Marguerite Malloy, Associate Counsel of the Alameda County Employees’ Retirement Association (ACERA), provides legal advice and assistance to the ACERA Board of Retirement and ACERA management staff. She also supervises and conducts workplace investigations and develops and conducts management and…
Legal Ethics Corner: Attorneys Serving as Investigators Beware
Attorneys investigating matters in connection with the rendering of legal services to their clients is nothing new. California Code of Civil Procedure section 128.7 requires considerable due diligence before filing a lawsuit. In addition to such routine and ancillary inquiries,…
Court to Judge Whether Celeb Chef’s Prenup Cooks Up Fair Portions
After ten years, celebrity chef, Bobby Flay, and actor Stephanie March (best known for her role on “Law & Order: SVU”) are getting a divorce. Flay filed his Petition on April 10, citing irreconcilable differences and referencing the parties’ prenuptial…
Celebrating Your Paralegal and Non-Attorney Staff
Every April, a week is set aside to acknowledge the contributions of your administrative staff. Boss’ Day is celebrated every October. When do you celebrate and show your appreciation for your paralegal/legal assistant and other non-attorney staff members? Did you…
Five Myths About Starting Your Own Law Practice: An Appellate Attorney’s Perspective
Starting your own practice isn’t for everybody. Yet I’ve found that many of the supposed obstacles aren’t as scary as they initially seemed, such as: 1. It takes a lot of money to start a law practice. A law practice’s…
Pro Bono: A Synergy Between Professional and Philanthropic Interests
The Justice & Diversity Center’s (JDC) Volunteer of the Month for May is Tom Elke, who has represented low-income tenants pro bono since 2011 through JDC’s Eviction Defense Project. A native San Franciscan, Elke hopes to protect vulnerable community members…
Fearing Spousal Support Request, TV D-Lister Tells Wife Her Acting is an F
Character actor Jon Wellner, who was promoted to a series regular on CBS’s popular crime drama “CSI” in 2012, says his wife should give up acting and get a “real” job. Jon recently filed for divorce from his wife of…
Welcoming Gregg Ficks, Incoming Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Section Chair
The Bar Association of San Francisco is excited to welcome its 2015 Commercial Law and Bankruptcy Section Chair, Gregg Ficks. Gregg is a partner at Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass, where he leads the firm’s Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights Practice…
Does the Duty of Confidentiality Prevent an Attorney from Disclosing a Former Client’s Confidences in a Fee Collection Action?
Occasionally an attorney must sue a former client to collect outstanding fees and costs. Often the evidence critical to the attorney’s claim includes the secrets of the former client. May the attorney reveal those confidences necessary to prosecute the collection…
Is It Time To Appoint a Discovery Referee?
Recently I received the following email: “Since courts are so overwhelmed and setting dates for hearing is now running six months or longer, how does one do motions to compel further responses to interrogatories in a meaningful way? I booked…
BASF’s Newest Section Draws 85 Guests at CLE Seminar for Paralegals featuring Therese Cannon
BASF’s Paralegal Section was launched in January and, to date, there are more than 80 members. I am proud to say that one of the first firms to support this newly created section was my employer, Keker & Van Nest.…
Estate Planning Tips for You and Your Clients
Expanding Protections Against Financial Elder Abuse There are plenty of financial predators out there trying to take advantage of vulnerable people – and many of them see senior citizens with diminishing cognitive functioning and valuable assets as easy prey. For…