Keeping up with Khloe Kardashian’s divorce from NBA star Lamar Odom is not difficult as long as Odom refuses to respond to Kardashian’s Petition for Dissolution. However, ten months after Kardashian filed for divorce, a Los Angeles Superior Court judge…
BASF’s Mediation Program Just Got Better for Members
This year The Bar Association of San Francisco’s Mediation Services was selected for The Recorder’s Best “Hall of Fame” for five continuous years of excellence. Attorneys like you ranked the program high for the superior quality of its mediators, the…
Discharging Student Loans
A recent opinion, namely In re Hedlund, 718 F.3d 848 (9th Cir. 2013), may make it easier to discharge student loans. In Hedlund, the debtor borrowed approximately $85,000 for college and law school. He failed the bar examination three times…
San Francisco Begins Transition to Gross Receipts Tax
Prior to the November 2012 general election, many San Franciscans viewed the City’s Payroll Expense Tax as providing a disincentive for businesses to locate in the City because taxes would increase as the businesses moved employees into the City. In…
Legal Ethics Corner: Revisiting the “No Contact” Rule
Attorneys are generally aware that they are prohibited from directly or indirectly contacting an opposing party that is represented by counsel without that counsel’s consent. This prohibition is found in California Rule 2-100 of the Rules of Professional Conduct (“Rule…
Destination Australia and Cambodia: Construction and ADR
During August I had a wonderful adventure in Australia and Cambodia lecturing at Melbourne University and researching construction and dispute resolution. As guest lecturer for a “Risk in Construction” class for Melbourne University’s Architecture Department, I conveyed my experience representing…
“Modern Family’s” Modern Drama
“Modern Family” might be on the top of the ratings, but its younger stars are in the dumps. The latest star in trouble is Sarah Hyland, who plays the eldest Dunphy daughter on the show. Hyland recently received a restraining…
Meet BASF Mediation Services Newest Panelist: Gabriel Bellman
Interesting News from the World of Estate Planning
Princess Diana The estate of Princess Diana was not handled with the same grace, dignity and class that she exuded in life. Diana left a “letter of wishes” asking her executors to “divide, at discretion,” her personal property and…
Legal Ethics Corner: Your Client Has Dementia. Now What?
Can an attorney call adult protective services (APS) when the attorney’s client has dementia and needs protection, but has not expressly authorized the APS call? Under certain circumstances, yes. One of the most difficult things for counsel to see is…
Family Law Corner: No Cameras, Mouth Running or YouTube as Diva Carey Asks Husband for Divorce Confidentiality
In the wake of Nick Cannon going on Twitter to rant about how he would “never…make a statement regarding my marriage,” it appears that media reports are accurate and Mariah Carey did request that he sign a confidentiality agreement about…
Is Litigation More of a Science Than an Art?
BASF’s Litigation Section will be hosting its annual Bench Bar Conference on October 16 to bring together judges, academics, and attorneys to discuss research on the science of decision making and persuasion. The event, entitled “Is Litigation More of a…