An important part of the litigation practice is appellate law. One side can win in the trial court – by a motion to dismiss, on summary judgment, or after a jury trial – only to have the result overturned on appeal. The court of appeal can send the parties back for an entirely new trial
This article is a re-publication. It was reviewed in February 2026 and is up-to-date.
Public agency officials and employees may read newspaper articles about recently decided landmark cases in public sector labor and employment law, and may feel relief, anger, surprise, or vindication in the result. This is especially true if the decision impacts how
This article was reviewed in September 2025 and is up-to-date.
Many times, parties to a lawsuit receive trial court rulings in the midst of the litigation that are unfavorable, oppressive, and seem to them to be demonstrably wrong. The parties want to appeal immediately, but their counsel will say that cannot happen, citing the “Final
This article was reviewed March 2021 and is up-to-date.
Many times, parties to a lawsuit receive trial court rulings in the midst of the litigation that are unfavorable, oppressive, and seem to them to be demonstrably wrong. The parties want to appeal immediately, but their counsel will say that cannot happen, citing the “Final Judgment
Last month, the Court of Appeal for the Second Appellate District of California issued a decision in Pico Neighborhood Association, et al v. City of Santa Monica (Jul. 9, 2020, No. B295935) __ Cal.App.3d __ [2020 WL 3866741] (“Pico”), finding that the City of Santa Monica’s at-large voting system did not violate the