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If “Sole Custody” Conflicts With “Best Interests”
- by Jessica Stemple
In a divorce, custody of children may be awarded jointly to the former couple or, if circumstances warrant, a court may give sole legal custody to only one of the parents. But what happens if a parent with sole custody makes a decision that the other parent thinks is not in the best interests of the child?
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When Deadlines Can Turn Deadly
- by M. Laurie Murphy
Most businesses need work to be performed on a schedule, and this can be especially true in the entertainment industry, with its opening nights and “the show must go on” tradition.
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Is DIY Law OK in Probate Court?
- by Lynda I. Chung
It is a scene certain to show up at least once a season in any TV crime series: the accused, unhappy with his or her attorney, stands up and demands the right to appear “in pro per” – to act on their own behalf. While it may make for great on-screen drama, in real life, litigants who represent themselves usually don’t fare much better than do-it-yourself surgeons.
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A Contract Dispute or a First Amendment Conflict?
- by David Krol
California law prohibits a lawsuit which is designed to chill the exercise of acts in furtherance of the right of free speech about matters of public interest. That lawsuit is called a “SLAPP”, an acronym for “Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation,” and the California law is called the “anti-SLAPP statute.”
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Did COVID Trigger “Force Majeure” Clauses?
- by M. Laurie Murphy
The COVID-19 pandemic was declared over in May of 2023, but its effects are still being felt – not only by some unfortunate individuals, but also in our court system, as litigants battle over the economic impact of the disease and of government efforts to control it.
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Untangling a Landlord-Tenant Dispute
- by M. Laurie Murphy
The commercial real estate business might seem fairly straightforward; a landlord has a building with office, factory, or retail space, and a tenant pays an agreed-upon rent to lease that space.