ABA Journal

California

3917 ABA Journal California articles.

Judge who once prosecuted murder defendant fails to get colleague kicked off the case

Judge Patrick Connolly of Los Angeles County won’t be able to disqualify a colleague from considering the resentencing of a defendant Connolly once prosecuted.

May judge attend law firm celebration with free food and drinks? Not in this state, draft opinion says

A draft ethics opinion says California judges should not attend law office celebrations with free food and drinks.

Federal judge reminds lawyers that ‘this proceeding is not the playground’

Updated: A federal judge in Colorado has warned lawyers for litigants in a business dispute that he will not “sit idly by in the face of further mudslinging.”

Proposal for bar exam bypass should be pursued further, California bar trustees say

The State Bar of California’s board of trustees on Friday asked members of a blue-ribbon commission who backed a proposal to bypass the bar exam to develop their proposals further.

Former Lewis Brisbois executive criticized firm’s financial practices in 2019 claim

The former chief operating officer of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith has alleged in an August 2019 whistleblower letter that he was fired after raising concerns about the law firm’s financial practices.

Jackson joins 3 conservative dissenters as Supreme Court upholds California’s pig welfare law

The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a California law that bans the in-state sale of pork that comes from pigs raised in tiny stalls.

More than 110 lawyers leave this BigLaw firm to join new shop

More than 110 lawyers are leaving Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith to join a new law firm founded by two of its longtime lawyers.

California rolling out ‘CARE Court’ program that offers treatment to people with psychosis

California is embarking on a new "CARE Court" program that will help people with psychotic disorders get comprehensive mental health treatment.

Protecting Polyamory: Municipalities expand rights, domestic partnerships to include nontraditional relationships

Polyamory is a slightly narrower form of consensual nonmonogamy in which people agree to have multiple, loving relationships openly and with full consent. Structure and agreements vary widely.

Some law firms avoid layoffs by adjusting associate class years downward

Law firms looking for a way to save money without layoffs are increasingly adjusting associate class years, according to legal recruiters in California and New York who spoke with Law.com.

Supreme Court will decide when public officials can block people from personal social media accounts

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday accepted two cases that consider whether public officials may violate the First Amendment when they block people from personal social media accounts that discuss their government roles.

Through overseas currency exchanges, California deputy DA helps online romance scam victims get their money back

In the criminal justice world, pig butchering refers to bacon—but not literally. Instead, it’s a term used to describe scamming someone online out of all their money through promises of romance and cryptocurrency windfalls, says Erin West, a prosecutor in the Santa Clara County, California, district attorney’s office.

‘Desperate for lawyers,’ Maine considers alternative path to law license

Maine lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow aspiring lawyers to skip law school if they study under a supervising attorney for two years.

Is honking your car horn expressive conduct protected by First Amendment? 9th Circuit weighs in

A federal appeals court has upheld a California law that bans honking your car horn—except when reasonably needed to warn of a safety hazard.

Weekly Briefs: Justice Thomas responds to luxury trips story; suit filed over Idaho AG’s abortion referrals opinion

Justice Thomas: I was following colleagues’ advice on luxury trips

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said he was following guidance from colleagues and others in the judiciary when he…

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