Practice Area Corner Archives

The Ethics of Facebook Friending

Facebook can be a gold mine of information about litigants and witnesses. A personal injury plaintiff alleging debilitating leg injuries may post photos of her latest hiking trip. A defendant in a wrongful discharge case may make discriminatory remarks.…

Five Tips for Running Your Solo or Small Firm

I’ve had my own small firm for about 15 years. I’ve learned the hard way about what works and what doesn’t. In conversations with other attorneys over the years, I’ve found they have similar conclusions about how to successfully run…

Humboldt County Pays for Bogus Challenge to Advance Health Care Directive

Dick Magney knew that drawing up an advance health care directive was the best way to protect his desire for a natural death with minimal discomfort. He named his wife, Judith, to see that his wishes were carried out. This…

Court Reporting Ethics Panel Takes On Controversial Topics

During the recent CLE program “Can You Say That? Legal Ethics of Working with Court Reporters,” put on by the Paralegal Section, these questions were addressed: • Do you know what Assembly Bill 1197 requires in Notices of Deposition? •…

Political Drama No Match for Biden Family Domestic Drama

For Joe Biden, there may actually be an upside to the Trump election: the ongoing political drama draws attention away from his family’s ongoing domestic drama. Joe’s son, Hunter Biden, is embroiled in a nasty divorce with his estranged wife,…

Risk Management Tip: Keep Invoices Bland

For generations California attorneys have understood the attorney-client privilege is an absolute shield against discovery. Case after case has broadly interpreted and reinforced the strength of the privilege. Three cases in 2016 demonstrated the continued force of this shield. In…

Networking: Why Your Upside Down Laminated Name-Tag Holds the Key to Your Eternal Happiness

Networking is a word that strikes fear in the soul of introverts and challenges extroverts to compare imagery of a beach in Mexico with a reality of laminated name tags. What is networking? Students are told it will help a…

New Solo Attorneys Wanted: Fight for Justice and Build a Sustainable Practice!

Are you or someone you know interested in starting a solo practice? The Justice & Diversity Center and The Bar Association of San Francisco are seeking new applicants for its Community Law Practice Incubator (CLPI). CLPI is seeking new attorneys who…

Think Twice Before You File That Exhibit

Think of that moment when someone else’s mistake becomes your problem. For example, opposing counsel inadvertently attaches a confidential settlement agreement between his client and yours to a declaration filed in an unrelated matter. You know how it happens –…

What to do When the Big One Hits: E-Discovery Document Dumps

It’s one of the most dreaded parts of discovery for any attorney – the 20,000-page document dump from opposing counsel. It’s unsorted. It’s unsearchable. It’s unbelievable. For solo practitioners and attorneys at small firms, these deluges of scanned documents feel…

Risk Management Tip: Another Good Reason to Break Up With Your Client

Last month we discussed how a clear termination of the attorney client relationship eliminates questions of fact about applying the statute of limitations, C.C.P. § 340.6, if a claim occurs. This month we discuss another benefit: avoiding conflicts of interest…

Paralegals and Legal Staff: Make a Difference Through Pro Bono

“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1960 Most nonprofit organizations are in need of lawyers but rarely ask specifically for assistance from legal support volunteers. While…

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