Off Topics

Fee Awards In Settlements With No Monetary Component Were Lower. Cornerstone Research, drawing from a variety of sources relating to settlements in parallel securities derivative actions from 2019 through mid-2026, has some statistical information on the fee awards in these settlements in federal cases (specifically 301 securities class actions).  Here are the takeaways:  (1) the

Article Explores The Recent Trump v. Barbara Opinion Reaffirming The Principle.  Contributor Marc Alexander has a published article in the July 7, 2026 Daily Journal discussing the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent opinion in Trump v. Barbara, which reaffirmed the principle of birthright citizenship. 

The Article Is Entitled Mediator Settlement Proposals: A Perspective.         Co-contributor Marc has written an article on an "off topic." The article, published in the July 2023 issue of Advocate, can also be read here: Download Alexander-July23-article         Marc serves as a mediator and is affiliated with ARC/Alternative Resolution Centers. He can be contacted at

Conclusions in Recent Report Summarized By The Economist Suggest Lawyers Prefer Simplified Language and The Report Then Tries To Answer Why It Persists.             The June 3, 2023 issue of The Economist reports on a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Martinez and MIT/University of Edinburgh colleagues) about why lawyers use

He Was An Appellate Jurist For Over 20 Years, Also Contributing To Broader Legal And Community Issues.             Our local Santa Ana appellate court will have a different complexion in the near future. Earlier, Justices Aronson and Ikola retired, becoming retired neutrals at JAMS.  Now, we can report that Justice Richard D. Fybel has announced

He Served As Both An Orange County Superior Court Judge And Appellate Justice.             We recently noticed that Justice David A. Thompson of the 4/3 DCA has announced he will retire on October 15, 2021 from the appellate bench, planning to return to the private sector after 24 years on the bench.  Co-contributor Mike appeared

Tips Are In Recent On-Line ABA Journal Article.             Tabs3, in a recent ABA Journal on-line article, provided some good tips for attorneys and firms wishing to maximize collection of fees: Track your time monthly, so you can get a grip on how long billing tasks take on behalf of the client. Pre-bill as if

They Will Be Missed On Our 4/3 DCA.             At an Orange County Bar Association appellate section meeting on March 5, 2021, Presiding Justice Kathleen O’Leary presented a ZOOM presentation on the state of the 4/3 DCA.  Among other things (including that appeals were down during the pandemic but that operations ran smoothly due to