“Modern Family” might be on the top of the ratings, but its younger stars are in the dumps. The latest star in trouble is Sarah Hyland, who plays the eldest Dunphy daughter on the show. Hyland recently received a restraining…
Meet BASF Mediation Services Newest Panelist: Gabriel Bellman
Interesting News from the World of Estate Planning
Princess Diana The estate of Princess Diana was not handled with the same grace, dignity and class that she exuded in life. Diana left a “letter of wishes” asking her executors to “divide, at discretion,” her personal property and…
Legal Ethics Corner: Your Client Has Dementia. Now What?
Can an attorney call adult protective services (APS) when the attorney’s client has dementia and needs protection, but has not expressly authorized the APS call? Under certain circumstances, yes. One of the most difficult things for counsel to see is…
Family Law Corner: No Cameras, Mouth Running or YouTube as Diva Carey Asks Husband for Divorce Confidentiality
In the wake of Nick Cannon going on Twitter to rant about how he would “never…make a statement regarding my marriage,” it appears that media reports are accurate and Mariah Carey did request that he sign a confidentiality agreement about…
Is Litigation More of a Science Than an Art?
BASF’s Litigation Section will be hosting its annual Bench Bar Conference on October 16 to bring together judges, academics, and attorneys to discuss research on the science of decision making and persuasion. The event, entitled “Is Litigation More of a…
Innovation Needed to Attract Silicon Valley In-House Counsel
In a meeting billed as the “In-House Counsel Summit” on Wednesday afternoon, a panel of three legal leaders from prominent Silicon Valley hi-tech companies moderated by David Bruns, Director of Client Services at Farella Braun + Martel LLP, spoke to…
Tips for Better Presenting Photographs in Court
This article was first published by Michael Kelleher on the Cogent Legal Blog at cogentlegal.com/blog/2014/08/tips-for-photographs-in-court Well-presented photographs are powerful tools for litigators. In this post, I’ll share some samples that show how we’ve helped litigators use photographs in court, along with a…
Family Law Corner: Differing “Views” on Surrogacy
Sherri Shepherd’s (formerly of “The View”) divorce has been one juicy headline after another. First, Shepherd and her husband, Lamar Sally, filed for divorce in different states. Their respective filings forced them to publicly acknowledge the existence of a prenuptial agreement and the pending birth of a child…
Staying Present at Contentious Mediations
With BASF’s Putting for the Pipeline golf tournament coming in October, my mind turned to the similarities between the most mental of all sports and mediation. Playing golf is much more than hitting a ball with a club. As any golfer will attest, it raises mental pressures,…
Child Abduction Warnings and Pitfalls: The Fallout from the U.S. Supreme Court Decision in Lozano v. Montoya Alvarez
Child abduction is the ultimate act of parental alienation and child abuse. According to the Department of Justice, each year more than 200,000 children become victims. Children who are abducted, whether by a person unknown to the child or by…
Legal Ethics Corner: Legal Malpractice Statute of Limitations Does Not Apply to Claims Based on Misappropriation of Client Funds
In Lee v. Hanley, 174 Cal.Rptr.3d 489 (2014), the Court of Appeal recently held that the legal malpractice statute of limitations does not necessarily bar a former client’s complaint against her attorney alleging the attorney refused to return unearned legal fees. The former client claimed that her…