tagged: dispositive motions, pretrial motion practice, separate statement, summary adjudication, summary judgment | 1 Comment »
An episode of A&E’s series Longmire (“The Dog Soldier”) delved into the complicated world of Indian child fostering and adoption. The show got the law wrong, but that’s not surprising in this complicated area. Although the Supreme Court may offer some clarity in its upcoming decision on the appeal of Adoptive Couple v Baby Girl (SC 2012) 731 SE2d 550, it would take the wisdom of Solomon, invoked wistfully by Justice Kennedy, to fashion a happy outcome for one Indian child. (more…)
Filed under: Family Law, New Legal Developments | Tagged: adoption, Cherokee Nation, Indian Child Welfare Act, juvenile dependency, Longmire, Supreme Court | 6 Comments »
When you get a new case, you’ll be focused on legal theories and general procedural rules, but don’t forget that the practice of law is local and knowing about the court’s local rules and required forms is critical to your case going smoothly. (more…)
Filed under: Civil Litigation, Legal Topics, Practice of Law, Young Lawyers | Tagged: court rules, electronic filing, filing court documents, Judicial Council, local forms, local rules, practice of law | 1 Comment »
An exit interview can be an important tool for employers looking to minimize the risk of wrongful termination litigation. (more…)
Filed under: Employment Law, Legal Topics | Tagged: employees, employers, employment termination, exit interview, human resources | 1 Comment »
The best way to analyze a company’s trade secrets (and how well protected they are) is through a formal audit. Here’s an overview of how to do a trade secret audit. (more…)
Filed under: Business, Intellectual Property, Legal Topics | Tagged: confidential information, corporate espionage, trade secret audit, trade secret theft, trade secrets | Leave a Comment »
Exits from a job can be graceful, as in Groupon CEO’s Departure Memo, or contentious. From the employer perspective, getting the termination letter right will go a long way toward protecting rights and ratcheting down emotions. (more…)
Filed under: Employment Law, Legal Topics | Tagged: employees, employers, employment termination, layoffs, termination letter | 1 Comment »
When the Justice Department invoked the public safety exception to the Miranda rights of the suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings, were you surprised? Did you know about this and other exceptions to the Miranda rule? (more…)
Filed under: Criminal Law, Legal Topics, New Legal Developments | Tagged: Boston bombers, exception to Miranda, Miranda warnings, public safety exception, terrorism | 2 Comments »
