Practice Area Corner Archives

Orange Might be the New Green For Actor’s Soon to Be Ex-Wife

Pablo Schreiber, the newly-recognizable former star of “Orange is the New Black” due to his distinctive mustache that earned him the nickname “Pornstache,” has learned that the timing of his new-found success will also benefit his ex-wife, despite the end…

Victory Over IRS in Estate Appraiser Dispute

Many people think the IRS is just too big to beat, and that when the tax collector sends you a bill, you better just pay up instead of trying to defend yourself. But like David bravely fighting Goliath, some taxpayers…

Family Law Corner: Custody Battle Escalates as Question of Jurisdiction Lingers

Last Family Law Corner, we updated Kelly Rutherford’s epic custody battle. When we left Rutherford’s story, it was just as a dramatic as something you would see on “Gossip Girl.” In June, Rutherford petitioned the California court to keep jurisdiction…

Paralegal Corner: Collaboration of Legal Nurse Consultants with Paralegals and Attorneys

A Legal Nurse Consultant (LNC) can take any litigation case and review the medical records to provide valuable analysis for the legal team. Any case that requires medical record analysis can be improved by an LNC analysis. The LNC can…

The Importance of Mindfulness in Mediation

As the human brain evolves to include senses-engaging Apple Watch communication and avatar only mood emoticons, it is important for those of us who practice in conflict resolution to build spaces where time stands still. Mediation requires actively sitting with…

Have You Done an Ethics Check on Your Firm Website?

A California attorney’s website must comply with California Rule of Professional Conduct 1-400 and Business and Professions Code sections 6157 through 6159.2. In addition to ensuring your website contains no false or misleading content, check your website for: Must Haves “Advertisement”…

Legal Ethics Corner: Ethical Issues in Compensating Contract Attorneys

The use of contract attorneys is commonplace in the practice of law today. Large law firms and solo practitioners utilize contract attorneys to supplement their own staff resources for transactional and litigation tasks. Despite a general requirement that a client…

California Recognizes Evidence Extrinsic to Wills

For many years, California courts have prevented heirs from contesting a will based on extrinsic evidence such as letters, handwritten notes and other unofficial documents not included in the estate plan. But last month, the California Supreme Court overturned these…