Recent Articles

Give the Corporate Director a Serpent Deflector: Reinforcing an Absolute Right to Inspection under the California Corporations CodeBy: Ethan J. Birnberg, Esq., Porter Simon, P.C., Truckee, California [Article originally published in the Vol. 45, No. 3 of The Writ (Washoe County Bar Association)]   California is no stranger to litigation between corporations and their board [...]

            The Second Amendment provides that “a well-regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.”             That seems pretty simple, a militia, presumably military, has the right to own guns. Those few words [...]

  Even if the first three topics caused your eyes to glaze over, we hope the third caught your attention. This article is designed for two basic audiences: those who draft leases and other commercial agreements which include provisions calling for one party to name another as an additional insured under the first party’s insurance [...]

            With tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini offering to draft contracts, summarize case law, and answer legal questions in seconds, it’s easy to wonder whether you still need a lawyer.             But here’s the truth: AI is just a tool—not a legal advisor—and using [...]

            Our case describes the circumstances and law surrounding more than two dozen wildland fires in the Banning Pass area of Southern California, ultimately known as the Esperanza Fire. The first of the fires was set on May 16th, 2006, and the last on October 26th of the same year. [...]

            Divorcing couples in California struggle with the Shakespearean query:  "To be or not to be"; in modern terms: “To mediate or not to mediate.” Mediation, like any legal process, comes with its own unique set of advantages and disadvantages. Making the decision of whether to mediate a divorce is [...]

            We often advise both homeowners associations (HOAs) and individual homeowners on the financial risks and high costs involved in legal disputes. It's rare, however, to see an HOA awarded a significant sum like $48,000 in attorney's fees simply because the homeowner decided to drop their case against the HOA. [...]

            In the mid 90’s defibrillators became available for emergency care to treat victims of cardiac arrest-heart attacks. CPR has significantly fewer positive results than defibrillators. Defibrillators are user-friendly and can be used by rescuers without formal training. Defibrillators have the advantage of limited legal immunity for rescuers. Today’s case [...]