Brown appointed judges to the following counties: Alameda, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Humboldt, Los Angeles, Orange, Plumas, Riverside, San Diego, Santa Cruz, Shasta and Sonoma.
Cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin have been around for years, however, lately they’ve been a hot topic in the news and among attorneys.
This blog post from Jennifer Post, of Thompson Coburn, sheds some light on the issue. Jennifer will be speaking at our Cryptocurrencies, Blockchain & Initial Coin Offerings seminar in June 2018.
Virtual currencies remain largely unregulated, as well as the activities which support them (exchanges, wallets, etc). However, due to sudden interest from investors and the creation of several new cryptocurrencies, state lawmakers are beginning to consider how they should regulate these activities.
California has introduced the Virtual Currency Act (A.B. 1123), which would require those involved in a “virtual currency business” in California to first register with the state’s Commissioner of Business Oversight. A.B. 1123 defines a “virtual currency business” as any business “maintaining full custody or control of virtual currency in this state on behalf of others.”
Learn more by reading Jennifer’s post and at our upcoming Cryptocurrencies, Blockchain & Initial Coin Offerings seminar in June 2018.
Good news for Tinder users over the age of 30. Tinder – the swipe one way or the other if you are interested in someone (or not) dating app – just got smacked for charging older customers more than those under thirty for Tinder’s premium services.
We just found this blurb Winston & Strawn attorney Ryan P. Glove on the new California Lawyers Association’s Advertising law related Blog and wanted to pass it along:
A California Court of Appeals recently found that Tinder’s practice of charging users over the age of 30 an additional $10 for premium services violates the Unruh Civil Rights Act and the Unfair Competition Law. The court rejected Tinder’s argument that its pricing model was not discriminatory because it based pricing on market research which shows that users under 30 have less means to pay for premium services and therefore require a discount. Although certain age-based pricing structures have been upheld in the past, the appellate court held that Tinder’s pricing model is discriminatory because it employs an “arbitrary, class-based, generalization about older users’ incomes as a basis for charging them more than younger users,” and Tinder did not provide compelling public policy justifications for the alleged discriminatory pricing.
Our latest Featured Speakers are Ian Samson and Paul Traina of Stalwart Law Group!
Ian Samson is an experienced litigator and trial lawyer who will speak at our upcoming Mastering the Deposition seminar in Los Angeles, on February 23rd, 2018.
Ian first spoke for us back in 2016 for Federal Court Boot Camp and has been a repeat speaker for both federal and superior court boot camps since. Seminar attendees rave about his insight, clear examples, and knowledgeability.
Ian represents clients in catastrophic injury matters, whistleblower litigation, class actions, professional liability cases, and commercial litigation. Innovative, tireless, and always willing to go the extra mile for his clients, he has gone toe-to-toe with some of the most highly-regarded law firms in the nation.
Equally comfortable arguing a specific point of law to a federal court judge as he is explaining the big picture to a state court jury, he uses every aspect of his experience to get the best possible result for his clients. Ian is a member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles, Consumer Attorneys of California, and Public Justice.
And Paul Traina, an experienced, fiercely competitive litigator and trial lawyer, will also speak at our upcoming Mastering the Deposition seminar.
Paul first spoke for us a while back at our Wage & Hour Class Action seminar, and has returned to speak at many of our litigation related seminars year after year, due to his great evaluations.
Paul has practiced law for the past 25 years. He spent his first five years representing automobile manufacturers and insurance companies, and the last twenty years representing consumers on a pure contingency basis. Paul has obtained verdicts and recoveries for his clients totaling over 3 billion dollars. He has, and continues to represent clients in matters involving catastrophic injuries, defective products, whistleblower litigation, class actions, professional liability cases, and business/commercial litigation.
Paul is a frequent guest lecturer at Loyola Law School’s Trial Advocacy Class. He has lectured around the country about class actions, conflicts of interest, opening and closing arguments, and direct and cross examinations of both lay and expert witnesses. Paul is a member of the Consumer Attorneys Association of Los Angeles and Consumer Attorneys of California.
As you know, at Pincus Pro Ed, we are huge animal lovers. While we are lucky enough to be based in Los Angeles and away from the worst of winter weather, we wanted to take a moment and share some wet weather tips from Los Angeles Animal Services.
Companies are also prepping for the inevitable regulations that will come with legalized marijuana and marijuana is about to become big business. That comes with large legal departments and legal services provided by attorneys at all sizes of firms and in a variety of legal specialties, as we have said before.
You can get the latest story from The Recorder here.
If you are making charitable donations this year, consider organizations that increase access to justice. Organizations that work to improve access to justice work with people to improve communication tools, transportation and more. From internet access, to transportation, to housing. There are many organizations out there doing great work and ensuring more people have access to the services they need.
This article from Lawyerist.com outlines many of the different options you have when making a charitable donation. You can read the full article here.
Their suggestions range from organizations helping with internet access such as Equitable Internet Initiative and Foundation for Rural Service, groups focusing on transportation like Neighbor Ride and Wheels of Success and groups who focus exclusively on keeping the doors of America’s Public Libraries open.
