
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.

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.”

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.

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.

Sidestepping the "Mansion Tax"
- by Robert C. Weiss
After some considerable analysis, we have evaluated an option for avoiding the ULA tax (also known as the "Mansion Tax") until December 2024, which is one month after the initiative to void the tax will be on the ballot.

Multiple Employment Contracts Can Doom An Arbitration Agreement
- by David Krol
California allows employment disputes to be resolved through arbitration if the employer and employee agree in writing, and the agreement provides essential fairness to the employee. But what if the employment onboarding process involves several agreements, each of which contains an unfair provision?