GUEST COLUMNS
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
California's 2025 Song-Beverly reforms aim to speed lemon law litigation and force early resolution through strict deadlines and sanctions, but uneven manufacturer participation has left a fragmented system whose effectiveness remains uncertain.
No matter how good the language in a settlement agreement may be, tax language in a settlement agreement does not guarantee the desired tax treatment.
Monday, June 1, 2026
California is turning fashion compliance into full-spectrum accountability, binding brands to labor, climate and supply-chain impacts while sharply raising the bar for sustainability claims.
As the nation turns 250, access to justice remains one of the clearest measures of whether America is living up to its founding promise.
Friday, May 29, 2026
As YouTube takes a more active role in creator monetization and brand partnerships, new legal and business questions will emerge around ownership, leverage, transparency and how value is divided among platforms, creators and advertisers.
Trump's rollback of federal anti-corruption enforcement may ease pressure on multinational businesses, but states and foreign regulators are stepping in to police conduct the DOJ is now deprioritizing.
Wednesday, May 27, 2026
California's workers' compensation system is built to resolve claims at defined statutory endpoints, even when recovery from traumatic brain injuries, chronic pain and psychological conditions remains incomplete or unstable.
Most people know that if you owe taxes, you'll also owe interest. But fewer consider what happens to that interest while they're fighting the bill.
Friday, May 22, 2026
As healthcare, crisis response and public systems increasingly rely on digital infrastructure, California's next civil rights challenge may center on whether meaningful communication and comprehension remain legal prerequisites before institutions can lawfully act on vulnerable individuals.
The California Supreme Court heard arguments
in the Gilead Tenofovir litigation as justices examined whether
drugmakers can be held liable for delaying safer alternatives under a broader
"duty to innovate."
Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Tech companies and their allies continue to frame the First Amendment and Section 230 as shields against liability for online harms, even as recent jury verdicts over social media addiction underscore growing concerns about the impact of platforms and AI on children.
Elmer "Geronimo" Pratt's case shows how political targeting and hidden informants can destroy an innocent man--and why the justice system still hasn't fully learned the lesson.
Monday, May 18, 2026
While Doe v. Meta follows existing
Section 230 law, its concurrences signal rising judicial pressure to narrow
platform immunity for algorithm-driven recommendations--potentially reshaping
social media law and inviting Supreme Court review.
California's new CCPA regulations requiring annual cybersecurity audits and risk assessments are forcing companies to create detailed records of their cybersecurity practices and risk management decisions --documentation that should be managed with a deliberate, litigation-aware strategy.
Friday, May 15, 2026
The OpenAI litigation is becoming a public demonstration of how modern discovery works. Executives separate "official" communications from informal ones; courts increasingly do not.
In an era of overwhelming federal dockets and increasingly aggressive discovery practice, swift judicial intervention remains one of the few effective tools for preserving professionalism and the integrity of the process.
Wednesday, May 13, 2026
San Gorgonio Pass Water Agency has long understood a simple truth that a recent economic forecast confirms: Reliable water infrastructure is the foundation of regional prosperity.
Los Angeles is now paying for years of deferred maintenance on both sides of the ledger, as sidewalk hazards and streetlight outages drive repair costs and liability exposure.
Monday, May 11, 2026
In an era of remote practice, lawyers who view supervision as merely reactive risk serious professional consequences, as state bars and courts increasingly expect proactive oversight of lawyers and nonlawyers alike to prevent misconduct before clients are harmed.
For over a century, California trial courts have effectuated pretrial detention through sureties set at amounts a defendant could not pay. Kowalczyk answers two questions long reserved by the Court and holds the practice cannot continue.
Friday, May 8, 2026
The House of Representatives has passed bipartisan legislation that would amend the Internal Revenue Code so survivors of sexual abuse and unwanted, illegal sexual contact no longer pay taxes on their legal settlement income.
As EPA PFAS drinking water standards shift and evolve, lawsuits over contamination and responsibility are rapidly expanding across the country.
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
The Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling in Louisiana
v. Callais fundamentally undermined the Voting Rights Act by requiring
proof of intentional discrimination under Section 2, making majority-communities
of color districts far harder to create and defend.
As California's employment enforcement landscape grows increasingly aggressive, employers must prioritize proactive audits, updated timekeeping policies, and continuous compliance monitoring to navigate the state's unforgiving wage and hour laws heading into 2026.
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