Inter-City Express

GUEST COLUMNS

Vacant commercial spaces hold the answer to affordable housing

Can the new state and local adaptive reuse laws incentivize residential conversion of underutilized office buildings and retail centers?

PFAS regulation in California: What lawyers need to know

PFAS, or "forever chemicals," have gone from hidden hazards to unavoidable headaches for California lawyers, regulators and property owners.

Paper returns: 2026 retirement plan disclosure risks

Retirement plan disclosures are about to get less digital and more complicated, as the Labor Department's proposal would require certain benefit statements to be furnished on paper, even when plans otherwise rely on electronic disclosure.

No ghost in the machine: Employers responsible for AI tools

The California Legislature has enacted a slew of AI regulations for employers to contend with, increasing litigation risks and compliance costs as employers increasingly use AI tools in their hiring and workforce management.

When AI touches employment decisions, California will want receipts

As AI takes on a bigger role in the workplace, California is sending a clear warning: when it comes to hiring, firing, and discipline, humans--not algorithms--must be the ones making the call.

AI's impact in California courts and why judges and the legislature are at odds

California's judiciary and legislature are in a high-stakes dispute over the use of AI in courts, balancing judges' independence and efficiency against the need for transparency, accuracy and public accountability in legal decision-making.

No president should have the power to rewrite birthright citizenship

The Supreme Court is considering whether President Trump can use an executive order to reinterpret the 14th Amendment and undermine birthright citizenship, raising critical questions about presidential power and constitutional limits.

The National Guard in America's neighborhoods

Illinois v. Trump highlights the clash between federal power and state control over the National Guard, showing how the Posse Comitatus and Insurrection Acts restrict presidential use of military force at home.

No president should have the power to rewrite birthright citizenship

The Supreme Court is considering whether President Trump can use an executive order to reinterpret the 14th Amendment and undermine birthright citizenship, raising critical questions about presidential power and constitutional limits.

COPRAC's AI warning highlights legal industry's accountability gap

California's bar ethics committee has a new warning for attorneys using AI -- but the real problem isn't hallucinations, it's the missing accountability layer that only a licensed attorney can fill.

The misuse of federal Indian law in the birthright citizenship debate

The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, guarantees that anyone born or naturalized in the United States is a citizen and ensures all citizens receive due process and equal protection under the law.

9th Circuit rejects Uber and Instacart's free speech challenge to worker deactivation law

The court upheld Seattle's App-Based Worker Deactivation Rights Ordinance, rejecting Uber and Instacart's constitutional challenges and confirming the law regulates conduct, not speech.

Justice for those who served requires more than business as usual

California's expanded military diversion law gives lawyers a vital tool to secure just outcomes for veterans by addressing service-related conditions instead of defaulting to conviction.

Be careful with high end cars and taxes

California's aggressive tax regime is now targeting luxury car owners and dealers using out-of-state schemes like the Montana loophole, turning what once seemed like routine tax avoidance into a growing wave of audits, penalties and even criminal prosecutions.

When AI gets it wrong: Insurance coverage for false, defamatory and infringing AI-generated content

Existing insurance programs may provide coverage in some circumstances, but insurers are increasingly introducing exclusions and limitations aimed specifically at AI-related risks.

Litigation lessons for entertainment transactional attorneys: Nuanced contracting pitfalls

Entertainment transactional attorneys shape Hollywood deals to prevent disputes, but even well-intentioned agreements--like vague commission contracts or unclear rights-acquisition publicity carve-outs--can trigger costly conflicts if terms aren't carefully defined upfront.

The coming wave of CARE Court litigation: Eligibility, due process and system capacity collide

CARE Court has gone from experiment to scoreboard, with counties now judged on filings, outcomes and their ability to turn court orders into real-world treatment.

Litigation differences between the U.S. and China: Strategic insights for counsel

As cross-border disputes involving China increase, U.S. counsel must recognize fundamental differences in discovery, judicial roles, evidentiary rules, precedent, timing and enforcement between U.S. and Chinese litigation systems.

The silent killer of legal growth: Why most business plans fail

Most law firm business plans fail not from poor strategy but from weak execution, including vague goals, limited partner buy-in, and disconnects among marketing, client service, and business development.

IRS issues guidance on qualified production property

The IRS's new guidance on qualified production property (QPP) clarifies eligibility, allocation and recapture rules, giving taxpayers a significant opportunity to claim accelerated depreciation for property used in manufacturing, refining or production.

Kelo: The takings wave that won't stop

Twenty years after Kelo v. City of New London expanded eminent domain to include broad "public purpose," states like Louisiana have pushed back with constitutional limits, as illustrated by the recent rejection of a port authority's attempt to transfer condemned land to a private developer.

Not a vibe: The rise of the agentic AI hacker in cybersecurity

Cybersecurity has always sounded like a thriller--and AI has just handed every would-be operative a new set of lethal capabilities to exploit the attack vectors and surfaces that make networks vulnerable.

