California

Court rejects injunction to reopen Golden Gate Law’s JD program

San Francisco Superior Court Judge Richard B. Ulmer Jr. has shut the door on reopening the beleaguered Golden Gate University School of Law’s JD program, denying a motion for an injunction filed by students and alumni.

Sep 19, 2024 3:33 PM CDT

Lawyer must face ethics charge alleging he tried to hire Israeli hackers to access judge’s emails

A California bar court judge has rejected a lawyer’s bid to dismiss an ethics charge alleging that he plotted to hire Israeli hackers to hack in to the email and phone accounts of a judge and a lawyer.

Sep 19, 2024 11:52 AM CDT

With attorney fees, Gibson Dunn must pay over $725K to ex-partner who had earned $60M

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher has agreed to pay a former partner more than $140,000 in attorney fees unless the amount is overturned in an appeal of his much higher arbitration award.

Sep 19, 2024 9:57 AM CDT

Teen shooters and their parents’ responsibilities examined in Fox’s ‘Accused’

School shootings by youths have risen frequently over the last quarter century, and the past five years reflect a substantially higher number of incidents, according to a recent article published by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Sep 19, 2024 8:52 AM CDT

It’s ‘past time to proceed to the merits’ in fired BigLaw associate’s bias case, judge says

A federal judge in California last week refused to toss an amended gender-bias and retaliation lawsuit filed against Kirkland & Ellis by a fired associate, saying “it is past time to proceed to the merits.”

Sep 16, 2024 12:26 PM CDT

Nevada green-lights three-pronged plan to licensure

Nevada will move forward on its proposal for a unique three-stage assessment for bar licensure that does not include using the National Conference of Bar Examiners’ new NextGen bar exam—but might include the test being developed by Kaplan Exam Services for the State Bar of California.

Sep 12, 2024 2:24 PM CDT

States can’t ban guns in banks, hospitals and churches, but property owners can, 9th Circuit says

A federal appeals court on Friday refused to allow two states to ban guns in some locations but limited the impact of its decision when it ruled that property owners can reject firearms.

Sep 12, 2024 9:23 AM CDT

Did you read the small print? ‘Infinite’ arbitration clauses are on the rise

Companies tend to prefer arbitration over a jury trial for a number of reasons. In arbitration, there’s usually a quicker and quieter resolution, more confidentiality, no jury, limited appeal and discovery, and relaxed evidentiary rules.

Sep 6, 2024 11:46 AM CDT

Lawyer is accused of charging inmates for resentencing petitions despite little chance of success

A Los Angeles lawyer is accused in an ethics complaint of charging inmates to submit requests for resentencing to prosecutors who were unlikely to take action.

Sep 5, 2024 9:17 AM CDT

Creative Legal Fundings company was ‘neither creative nor legal,’ SEC official alleges

A California woman who created a company ostensibly to loan money to personal-injury attorneys is accused of spending millions of dollars in investor funds to support her "lavish lifestyle."

Sep 5, 2024 9:08 AM CDT

Former Littler lawyer drops California suit against firm, bringing end to departure dispute

A former lawyer at Littler Mendelson has dropped a California lawsuit alleging that the law firm violated a $950,000 agreement to settle their dueling claims in connection with her departure.

Sep 3, 2024 12:27 PM CDT

Last-minute election lawsuits may serve political goals, law prof says

Last-minute lawsuits challenging election rules and voter-registration procedures are being filed in battleground states in the run-up to the Nov. 5 presidential election.

Aug 30, 2024 9:50 AM CDT

Disbarred lawyer Tom Girardi is convicted for stealing $15M from clients

A disbarred lawyer famous for his legal team’s portrayal in the movie Erin Brockovich was convicted Tuesday for stealing $15 million from four clients over the course of a decade.

Aug 27, 2024 2:59 PM CDT

Prosecutors and public defenders strike for higher pay in this California county

Public defenders and prosecutors are among about 250 government attorneys who went on strike Monday in California’s Sacramento County following two years without a contract.

Aug 27, 2024 12:31 PM CDT

Lathrop GPM will merge with Silicon Valley firm Oct. 1; ‘why wait?’ managing shareholder asks

Lathrop GPM announced Wednesday that it will merge with Silicon Valley law firm Hopkins & Carley on Oct. 1. The combined firm will still use the Lathrop GPM name, according to a Aug. 21 press release. The 62 lawyers joining Lathrop GPM will increase the larger firm’s head count by…

Aug 22, 2024 11:05 AM CDT