Stories by Mike Helenthal on Northern California Record

A decision handed down by the California Supreme Court on April 6 challenged federal law on arbitration hearings and returned the case back to the appellate court.

CENTURY CITY -- The new litigation chairman at the law firm TroyGould PC says he has plans to utilize technology to create efficiencies that will benefit the firm's clients.

SAN FRANCISO – The American Civil Liberties Union of California, fresh off an investigation that showed police agencies used sophisticated social media tools to surveil protest groups, hope their findings lead to greater national reflection and better public oversight.

MACHIPONGO, VIRGINIA – The founder of an organization formed to protect chickens from cruelty says her group will be back in court after a federal judge recently lifted an order preventing the performance of kapparos – a slaughter done in a religious ritual fashion –  in Irvine, California.

LOS ANGELES – A California appeals court judge recently cleared the way for the founders of Beats by Dre headphones to settle their dispute over royalties in a courtroom.

SAN FRANCISO – The State Bar of California (SBC) is throwing itself at the mercy of the Supreme Court of California, hoping to reinstate its ability to collect fees, which lapses Jan. 1, 2017.

SANGER –  The president and CEO of the Central California Almond Growers Association said the recent decision to ban Bayer’s Belt pesticide could have unintended consequences as growers will seek alternatives for killing the bugs that eat their plants.

SAN JOSE – A critic of the pharmaceutical industry says liberal interpretation of U.S. patent laws has led to the wasteful infighting displayed recently between drug-makers Merck and Gilead in a case decided earlier this month by a Northern California federal judge.