http://www.newdorf.com Your source for California litigation news and information Sat, 31 Jan 2009 07:08:07 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Until very recently, Heller Ehrman LLP was a mainstay of the San Francisco legal community.  Today it is gone.  Virtually overnight, a firm that in 2007 grossed $471 million and spun off $1 million in profits per partner has vanished.  I’m not an alarmist by nature, but what happened at ... http://www.newdorf.com/lawyers-and-law/what-happened-to-heller-ehrman-and-whos-next SAN FRANCISCO, October 13, 2008 —A San Mateo County (California) judge ordered a large national law firm and a Texas developer to pay the City and County of San Francisco $3.43 million in attorneys’ fees and costs for their unsuccessful four-year legal battle against the San Francisco International Airport.  This ... http://www.newdorf.com/news/newdorf-legal-wins-34-million-in-attorneys-fees-for-client This week's litigation tip expands on my article, "The Top Ten Killer Deposition Questions," to provide ideas for basic deposition questions in a personal injury matter. The most popular articles on this website have to do with depositions, which shows how important this discovery procedure is in today's civil litigation practice.  Based on ... http://www.newdorf.com/litigation-tips/personal-injury-deposition-questions There were three opinions written -- a majority, concurrence and dissent -- on the 2-1 Ninth Circuit panel that ruled against San Francisco on the constitutionality of its former jail strip search policy.  As the Legalpad blog said in its headline:  9th Plays Jail Strip Searches Left, Right & Center.  Although on the ... http://www.newdorf.com/courthouse_news/ninth-circuit-sends-mixed-signals-in-strip-search-case People sometimes ask me what I think about while out on long runs.  Before the sore muscles and aching joints recede into memory, I thought I’d share some of my musings from the San Francisco Marathon on August 3, 2008. It occurred to me that long-distance running and litigation have ... http://www.newdorf.com/lawyers-and-law/marathon-lessons-for-litigators A three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed summary judgment in favor of San Francisco in a civil rights lawsuit dubbed "fajitagate."  In an unsigned six-page memorandum decision issued July 23, 2008, Judges John Noonan, Sidney Thomas and Jay Bybee held that the City ... http://www.newdorf.com/courthouse_news/ninth-circuit-affirms-sf-victory-in-fajitagate-case The Board of Governors of the California State Bar appointed San Francisco attorney David Newdorf to the Executive Committee of the Litigation Section at its July 2008 meeting.  The three-year appointment begins September 28, 2008.  A former San Francisco Deputy City Attorney and a lawyer at a major international law firm, Mr. ... http://www.newdorf.com/news/david_newdorf_appointed_to_litigation_section_executive_committee First, there was Newdorf Legal, the blog.  Now, there is Newdorf Legal, the law firm.  I am pleased to announce the formation of my law firm, Newdorf Legal, as of July 14, 2008.  I am continuing my practice in civil litigation in the state and federal trial and appellate courts.  ... http://www.newdorf.com/news/new_san_francisco_litigation_boutique_newdorf_legal The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has calendared oral argument in the federal civil rights claims over a 2002 altercation between three off-duty S.F.P.D. officers (one of whom was the son of the assistant chief) and a San Francisco bartender and his friend. The media dubbed ... http://www.newdorf.com/courthouse_news/oral-argument-set-in-ninth-circuit-appeal-of-fajitagate-case Defending your client's deposition can be a nerve-wracking, sweaty armpit experience.  At the end of the day, a weak performance or just one poor answer can sink a case.  But even with stakes this high, most lawyers do not spend enough time preparing the client to testify.  While the demands of your practice, ... http://www.newdorf.com/litigation-tips/preparing_your_client_for_deposition