A longtime attorney would probably feel right at home if he/she were to return to law school today. Aside from the proliferation of laptops for notetaking, very little reform or modernization has occurred, despite significant changes in communications, technology and in the legal market. Recently, however, there appears to be Read more
A non-expert witness, i.e., a lay witness, typically is limited to testimony based upon personal observation and knowledge. However, a lay witness may properly testify and/or state an opinion if the opinion includes facts showing that the opinion is rational, based on the witness’s perception, relevant, and helpful in understanding Read more
Exhaustion of remedies is a legal doctrine applied extensively in Administrative Law. “Exhaustion of administrative remedies” requires a person to seek all remedies directly with an agency before a suit will ever be heard by a state or federal court. Once the agency’s own procedures are finished—i.e., filing a petition, Read more
An employer may be liable for statements made to a prospective employee during recruitment on which the employee relies. (See, e.g., Lazar v. Superior Court (1996) 12 Cal.4th 631; Helmer v. Bingham Toyota Isuzu (2005) 129 Cal.App.4th 1121; Toscano v. Greene Music (2004) 124 Cal.App.4th 685). It is actually a Read more
Effective January 1, the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) now explicitly protects employees’ religious dress and grooming practices as covered religious beliefs and observances. Religious dress includes the wearing or carrying of religious clothing, head or face coverings, jewelry, artifacts and any other item that is part of Read more
The Administrative Law Section of the Sacramento County Bar Association has a monthly luncheon at Blue Prynt Restaurant and Bar (815 11th Street, Sacramento, California). Its luncheon next month will be on Thursday, February 13, 2013 at Noon. And the topic will be WRITS – Everything You Always Wanted to Read more
In California, every person who sells, furnishes, gives, or causes to be sold, furnished, or given away, any alcoholic beverage to any habitual or common drunkard or to any obviously intoxicated person is guilty of a misdemeanor. (Bus. & Prof Code section 25602.) Yes, this means, technically, if you buy a beer Read more
(The following blog post will also appear in PT Interventions, the semi-annual, members-only, newsletter of the California Physical Therapy Association.) As physical therapy professionals know by now, the Physical Therapy Board of California (“Board”) issued new regulations on medical recordkeeping and supervision of assistive personnel, which became effective July 14, Read more
It is undeniable that social media – be it Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, what have you – is changing the way we manage our personal and professional relationships. An increasing area of concern over the past few years has been the detrimental effect that our online presence can have on Read more
Steven L. Simas, owner and founder of Simas & Associates, Ltd., was recently interviewed for an article on Medscape.com. The article touched upon a central theme of Simas & Associates, Ltd – retaining competent counsel and representation when dealing with investigations by professional licensing agencies in the state of California. Read more