The Justice & Diversity Center (JDC) is pleased to recognize Coblentz, Patch, Duffy & Bass Partner Jeffry Bernstein as our volunteer of the month for his work with JDC’s Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC). Bernstein has volunteered with JDC since…
Sausage Factory
Two things that should not be viewed are the making of law and sausage, or so the saying goes. My trip to the Conference of California Bar Associations (CCBA) proved one-half of that old saw wrong. As a new member…
Child Support Arrears May Add Up to Felony Time? You Betcha, Levi!
The Palin family is never far from the headlines and now it is Bristol Palin’s turn. In November, it was reported that her baby daddy, Levi Johnston, had filed for joint custody of the couple’s child, Tripp. Palin responded by…
BASF’s First Working Mother President, Stephanie Skaff, Announces “It Starts With a Day Initiative” and Legal Help for Veterans
Farella Braun + Martel Partner Stephanie P. Skaff was installed in December as BASF’s 101st president at the Annual Membership Luncheon. It was there that she announced her “It Starts With a Day” 2014 volunteer initiative. The goal of…
Federal Judge Invalidates Oklahoma Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage
On January 14, 2014, a federal judge in Tulsa ruled that a voter-approved 2004 constitutional ban on recognition of same-sex marriage in Oklahoma “must give way to individual constitutional rights.” In a 68 page ruling , U.S. District Judge Terrence…
Obama Administration Recognizes Utah Same-Sex Marriages Under Federal Law
The Obama Administration announced Friday that the federal government will recognize approximately 1,360 same-sex marriages performed in Utah since December 2013, despite the state’s refusal to acknowledge these marriages. On January 6, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed U.S. District…
Social Security Cannot Be Attached to Reimburse Insurer
This article was first published on the California Bankruptcy Blog at http://calbk.blogspot.com/2014/01/insurer-cannot-attach-social-security.html In Bilyeu v. Morgan Stanley, 683 F.3d 1083 (9th Cir. 2012), the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rules that an insurer cannot impose a lien upon…
Google Apps for Business: Security, Confidentiality and Ethics
Mandatory E-Filing Expansion
Trapped in Marriage: Potential Pitfalls of Same-Sex Marriages in Non-Recognition States
When they decided to end their marriage, Mississippi residents Lauren Beth Czekala-Chatham and Dana Ann Melancon faced an unusual hurdle: the court refused to grant them a divorce. The couple had traveled to California to marry in 2008. In June…
Partnership That Never Existed Cannot Create Nondischargeable Debt
January Bulletin Board: Our Members and Leaders Circle Firms Making Headlines
Past President Honored by U.S. Department of State Former U.S. Ambassador to Australia and 2003 BASF President Jeff Bleich was recently honored with the Sue Cobb Award for Exemplary Diplomatic Service by the United States Department of State. Daily Journal…