Dear Counsel, Shortly after I was sworn in as an attorney, there was an interaction I will never forget. I was on a phone call with one of our co-counsel, someone I’ve worked with...
A transfer from the Imperial County District Attorney’s Office to the Public Defender’s Office can bring an unexpected assignment: the prison unit. Imperial County houses two maximum security state prisons, Centinela State Prison and...
By Katie Parker Associate Professor, USD School of Law In Bargaining for Advantage, Wharton Professor G. Richard Shell writes: “Behaving well in negotiations gives you an opportunity to express your identity as a moral person,...
By Koryn Sheppard April reminds us of the proverb that “April showers bring May flowers.” In our personal and professional lives, however, the “rainy seasons” are rarely so predictable or brief. For many in high-pressure...
By Michael L. Crowley New rules concerning lawyer advertising or use of lawyer referral services (LRS) have been enacted as of January 1 that make profound changes in the law. For decades the rules...
Dear Counsel, Somewhere along the way, you may have been taught that to be an effective attorney for your clients, you need to put on a tough front. You’re taught to be the aggressive,...
Every new attorney-client engagement must begin with a conflict check. In this process, the law firm endeavors to discover whether it has ever represented any of the parties involved in the matter prior to...
Around a conference table at the SDCBA Bar Center, lawyers with decades of experience gathered to discuss a pressing question of how do we build better mentorship in the profession? The conversation was led...
Many of you might remember Bradwell v. Illinois, 83 U.S. 130 (1872), from your law school days. The Supreme Court held that the Privileges and Immunities Clause did not guarantee a right to practice one’s...
By Koryn Sheppard As March arrives with its sea of green and folklore of four-leaf clovers, we ponder the nature of luck. The mythological “pot of gold” frames good fortune as random as a...
By Alexis C. Garcia, Esq. Many attorneys now rely on AI tools to draft pleadings, summarize materials, or evaluate legal theories before consulting Lexis and Westlaw. While its speed and convenience are undeniable, AI...
