california attorney

ADLI Congratulates Marina Manoukian, Head of Family Law, for passing the Family Law Specialist Exam on her first attempt!

The Certified Family Law Specialist exam is available through the California State Bar. It is offered once every two years. In order to be eligible to take the exam, attorneys must have at least 5 years of experience and specific experience in the area of specialization. The exam includes both essays and multiple choice questions…

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When Court Powers Supersede the Will of the Parties

On May 18, 2018, the Ninth Circuit affirmed a district court’s grant of summary judgment on an issue raised sua sponte by the court, despite the fact that the parties had negotiated and agreed that the defendant would not seek summary judgment on the issue. On December 22, 2011, the plaintiff in the case on…

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Subsidized Free Speech

A group of California grape growers/shippers brought an action in the County of Fresno against the California Table Grape Commission, contending that the Commission’s collection of assessments under the Ketchum Act (Food & Agr. Code § 65500 et seq.) to subsidize promotional speech on behalf of all California table grapes violates the growers’ right to…

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Dispute Resolution Strategies

There are four common approaches to settling legal disputes:  Direct Negotiation; Mediation; Arbitration and Litigation.  Which one is right for you? Direct Negotiation:  Works best in instances where the dispute is of fairly minor character and small in dollar amount, or where the disputing parties have an ongoing relationship that they don’t want to disrupt. …

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How Much Is A Patent Worth?

You are an inventor and are thinking about obtaining patent protection for your invention.  You understand that patents are a form of legally recognized property, known as intellectual property, and that they can be very valuable.  But you are also well aware that obtaining patent protection will cost money.  How do you determine the potential…

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