California

Expert Analysis

• The Latest On Vapor Intrusion Regs In Calif.

  

  Recent and upcoming vapor intrusion policies from California environmental regulators will increase the number of properties investigated, shift the focus to indoor air sampling, and possibly affect real estate transactions, say Catherine Johnson and Dorothy Dickey of Environmental General Counsel LLP.

• Lenders Score Major High Court Victory In Foreclosure Case

  

  The U.S. Supreme Court's unanimous ruling on Wednesday in Obduskey v. McCarthy & Holthus LLP removes nearly all activities taken by creditors seeking nonjudicial foreclosure of liens and mortgages from the ambit of the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, says John Baxter of Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP.

• Trial Counsel's Role On A Mass Tort Virtual Law Team

  

  Trial counsel’s contribution to the virtual law team throughout the life cycle of a mass tort litigation rests in the key skill of viewing the case through the eyes of the ultimate audience for the defense, the jury, say attorneys at Covington & Burling LLP and Faegre Baker Daniels LLP.

• Profit Participation Mediation Tips From The 'Bones' Case

  

  Despite the inevitable rocky start typical of profit participation mediation cases, a settlement can usually be achieved if parties avoid engaging in premature mediation and carefully address key open issues, some of which were exemplified in the "Bones" arbitration decided last month, says Bruce Isaacs of Signature Resolution.

• Tech Trends From SXSW Pose Unique Questions For Lawyers

  

  These days, a popular theme in media is that lawyers' jobs will be taken by robots. However, based on the tech issues discussed at the South by Southwest technology conference in Austin, Texas, last month, robots may in fact need lawyers, says Nick Abrahams of Norton Rose Fulbright.

• In Bar Admissions Process, It's Candor Or Bust

  

  You passed the bar exam and are ready for the character and fitness committee interview. Time to think about how to discuss that minor incident in college, that misdemeanor in high school or that mental health issue that you have totally under control, says Richard Maltz of Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC.

• Opinion

  US Antitrust Law Supports An FTC Win Against Qualcomm

  

  Though general propositions of antitrust appear to pose serious threats to the Federal Trade Commission's case against Qualcomm in the Northern District of California, a closer look shows how Qualcomm's use of its patents has distorted the competitive process, says Thomas Cotter of the University of Minnesota Law School.

• Series

  Judging A Book: Bashant Reviews 'Doing Justice'

  

  My initial reaction to "Doing Justice" was that author Preet Bharara may have bitten off more than he could chew — an accusation leveled against him when he served as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York — but I found the book full of helpful gems, says U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant of the Southern District of California.

• Firms Can Leverage Communications When Economy Is Slow

  

  Though most experts believe that an imminent recession is unlikely, slowdown fears are increasing. Now is the time for firms to consider how to best leverage their communications and marketing teams to lessen impacts from a potential economic slowdown, says Tom Orewyler of Tom Orewyler Communications LLC.

• State Net

  Federal, State And Local Governments Vie For Control Of 5G

  

  The next generation of wireless technology, 5G, could bring major advancements in everything from entertainment to public safety. But federal, state and local governments are at odds over how 5G should be deployed and who should regulate it, says Korey Clark of State Net Capitol Journal.