March 2024 As the use of artificial intelligence (AI) continues to explode, the California legislature is reacting by proposing legislation to regulate and reign in its use.  Legislators have proposed a host of new AI-based laws for 2024, and Assembly Bill (AB) 2930 may be the most impactful on employers.  AB 2930 would provide prosecutors with authority to combat “algorithmic discrimination,” including in the workplace.  Prosecutors could use AB 2930 to bring civil actions against employers with significant consequences.  Algorithmic discrimination under the proposed statute is defined as: The condition in which an automated decision tool contributes to unjustified differential […]

February 2024   There are few changes in law from year to year that are as sweeping and as significant as the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA), which was enacted by Congress to help prevent and combat money laundering, terrorist financing, corruption, and tax fraud. The CTA requires that on and after January 1, 2024, virtually all businesses must file, and subsequently update, a Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Report with the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN). The BOI requires the disclosure of certain personal information to FinCEN. Although the nuances of the CTA are still being clarified […]

We take great pleasure in announcing that Richard Marks and Kyle Marks have joined the firm. They bring a combined 60 years of real property law experience to Gibbs Giden. Well known Title Insurance and seasoned real estate attorneys they have both served as chair of the Title Insurance Subsection of the Los Angeles County Bar Association and are adjunct professors at Southwestern University School of Law. We are excited to welcome these two exceptional partners and their commitment to representing clients with honesty, integrity, and excellence. You can find them in our firm’s Westlake office. Richard Marks Kyle Marks […]

With the close of the 2023 California legislative session, it is time to take a look at a few of the most important new and updated employment laws to ensure your business is prepared and compliant for the new year. Expanded Leave Protections SB 616 – Increase in Paid Sick Days Accrual and Use[1] Under existing law, employers are required to provide a minimum of 3 days (or twenty-four hours) of paid sick leave each year. Additionally, employees are entitled to accrue 6 days (or forty-eight hours) of paid sick leave which may be carried over from one year to […]

  August 2023   For more information contact: Jeffrey B. Love, Esq. email: jlove@gibbsgiden.com Jeff Love is a partner with the firm. His practice encompasses all facets of real estate transactions, including drafting and negotiating purchase, sale, syndication, and financing transactions in connection with commercial, industrial, and residential assets. He also regularly drafts and negotiates office, retail, and industrial leases for regional landlords and tenants throughout the West Coast. Mr. Love has extensive experience drafting, negotiating, and reviewing real estate loan documents, including originations, modifications, note purchase agreements and other finance-related transactions from structuring through loan closing. He is a licensed real […]

  August 2023   Dynamix Operations W. v. Superior Court and the subsequent passage of AB 5 represent seismic shifts in independent contractor rules in California.  We have previously provided details of these changes and their impacts. The Recent Evolution of Independent Contractor Laws; California Assembly Bill 5: Drastic Changes to the Healthcare Industry Are Certain and Immediate; California Motor Carriers Are Subject to AB-5; Ten Common Employment Law Violations; New California Employment Laws for 2022; California Employment Law Update 2021. But how do these laws impact the construction industry, and specifically the relationship between the prime contractor and subcontractors?  […]

  August 2023 On June 20, the United States Supreme Court denied a petition by Mobilize the Message LLC (“Mobilize”) challenging California’s test for classifying workers as independent contractors.  We have previously addressed how California made it significantly harder to classify workers as independent contractors when it passed Assembly Bill 5 (“AB 5”).  The Recent Evolution of Independent Contractor Laws; California Assembly Bill 5: Drastic Changes to the Healthcare Industry Are Certain and Immediate; California Motor Carriers Are Subject to AB-5; Ten Common Employment Law Violations; New California Employment Laws for 2022; California Employment Law Update 2021. Mobilize contracts with […]

July 2023 If you not a professor or attorney that LOVES civil procedure (and specifically personal jurisdiction), I highly recommend moving on to a different article! But if you fall into either of the above categories, you are in luck! In the latest appellate decision (Davis v. Cranfield Aerospace Solutions – June 23, 2023) from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on personal jurisdiction, the court delivers a gift to civil procedure law professors everywhere by walking through and reiterating the law on personal jurisdiction — i.e., whether a particular court has the power to exercise its authority over a particular […]

June 2023   The L.A. Times B2B publishing team has listed 101 of the very best thought leaders and power brokers in the legal space. According to the Times the standout attorneys were judged on success rates, settlements, and verdicts from 2019-2022. Gibbs Giden is proud to have had two attorneys on this list, partner Richard Wittbrodt and managing partner Chris Ng. You can read more about the visionaries here. https://npaper2.com/business–visionaries/2023/06/#?page=36&mode=3&dpg=1&z=62   The content contained herein is published online by Gibbs Giden Locher Turner Senet & Wittbrodt LLP (“Gibbs Giden”) for informational purposes only, may not reflect the most current […]

May 2023 James I. Montgomery, Jr. answers questions from Gibbs Giden’s Meghan Behar. After 22 years James is leaving Gibbs Giden this month to start his new position as Superior Court Commissioner.    Where were you born?  I was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky What was your first job? James: My first legal job was with the firm of Daniels, Baratta, & Fine in 1982. It was my introduction into civil trial work and where I learned to be a trial attorney. My very first job was working in a laundrymat/cleaners in the evening while in high school. How […]