ABA Journal

April 2019

"As technology comes and goes, there is a question of whether an app will stay around or whether it will retain your data into perpetuity, creating a need for data retention systems. Not only is this important for litigation purposes, but also business continuity. Since most data and software do not disappear overnight, technologists and attorneys recommend data archival and contractual strategies to avoid losing important data."

http://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/google-plus-shutdown-ethical-legal

Los Angeles Times

April 1, 2019

Prosecutors said decades of drug enforcement disproportionately targeted minorities. Studies have shown that people of color are more likely to be arrested and punished in connection with marijuana offenses, even though whites, blacks and Latinos use and sell marijuana at similar rates. The result, critics say, is a cycle of poverty and incarceration that has kept many minorities from getting jobs, going to school or finding housing.

https://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-la-county-marijuana-convictions-20190401-story.html

New York Times

March 31, 2019

Four years after the copyright trial over that No. 1 song — in which Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams, its primary writers, were ordered to pay more than $5 million for copying Marvin Gaye’s disco-era hit “Got to Give It Up” — the case still looms over the music industry and individual songwriters, who were left to wonder when homage bleeds into plagiarism.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/31/business/media/plagiarism-music-songwriters.html

NCLC Digital Library

March 20, 2019

Bankruptcy Code § 104(b) provides that the exemption amounts and other dollar figures in the Code are automatically adjusted for inflation every three years. The adjustments are based on changes to the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers published by the Department of Labor, rounded to the nearest $25.

New dollar amounts take effect on April 1, 2019, and will apply to all cases filed on or after that date. Consumer debtors who may benefit from the higher dollar amounts, particularly with respect to exemptions, the means test, and chapter 13 debt limitations, may wish to delay a bankruptcy filing until the new amounts take effect on April 1, 2019. Despite popular belief, many lower-income bankruptcy filers can retain all or almost all of their assets in a chapter 7 bankruptcy. The new higher exemption limits means that it is even more likely that consumers can protect their assets in a chapter 7 filing.

https://library.nclc.org/increase-federal-bankruptcy-exemptions-other-dollar-amounts-april-1-2019

Alameda County Bar Association

04/30/2019 / 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM

This presentation covers electronic discovery and the related ethical duty of competence. Drawing on guidance from the State Bar, recent e-discovery cases, and speaker Cory Hamma's experience assisting attorneys, this presentation outlines the main risks to counsel and client of failing to properly understand e-discovery obligations in litigation. 

https://acba.intouchondemand.com/eventreg/eventreg?eventid=12648&mobileapp=0

Alameda County Bar Association

04/25/2019 / 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM

Please join us for a program discussing legal issues involved with companion animals, disability rights, and property owner rights and obligations. What qualifies as a service animal? Who can use a service animal? What law regulates the use of service animals in schools, businesses, and other spaces? What are the rules regarding animals that assist people with disabilities but do not qualify as service animals?

This program will cover the relevant California and federal law affecting service and assistance animals and discuss pertinent cases interpreting the law. This program will be useful for practitioners in the area as well as property and business owners interested in better understanding their rights and obligations around service animal issues.

https://acba.intouchondemand.com/eventreg/eventreg?eventid=12658&mobileapp=0

Alameda County Bar Association

04/24/2019 / 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM

In this ethics talk, the speakers will address the family law attorney’s duty of competence regarding retirement benefit division in divorce, including understanding and use of technology. Louise and John’s presentation will entail techniques and ways to ensure compliance with the proper standard of legal care (and avoiding malpractice claims) through the use of technology. Speakers will discuss QDROCounsel software.

https://acba.intouchondemand.com/eventreg/eventreg?eventid=12612&mobileapp=0

Alameda County Bar Association

04/23/2019 / 05:30 PM - 07:00 PM

Please join us for a program on what civil practicioners need to know about summary judgment.

https://acba.intouchondemand.com/eventreg/eventreg?eventid=12603&mobileapp=0

Alameda County Bar Association

04/23/2019 / 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM

We are at the start of the largest intergenerational wealth transfer in history. Increasingly, an element of Trust and Estate practice is to match families with charitable giving vehicles that help them perpetuate their values while achieving financial and estate planning goals. Representatives of two community foundations will discuss these vehicles, their experiences working with families, including their Gen X and millennial children, and how attorneys can help families get started.

https://acba.intouchondemand.com/eventreg/eventreg?eventid=12329&mobileapp=0

Alameda County Bar Association

04/16/2019 / 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM

Please join us for an overview of current issues in intellectual property protection and enforcement. The panel will discuss current topics in patents, including procurement and assertion, as well as other mechanisms for protecting intellectual property, such as trade secrets.

https://acba.intouchondemand.com/eventreg/eventreg?eventid=12775&mobileapp=0