In 2011, pop diva Amy Winehouse joined the list of musicians who died at 27, which includes rock icons Janis Joplin and Jim Morrison. Like Winehouse, Joplin and Morrison were drug addicts and appear to have died of overdoses. Unlike…
What Movie is Playing in Your Mediation?
Mediation works because, as the meme/trope goes: “We are not so different, you and I.” First: figure out what movie is playing inside the hearts and minds of party actors. Here sits a neighbor who can’t hear because of another…
Legal Ethics Corner: California Court of Appeal Upholds “In-Firm” Privilege
California recently joined a growing list of states that have issued published opinions recognizing an in-firm privilege. See, e.g., Moore v. Grau, 2014 N.H. Super. LEXIS 20 (N.H. Super. Ct. Dec. 15, 2014); Crimson Trace Corp. v. Davis Wright Tremaine…
Ludacris’ Ludicrous Custody Battle
For the past year Christopher Bridges, better known as Ludacris, has been in a bitter custody battle with “baby mama” Tamika Fuller. Ludacris filed to establish his paternity and limit child support for the pair’s now fifteen month old daughter…
Bobbi Kristina Brown: How Her Tragedy Would Play Out In California
Bobbi Kristina Brown, the only daughter of singers Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, has been in a medically-induced coma since January 31, 2015, when she was found face down in a bathtub of her home in Roswell, Georgia. Since then,…
Footballer Ex-Wife’s Contempt Defense Calls in Divine Interception (of Jurisdiction)
Three years ago, NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders was litigating the validity of his premarital agreement with his ex-wife, Pilar Sanders. Despite having finally dissolved their marriage (Pilar lost on her premarital agreement claim), they are still battling it…
If You Are A Spendthrift (Trust), Go To Hawaii
A valid spendthrift trust is entitled to certain protections in bankruptcy, especially in Hawaii. In In re Zukerkorn, 500 B.R. 598 (9th Cir. BAP 2013), the Bankruptcy Appellate Panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit…
Protect Your Estate by Properly Funding Sub-Trusts
In the complex world of estate law, even a seemingly small oversight can cost your beneficiaries big money. As the successor trustee of his parents’ estate, Elwood Ty Olsen learned this the hard way. Before her death, Elwood’s mother Grace…
New Civility Guidelines for Professional Conduct
In June 2014, the federal courts of the Northern District of California adopted “Guidelines for Professional Conduct,” also called “Civility Guidelines.” The Guidelines describe an attorney’s “duty of professionalism” as including “civility, professional integrity, personal dignity, candor, diligence, respect, courtesy,…
Legal Ethics Hotline: Get Help and/or Give Help
One highly valued offering of The Bar Association of San Francisco is its Legal Ethics Committee Hotline. The hotline is staffed by volunteers from the Legal Ethics Committee, many of whom have legal practices that regularly involve professional responsibility, legal…
Lien Priorities Altered When One Creditor Breaches Fiduciary Duties to Another
In Feresi v. Livery, 2014 LEXIS 1138 (Cal.App. 2d Dist. Dec. 15, 2014), a California court held that equitable principles control over the Uniform Commercial Code’s priority scheme when a creditor breaches its fiduciary duty owed to another creditor. Mesa and…
Spring Mediation Training: A Conversation with Ron Kelly
In March 2015, The Bar Association of San Francisco’s Alternative Dispute Resolution department will hold its annual Mediation Certificate Training. Over five successive Saturdays, participants will gain the tools they’ll need to be effective mediators. I recently had the opportunity…