LPMT eNews

While the abilities to focus and concentrate are paramount to being a lawyer, it seems that interruptions and distractions constantly pull us away from what we are doing. When we try to give our attention to everything coming our way, we lose focus and cannot concentrate. Even though we know that focusing on one thing at a time is the only way to really concentrate on it, we still have the habit of pulling that focus away. Read more

As 2019 comes to a close, here is a look ahead to some of the legislation going into effect on January 1, 2020, that affects employers in California. Read more

“The more things change, the more they stay the same,” goes the epigram attributed to 19th century French writer Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr. I could not help but think of that as I reviewed the results of the 2019 Legal Technology Survey Report produced by the American Bar Association’s Legal Technology Resource Center. Read more

LPMT Executive Committee New Members on the LPMT Executive Committee The following members will be joining the Executive Committee following the CLA Annual Meeting.  They have been selected to serve a 3-year term. Chad Morgan | Attorney, Los AngelesJeremy Salvador | Public Member, ValenciaMark G. Griffin | Attorney, San FranciscoKai Ellis | Public Member (paralegal), Los AngelesThomas A. Richard | Attorney, OaklandPerry Segal | Attorney, Redwood City These new members will join the following continuing members on the Executive Committee: … Read more

Time truly has flown quickly by as my chairmanship comes to an end, I must say it has been a great journey and learning experience for me. Read more

The public and attorneys have an opportunity to submit written comments about policy issues before the Board of Trustees. These issues include formal opinions regarding ethical obligations when departing firm and advising a cannabis business; and rules of procedures setting forth guidelines for imposition and collection of monetary sanctions, appointment and authority, and file release and retention duties. Read more

The Tenant Protection Act of 2019, a.k.a. AB 1482, has drawn a lot of attention in recent weeks and months. Often referred to as statewide rent control, our legislators prefer to wrap it in the softer title of a “rent cap.” It translates to the same thing. Read more

After a summer of lobbying and debating, the California Assembly adopted AB 5, a headline-grabbing law purporting to transform the status of gig-economy workers at companies like Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash. Proponents of the law assert that it will force those companies to treat those persons performing work as independent contractors like employees, with all of the legal protections that entails – minimum wage, overtime, workers’ compensation, paid sick leave and reimbursement of expenses just to name several. Read more

What greeting do your clients receive when they contact your office? Do clients feel that they’re welcome? Or are they ever left with the impression that they’re interrupting something more important? Read more

My first few years out of law school, you could not keep me out of the courtroom. I was motivated by justice — or at least my clients’ sense of justice — and truly believed that filing a motion was the best way to resolve a dispute. My early mentor instilled “finality” in me as the one and only value: “Some people just can’t work out their disagreements. You could let their matter drag on and on or you can get ‘er done — bring the issue to trial and have the court make a ruling.” And so, I eagerly followed and did just that. For a long time. Too long. Read more