Recent Articles

Overview: In the highly publicized employment law case of Vergara v. State of California the Court of Appeal overturned the trial court and upheld public school teachers’ tenure (16 months from hiring), and seniority (firing the last hired vs the most qualified teacher) and teacher lay off laws in California, the latter make it extremely [...]

Overview:  James L. Porter is a local real estate and development attorney. Jim’s column this week is "On Turning 70", ouch, but better than the alternatives as Jim writes.  In this ‘personal and sensitive’ column, not Jim’s normal stuff, he recounts turning 50, then 70 and thanks his readers for putting up with him and [...]

Not a year goes by that the California legislature doesn’t take the opportunity to add to the ever-increasing list of regulations and statutes that employers ignore at their peril.   Here are five new laws that took effect on January 1, 2016, that warrant special attention.The Minimum Wage Increase And Its Effect On Other Wage/Hour LawsWhile [...]

A Truckee-Tahoe fixture since 1969, Porter Simon has a long tradition of not only top-notch legal services, but community involvement.  The firm’s history traces the many changes and transitions that Truckee and the surrounding area have seen over the years.  As the firm continues to grow and evolve along with the people around it, some [...]

Overview:  The California Supreme Court resolved an unsettled question of California criminal law involving burglary in the case of People v. Hugo Garcia,  deciding that if a burglar enters into a structure with intent to commit a felony like robbery or rape, and then enters another room, that is not two burglaries unless the second [...]

Overview:  April is National Donate Life month, so again Porter Simon presents our annual pitch to encourage everyone to register as an organ donor, it is easy and may save a life.  124,000 Americans need an organ donation, so take time to read this Law Review and register, it is the right thing to do. [...]

Overview: Jim Porter is a business and real estate attorney who represents lots of upside down borrowers facing foreclosure and who are abused by big bank lenders that are difficult to work with on loan modifications and short sales; the Law Review column today expresses his anger at name brand big banks and highlights new [...]

Overview:  In Salazar v. Ross Matejcek the Court of Appeal threw the book at an aggressive property owner who intentionally cut 225 trees off of his neighbor’s property to facilitate his pot growing operation in Mendocino County, assessing treble damages as the Civil Code authorizes for willful and malicious tree cutting.  Read all about it [...]

Overview: If you were a getaway driver in a robbery, and one of your partners in crime shoots and kills a security guard, are you equally responsible and likely to be sentenced to death or life in prison without the possibility of parole? Read this weeks Law Review about Lovie Troy Matthews and find out. [...]