The Power of the Prenuptial Agreement Actor Dennis Hopper’s 9-year-old daughter inherited $2.85 million from her dad’s estate despite the fact her parents were entangled in a nasty divorce battle at the time of his death. Hopper died in 2010,…
Negotiating Agreements in the Middle East
Serving as legal counsel in various capacities in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates between 2008 and 2012, negotiating agreements between private, governmental and NGO organizations addressing policy, security, safety, environmental stewardship and economic development were a major component of my…
Interesting News from the World of Estate Planning
Wills & Trusts: Are You Experienced? Jimi Hendrix was close to his brother Leon when they were growing up. They sometimes went on tour together. Jimi may have named Leon as a beneficiary of his will if he had prepared one.…
Real Housewife Might Be Out of Touch with QDRO Reality
Brandi Glanville and Eddie Cibrian catapulted to the top of the gossip websites in 2009 when Eddie had an affair with then-married LeAnn Rimes. The ensuing divorce between Eddie and Brandi was seemingly short lived, and the parties were officially…
BASF Celebrates Ten Years of Satisfied Mediation Services Clients
Since 2003, The Bar Association of San Francisco’s (BASF) ADR program has provided quality mediation services for matters at all stages of the dispute process, from personal and/or neighborhood disputes to contentious court cases. First as the Voluntary Mediation Program…
JDC Volunteer Bridget Ausman, Mother of Four, Makes Time to Help Family Law Litigants
The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) is pleased to feature Bridget Ausman, who volunteers with our Family Law Project. Ausman began volunteering with JDC while attending UC Hastings, then as soon as she became licensed to practice law in December…
Legal Ethics Corner: Undocumented Status Does Not Mean You Can’t Practice Law
In a matter of first impression, the California Supreme Court recently ruled that the fact an undocumented immigrant is in the United States illegally “does not itself involve moral turpitude or demonstrate moral unfitness so as to justify exclusion from…
Litigation Tech Tips for Easy Access and Analysis of Key Case Info
This article was first published by Michael Kelleher on the Cogent Legal Blog at cogentlegal.com/blog/2014/01/tech-tips-for-case-information/ Litigation would be much easier if you could work on just one case at a time, and if each case moved quickly to a conclusion. Unfortunately, litigators…
Judge Veers Over Two and a Half Times Under Guideline Calculations in Child Support Order
Jon Cryer, who earns $700,000 per month as star of CBS’s “Two and a Half Men” according to his most recently filed Income and Expense Declaration, defeated his ex-wife’s request to raise her monthly child support payment. Sarah Trigger, the…
The Business Judgment Rule in the Central District of California
A pair of recent decisions by the United States District Court for the Central District of California challenge the strength of the business judgment rule. To summarize, the cases hold that the business judgment rule does not protect corporate officers…
Interesting News from the World of Estate Planning
Swami’s Will a Testament to His Spiritual Values As a monk and the founder of the Ananda Church of Self-Realization, Swami Kriyananda had renounced most of his material goods long before his death in April 2013. His will focused on…
What a Mediator Would Like to See in a Mediation Brief
In many cases mediation is the most cost-efficient and effective method of resolving a case. Often, litigants can save a lot of money and time when mediation is held after first tier discovery has been completed, once the core facts…