Blog

I’ve talked a bit about what a copyright is, and about what rights you have under copyright. But what exactly do you do with a copyright? Sure, it has value, but what could you do to maximize that value? This is an important question if you ever want to sell the...

If you’re reading this article, it’s probably because a) you find yourself in the unenviable position of being the trustee of someone’s trust, or b) you suspect you will be in that position in the future. In either case, you have no idea what this means, or what a...

You’ve come up with an idea for your business – you’ll teach cats how to swing dance! You’ve put together your dance track, gotten your scratch-proof body suit, and lined up your graphic designer for your marketing materials. Then a question from the designer stops...

I’ve had several occasions now where I talk to an author, and they mention how frustrating it is that this publisher has the rights to their book and, for one reason or another, the publisher refused to give the rights back when the author asked for it. I promptly ask...

Before I answer that question, let me tell you a story. There was an older couple who both had children from prior marriages. In a tragic twist of fate, the husband was diagnosed with terminal cancer about the same time that the wife was diagnosed with dementia. They...

I’ve been asked this question more than once. Before I answer it here, let’s go over what probate is and how it works. Simply put, probate is the process of administering an estate (i.e. a deceased person’s money and “stuff”) under the supervision of the Probate...

You’re a published author (if you’re not in real life, then just pretend and go along with it). You’re basking in the glow of success, and you decide to type the name of your book into Google to see if it’s gotten yet another stellar review. As you scroll down the...

This question comes up regularly in my practice. I have seen some clients who quickly write down a list without much thought, but I see many more who have to stop and think, or who ask me for advice. Some clients don’t have anyone in their life they can ask to step...

On April 30, 2018, the California Supreme Court redefined when a worker is an employee and when a worker is an independent contractor (Dynamex Operations West, Inc. v. Superior Court of Los Angeles, No. S222732 (Cal. Sup. Ct. Apr. 30, 2018)). Essentially, all workers...