Best Best & Krieger News Feed

Summary of Appellate Cases Decided by the Courts in 2014-2015

04 Nov 2015 00:00:00 -0800

Best Best & Krieger LLP attorney Steven G. Martin served as a contributing author of the Water Law Chapter in the Association of California Water Agencies “Summary of Appellate Cases Decided by the Courts in 2014-2015.” To learn more or to purchase the publication, click here.

Trends, Developments, and Best Practices Relevant to Drafting Employment Agreements

29 Oct 2014 00:00:00 -0800

Joseph T. Ortiz, a Best Best & Krieger partner, wrote a chapter titled “Trends, Developments, and Best Practices Relevant to Drafting Employment Agreements” for “Negotiating and Drafting Employment Agreements, 2014: Leading Lawyers on Constructing Effective Employment Contracts (Inside the Minds),” published by Aspatore. “The book provides an authoritative, insider's perspective on developing clear, flexible, and enforceable agreements to protect employers in today's marketplace,” according to the publication’s description on Amazon.com.

Matthew Bender Practice Guide: California Civil Appeals and Writs

14 Jul 2014 00:00:00 -0800

BB&K Partner Kira L. Klatchko is the co-editorial consultant of Matthew Bender Practice Guide: California Civil Appeals and Writs, along with Benjamin G. Shatz of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP. The publication helps litigators take their case one step further to success with practical advice on how to either security a victory, or a judgment reversal, in the appellate court.

(Image source: LexisNexis Store)

Proposition 218 Guide for Special Districts

13 Feb 2014 00:00:00 -0800

Kelly Salt, a Best Best & Krieger partner based in San Diego, authored a guide specifically geared toward helping special districts in California navigate the requirements of Proposition 218. Published by the California Special Districts Association, the guide is designed to help special districts interpret and comply with the requirements of Prop. 218 when imposing any new, or increasing any existing, assessment or property-related fee or charge. The proposition, approved by California voters in 1996, amended the California Constitution to establish voter approval requirements for general and special taxes and provided the initiative power to voters to reduce or repeal any local tax, assessment, fee or charge.

To download a copy from the CSDA website, click here.

Note: Subsequent to the drafting of this guide, two major appellate court decisions – Morgan v. Imperial Irrigation District and Griffith v. Pajaro Valley Water Management Agency – were issued in California, which may impact some of the analysis in the guide. For any questions about Prop. 218 or this guide, contact Kelly Salt.

(Image Source: California Special Districts Association)

Emerging Trends in Education Law: Leading Lawyers on Understanding Recent Developments on K-12 Campuses

08 Jan 2014 00:00:00 -0800

Tyree K. Dorward and Dina Harris, partners at Best Best & Krieger LLP, contributed a chapter to “Emerging Trends in Education Law,” an insider’s perspective on the recent developments taking place on the nation’s K-12 campuses and how they are impacting students, parents, practitioners and their school district clients.

Written by Dorward, Harris and four other partners from some of the nation's leading law firms, the book examines legal and policy developments to enhance school security while protecting the rights of all students and staff. The chapter by Dorward and Harris reviews school safety trends across the nation, including legislative, judicial and political activity, before and after the tragic Sandy Hook school shooting. This book is part of the Inside the Minds series, published by Aspatore Books, a Thomson Reuters business.

(Book cover photo courtesy of Thomson Reuters, 2013)

The Impact of Recent Regulatory Developments in Employment Law Published by Aspatore Books

04 Nov 2013 00:00:00 -0800

Joseph T. Ortiz, a partner at Best Best & Krieger LLP, wrote a chapter for “The Impact of Recent Regulatory Developments in Employment Law” that details recent developments in employment law on a state and federal level. Mr. Ortiz’s chapter focuses on recent case law affecting class actions, the Affordable Care Act, and changes related to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, among other things. The book provides an authoritative, insider's perspective on understanding how the changing state of employment law is affecting workplace policies and practices.

Written by Mr. Ortiz and five other partners from some of the nation's leading law firms, the book examines a broad scope of regulatory changes affecting employment as well as trends and emerging areas of employment and labor law. From complying with new healthcare regulations to handling enforcement actions, these top attorneys analyze the steps that employers and their attorneys must take in the new legal environment. This book is part of the Inside the Minds series, published by Aspatore Books, a Thomson Reuters business.

(Book cover photo courtesy of Thomson Reuters, 2013)

Proposition 26 Guide for Special Districts

26 Jun 2013 00:00:00 -0800

Kelly Salt, a Best Best & Krieger partner based in San Diego, authored a guide specifically geared toward helping special districts in California navigate the requirements of Proposition 26. Published by the California Special Districts Association, the guide offers a thorough explanation of the impacts the proposition may have on special districts and the issues that districts should consider when adopting fees and charges. The proposition was passed by California voters in 2010, and established new limitations on the power of state and local governments to impose fees and charges.

To download a copy from the CSDA website, click here.

(Image Source: California Special Districts Association)

Appellate Practice Compendium Published by the ABA’s Council of Appellate Lawyers

01 Oct 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Kira Klatchko of Best Best & Krieger LLP, along with Horvitz & Levy partners Curt Cutting and Brad Pauley, co-authored the California chapter of the American Bar Association’s new Appellate Practice Compendium. Published by the ABA’s Council of Appellate Lawyers, the 65-chapter Compendium “is the complete insider’s guide to appellate practice rules and procedures of all fifty states and Washington D.C., all federal circuit courts, and the U.S. Military Appellate Court.” The ABA describes the work as a “practical, one-of-a-kind guide” that is “a must-have reference for any law firm library.

(Photo courtesy of American Bar Association, 2012)

Wireless Antenna Issues Paper Published at League of California Cities City Attorneys' Conference

01 Jun 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Wireless antenna siting raises significant political and legal issues that are becoming ever more complex. A decade ago, localities revised local zoning codes to accommodate the placement of large towers in their communities; now communities are revisiting those codes as providers seek to place new or replacement installations on utility poles and light standards in the rights of way. City Attorneys – often in the face of heated public opposition to wireless placements and threats of litigation from wireless service providers and tower companies - must advise local decision-makers on the complex interplay of federal law, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulations and orders, state statutes and California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) rules and orders, and local ordinances – all of which can impact the approval process and the proposed deployment.

To download a copy of the paper, please click here

Best Best & Krieger attorneys Gail Karish, Harriet Steiner, and Joe Van Eaton co-authored this paper published at the League of California Cities 2012 City Attorneys' Conference.

Exactions and Impact Fees in California Published by Solano Press Books

01 May 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Comprehensively updated, the third edition of Exactions and Impact Fees in California is a practical, detailed guide for determining the appropriate and legally defensible mix of exactions and fees local governments may use to ensure that developments help solve ever-increasing community needs. The book, published by Solano Press Books, also includes definitive explanations about the distinctions among taxes, fees, assessments, land dedications, land reservations, and other exactions and development requirements.

Best Best & Krieger attorneys Harriet Steiner and Seth Merewitz co-authored Chapter 9: Funding Neighborhood-Specific Infrastructure and Amenities.

(Image Source: Solano Press Books)