
Even in Hollywood, Lawyers Can’t Just Play the Role
- by M. Laurie Murphy
What happens if the person you thought was your lawyer isn’t permitted to practice law? If you are in the entertainment business and there’s a contract and money involved, expect the dispute to wind up in the courts.

Do-It-Yourself Lawyering Can Be Costly
- by Lynda I. Chung
In the words of Abraham Lincoln, “He who represents himself has a fool for a client.” The need to get good legal advice certainly applies to someone involved in complex estate litigation who is alleged to have financially mistreated both his father and his sister – after getting out of prison.

What Part of ‘One-Time’ Do You Not Understand?
- by Lynda I. Chung
California normally requires a home or other real estate to be reappraised for property tax purposes when it is sold or its ownership is otherwise transferred. There’s an important exception to this rule: reassessment can be avoided when a property passes from a parent to a child.

So Close, But Yet So Far
- by M. Laurie Murphy
What happens if you sign an agreement, later decide it’s unfair and you want to back out, and a judge says you can?

The Right To Evict Isn’t Cloudy
- by M. Laurie Murphy
When a tenant violates the terms of their lease, it’s hardly surprising that their landlord will start eviction proceedings. But what happens if the property is sold in the midst of those proceedings?

Looking Legal Isn’t The Same as Being Legal
- by Lynda I. Chung
A clever attorney may try to paper over a dubious act with layers of legitimate-looking transactions. But if the court decides the real motivation was to commit fraud, the whole arrangement can topple like a house of cards.