The 9th Circuit sacrifices privacy for political correctness

The 9th Circuit puts ideology above women's privacy, forcing a Korean spa to abandon centuries-old traditions, religious beliefs and the safety of its patrons.

Tax pitfalls in personal injury settlements

Every lawyer should know a few key tax rules that can shape what plaintiffs actually take home after a case resolves. Settlement wording, the claims involved and even how checks and Forms 1099 are issued can change the tax result.

Prop. 65 cancer warnings face new First Amendment lawsuit from cosmetics makers

In its complaint, the Personal Care Products Council argues that mandatory warnings for products containing diethanolamine constitute misleading compelled speech about risks not established in real-world product use.

California targets frivolous PAGA claims with stricter rules and settlement oversight

California's new proposed PAGA rules aim to crack down on frivolous lawsuits, tighten notice requirements and give the state more oversight of settlements.

Treasury and IRS unveil framework for new 'Trump Accounts'

The guidance shows how Treasury intends to integrate the Trump Account program into the IRS's existing administrative framework rather than building an entirely new benefit-delivery system.

Is it time to consider making court fully remote?

Courts already function largely online; completing the transition to a near-fully remote system would deliver meaningful cost savings while improving access, efficiency and convenience for the public.

When war powers are tested, the rule of law counts

In light of recent U.S. military action against Iran, this article analyzes the definition of war, the constitutional allocation of war powers between Congress and the President, and the War Powers Resolution and exceeded presidential authority.

California high-rise, mixed-use projects face rising costs, legal risks

With construction costs projected to stay high through 2026, developers can no longer depend on historical pricing or boilerplate contracts, particularly on high-rise and mixed-use projects where risk and feasibility are tightly linked.

Why California's degree-granting college exemptions are unconstitutional

Education Code § 94874(i) unconstitutionally outsources California's core regulatory authority over degree-granting colleges to private federal accreditors, undermining state separation of powers and judicial accountability.

Immigrants must be judged by conduct, not nationality

A quiet custody hearing in Orange County on Sept. 11, 2001, showed why the rule of law endures: courts judge conduct, not nationality, religion or the conflicts of nations.

Word of the day: 'Contractor' and how a single, tiny term can cost millions

A California appellate decision clarifies how courts interpret ambiguous insurance policy language, showing that a single undefined word can determine coverage and liability on complex construction projects.

Proposition 19 reshapes property tax planning for California families

Proposition 19 is reshaping many of California's most iconic cities and neighborhoods by eliminating the broad parent-to-child exclusion from property tax reassessment, a rule that governed intergenerational real property transfers for decades.

California targets litigation funding with new regulations

With financial backers playing an increasingly influential role in civil cases, AB 931 is designed to prevent plaintiffs from being puppeted by funders while preserving attorneys' independence.

California Court of Appeal expands ALPR privacy liability: What businesses need to know

California appellate court rules that collecting license plate data without a publicly posted privacy policy constitutes actionable "harm" under state law, exposing businesses to significant liability.

The Make It FAIR Act: A sustainable solution or compounding problems?

Assembly Bill 1680 proposes expanding the California FAIR Plan to offer more comprehensive homeowners coverage, but the economic challenges of implementing these reforms raise serious questions about their long-term viability.

Knowledge is power: An employer's guide to California's Know Your Rights Act

California's Workplace Know Your Rights Act consolidates existing workplace notice requirements and adds new obligations, continuing California's longstanding practice of expanding the notices employers must provide to inform employees of their rights.

The drug that's rewriting surgical eligibility and injury valuations

The assumption that metabolic health is a static backdrop in personal injury law no longer holds. Weight, diabetes, cardiovascular risk and inflammation, once facts in the record, are now variables that can change over the life of a case.

DOL proposes return to 'core factors' test for worker classification

A new proposed rule would reinstate weighted factors for determining independent contractor status under the FLSA, giving employers a more predictable framework than the Biden-era totality-of-the-circumstances approach.

Political 'shut-outs' and the unintended consequences of open primaries

In California's 2026 gubernatorial race, the eight-way Democratic field and only two Republicans creates a real possibility of a Republican shut-out--where both General Election slots go to the GOP for the first time in 20 years.

Court of appeal restricts suits involving tortious interference with inheritance

Courts have long confined intentional interference with expected inheritance to situations lacking a probate remedy. In Halperin v. Halperin, California narrows that path even further, reinforcing probate as the primary forum for inheritance disputes.

Negotiating Forms 1099 in settlement agreements

Proper planning in legal settlement agreements about IRS Form 1099 reporting--what forms will be issued, to whom, and in what amounts--can prevent disputes and avoid unintended tax consequences for plaintiffs and their attorneys.

Federal standard, state patchwork: What the transgender athlete cases mean for Title IX compliance

The Supreme Court's pending decisions in West Virginia v. B.P.J. and Little v. Hecox will clarify the federal standard under Title IX governing transgender student participation in athletics, but because the cases arise from preliminary injunctions and states retain authority to enact their own protections, schools will likely continue navigating a patchwork of federal requirements, state laws, and compliance obligations.