Year: 2018

Categories : TechnologyTags :

Privacy Screens: A simple and affordable way to help protect client information

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By Adriana Linares

Shoulder surfing: it’s a thing. How do I know? Because I’m a pro. A hard-core perp. My mental breaks are taken by peeping over your shoulder to watch your movie, read your texts and emails, or review your client’s confidential legal documents with you — hey, I’m here to help! Well, truth is, I’m just looking around but people make it so easy. No one uses privacy screens (well, at least one of us does) and just about everyone over 40 has HUGE FONTS (thanks, presbyopia). This makes the act of shoulder surfing easier than ever. Read More

Categories : Law Practice ManagementTags :

Balancing Values: A Conversation About Reduced Billable Hours

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By Christine Pangan

You may have heard of the “reduced hours” programs that many firms have, but how does it actually work? According to Michael Attanasio, at Cooley LLP, for example, anyone with good reason can request an arrangement and still be considered for partner at the appropriate time. We asked attorneys Christina Morgan and Susan Nahama about their experiences in similar programs at different firms. Read More

Categories : Current TopicsTags :

No BK for You! Cannabis Enterprise Kicked Out of Ch. 11 Line

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By Tyler McQuillan

‘Those familiar with the blossoming cannabis industry are readily familiar with certain limitations imposed upon the “legal” cannabis business. From tax inefficiencies spurred by Internal Revenue Code 280E to limitations on change in ownership (i.e., M&A), navigating the capital markets can be an exercise of corporate and securities gymnastics. And through In re Healing Nature, LLC,1 the United States Bankruptcy Court has confirmed that ancillary companies may also lose their place in the Chapter 11 line. Read More

Categories : Legal EthicsTags :

The New Rule 4.1 “Truthfulness in Statements to Others”

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By Richard D. Hendlin 

When the new and revised Rules of Professional Conduct become effective on November 1, 2018, California will finally join the other 49 states which have already adopted some version of American Bar Association (ABA) Model Rule 4.1 “Truthfulness in Statements to Others.”  California’s Rule 4.1 provides: Read More

Categories : WisdomTags :

The Why, What and How of Working with a Fractional CFO

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By James Wheeler

According to California’s Employment Development Department, San Diego is home to more than thirty thousand small businesses of between five and fifty employees.[1] As a trusted advisor to these growing businesses, you may have observed that one of your clients would benefit from a level of financial expertise beyond the capabilities or capacity of their existing leadership.  Most of these small to medium-sized companies are not large enough to justify a senior financial leader on a full-time basis and may not have considered retaining with a fractional CFO (“fCFO”).  As an attorney and advisor, you may want to learn about what a fractional CFO can do to help their business. Read More

Categories : Law Practice ManagementTags :

Eleven Points for Representing Clients in Trust and Estate Disputes (From the experience of a three-year associate)

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By Michael McDonald

Representing a client in a trust and estate dispute has a lot of similarities to client representation in a more traditional civil dispute. It also has a lot of differences. When taking on a trust dispute, it is important to recognize both the similarities and differences to achieve ultimate success. Although not an exhaustive list, here are some points for consideration when representing clients in trust and estate disputes. Read More

Categories : Legal Ethics

Internet-Based Marketing Programs: Be Selective

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By Jennifer Gilman

On May 10, 2018, the California Supreme Court approved a comprehensive set of New Rules of Professional Conduct (New Rules) for California lawyers, which take effect November 1, 2018. Many attorneys are contemplating what the New Rules will mean for them in their everyday practice. In his article “What New Rules? I Barely Know the Old Ones,” Ed McIntyre discussed some of the key changes and highlighted areas where the practice of litigation will see significant changes. Read More

Categories : WellnessTags : 2 Comments

Self-Care for Lawyers: The Benefits of Building One Self-Care Habit at a Time

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By Rick Waite

The big changes started about 10 years ago, when I started surfing every day at 6 a.m. instead of getting on the freeway to go to work. Soon I started journaling every day, a practice I started at Harvard my freshman year and engaged in sporadically over the years, usually during times of crisis. Next, I began meditating again. I had learned how to meditate at the Cambridge Transcendental Meditation Center my freshman year and then promptly stopped. A few days after renewing my meditation practice, I quit drinking. Cold turkey. No cravings. No 12-step program. I just stopped. Read More

Categories : Law Practice Management

Some Lessons on Flying Solo

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By Matthew Lab

For most attorneys, the thought of opening a solo practice is exciting, liberating and terrifying at the same time. Since its inception in 2012 as the first attorney incubator on the West Coast, California Western School of Law’s Access to Law Initiative (ALI), has been privileged to provide support, tools and training to empower entrepreneurial and public service-minded attorneys to launch and develop their law practices. ALI encourages its attorneys to include “make-a-difference-law” as a component of their law practices through the provision of pro bono and/or “low bono” legal services to modest means clients. Read More