Even providing housing to individuals improves access to justice. If you don’t know where you are going to sleep, legal issues take a backseat. Government resources for housing are stretched thin and many private organizations have stepped in to fill the need for individuals with month-to-month or even day-to-day housing needs.
Jim Allen is our latest Featured Speaker!
Jim is a retired Assistant County Attorney for Miami Dade County and has been sharing his experience with our attendees since 2014, when he first spoke at our Circuit Court Boot Camp in Ft. Lauderdale. Since then, Jim has been a frequent speakers at many of our litigation programs. Most recently, he spoke at Mastering the Deposition and Brief Writing in Ft. Lauderdale. Next year, Jim will join us again for our 5th Annual Circuit Court Boot Camp in Ft. Lauderdale.
In addition to providing excellent tips and litigation strategies, Jim always provides thorough handouts and additional materials that attendees rave about.
Jim Allen
Former Assistant County Attorney, Miami-Dade County
Jim was Chief of Training and Development, while continuing to maintain a full caseload in state personal injury and federal civil rights actions.
As a litigator, Jim has practiced extensively in federal and state court at both trial and appellate levels. He has litigated and tried numerous cases involving serious wrongful death and civil rights allegations, including a taking action claiming in excess of 100 million dollars in damages. Jim has also handled numerous state and federal appeals, including a case filed in the U.S. Supreme Court.
After law school, Jim clerked for the Honorable James R. Jorgenson, Florida Third District Court of Appeals. Jim is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin, J.D., Cum Laude, 1980.
Harry Chamberlain of Buchalter Nemer P.C. is our latest Featured Speaker!
Harry is another Appellate Specialist who will be speaking at the upcoming Advanced Appellate Conference in January.
Harry first spoke for us back in 2012. Harry was a joy to work with and attendees loved his presentation. He has been back to speak at multiple appellate seminars, including our 2016 and 2017 Advanced Appellate Conferences and our 2017 Exam Prep course in Appellate law.
Harry Chamberlain II
Buchalter Nemer P.C.
Harry Chamberlain co-chairs the Appellate and Complex Litigation Practice Group at Buchalter Nemer, P.C. with regional offices across California. Harry is an experienced litigator who has represented Fortune 500 companies, public and private sector clients in complex litigation for 35 years. His trial and arbitration practice focuses on the representation of business, professional and public entity clients with special concentration in post-trial remedies, writs and appeals.
He is certified as an Appellate Specialist by the California State Bar Board of Legal Specialization, having argued hundreds of appeals in state and federal courts around the country, including numerous cases before the California Supreme Court and the highest courts of other jurisdictions.
Before joining Buchalter Nemer, Harry’s experience included in-house corporate practice as general counsel, and managing the law department of major market U.S. liability insurers and financial service companies.
Harry serves on the Board of Trustees of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and is past president of the Association of Southern California Defense Counsel and California Defense Counsel, preeminent regional associations of civil defense trial attorneys.
Robin Meadow of Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland LLP is our latest Featured Speaker!
Robin first spoke at one of our appellate seminars in 2008 and has been a regular ever since. Seminar attendees continually rave about his teaching style and the excellent handouts he provides.
In addition to being a Certified Appellate Specialist, Robin is also well-versed in the use of technology during an appeal. Attendees always appreciate his discussion about technology during our seminars. Robin has spoken at The Complete Appeal and the Advanced Appellate Roundtable multiple times. Coming up in January, Robin will be at our Third Annual Advanced Appellate Conference, where he has spoken each year.
Robin Meadow
Greines, Martin, Stein & Richland LLP
Few appellate specialists have successfully tried a jury case. Robin Meadow tried jury cases for over 20 years at a major commercial firm, while also handling appeals, in many fields of law. Over time, he realized that it’s nearly impossible to excel at both trials and appeals, because the skill sets and practice rhythms differ completely and often clash. Concluding that his greatest strengths lay in appellate work, Robin joined GMSR in 1994, handling his last trial late that year.
Robin’s trial-court experience gives him a unique perspective on appellate work. He understands the demands and pressures trial lawyers face and the many ways that things can go wrong in the trial court. And he is very much at home consulting with trial lawyers during trial, helping them protect their appellate record so they’re well positioned to either preserve a victory or overturn a defeat.
Robin’s practice at GMSR continues the substantive focus he developed in his earlier years business disputes, real estate, partnerships, and probate and entertainment law. Â But, like most appellate lawyers, he is a generalist and at GMSR has also handled multiple significant appeals involving healthcare, family law, personal injury and bankruptcy.
He is also an expert in technology for appellate lawyers and courts. A pioneer in the use of electronic records and briefs, Robin co-authored the California Second District Court of Appeals first protocol for electronic briefs (since adopted by other California Courts of Appeal), and he filed the first electronic brief ever accepted by a California appellate court.
When he isn’t practicing law, he enjoys spending time with his family, reading about history and playing bass guitar in a rock band.
