Alan Mason: Broker Investigation

Chalmers Decision Finally Clarifies Statutory Construction and Protects Access to Justice for Vulnerable Individuals If you’re an attorney or fiduciary who’s ever worried that a technical misstep could jeopardize your right to get paid for services rendered, the Arizona Supreme Court’s long awaited recent decision in In the Matter of the Conservatorship of William John Chalmers, No. CV-23-0263-PR (July 11, 2025), should bring you a deep sigh of relief. This case is a must-read for anyone who appears in probate, conservatorship, or protective proceedings and expects to be compensated for their time from the estate of the subject person. The Court made it clear: missing an initial disclosure of the amount and basis for your compensation under A.R.S. § 14-5109 doesn’t mean automatic forfeiture of fees. The ruling preserves fairness, due process, and the integrity of legal work by reinforcing that professionals should not lose compensation unless the…

The Codification Division of the UN Office of Legal Affairs recently added the following materials to the UN Audiovisual Library of International Law: lectures in English and Spanish on “Ten Years of the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals: Achievements and Challenges”, by Graciela Gatti Santana; lectures in English and Spanish on “Sovereign Debt Restructuring in relation to International Law”, by Mario J. A. Oyarzábal; and lectures in English and French on “International Law and Sustainability”, by Seline Trevisanut. The Audiovisual Library of International Law is also available as an audio podcast on Apple, SoundCloud, and other platforms.     

David Marcus (UCLA School of Law) has posted The Class Action After Trump v. CASA (73 UCLA L. Rev. Discourse, forthcoming 2025) on SSRN. Here is the abstract: To every court to consider its merits, Donald Trump’s order purporting to end birthright citizenship for children born in the United States to undocumented parents violates the Fourteenth Amendment. But in Trump v. CASA, the U.S. Supreme Court vacated a “universal” injunction that had shielded all children from the order’s enforcement. Federal courts can only issue remedies to benefit parties. Courts can rarely protect non-parties, even from policies that are illegal under all circumstances. Thus, unless every undocumented parent sues, President Trump may wield his unconstitutional order to deny citizenship to tens of thousands of children. The federal courts had issued dozens of universal injunctions before Trump v. CASA, to stop the enforcement of executive orders that threaten transgender…

This Former Legal Secretary’s “I Quit!” Is Still Worth Talking About: If you bring your home life to work, your secretary might tell your spouse you were cheating! Kirkland Questionnaire Perks Up Ears: Is this a sign of attendance policy consequences to come? Hey Man, Sorry Would Have Sufficed!: Apologizing for lazy AI citations should never require this much purple prose. States Sue Trump Administration So Kids Can Attend Summer Programs: Billions of dollars earmarked by Congress were taken away from children. Midsize Firm Associate Dies In Texas Flood: We extend our condolences to her family and friends. The post Revenge Ages Well — See Also appeared first on Above the Law.

Google Local Services Ads (LSAs) have become a vital marketing tool for law firms aiming to dominate their local market and foster client trust. How? By securing premier search visibility. These ads not only grab the coveted top placement on Google search result pages, but they also grant your firm the exclusive “Google Screened” badge that instantly boosts your credibility above the competition. In today’s fast-paced digital marketing world, keeping up with LSA updates and optimization strategies is crucial to maximizing your return on investment. Our legal marketing specialists constantly track Google Partner developments, allowing us to provide actionable insights that help law firms adapt their strategies and stay competitive in an ever-changing advertising landscape. Reminder: LSA Terms of Service Updated Google has implemented significant changes to the Local Services Ads Terms of Service that directly impact how your LSA profile content, client…

Former ABA president, ‘a towering figure in the legal community,’ dies at 85

A 21-year-old motorcyclist from Orlando was killed late Friday night after crashing into an unoccupied semi-truck in Orange County. According to the Florida Highway Patrol, the rider was traveling southbound on South Kirkman Road just before midnight when he continued through the intersection with Universal Boulevard onto Tradeshow Boulevard. For reasons that remain unclear, the motorcycle veered off the road and struck the rear of a parked semi-truck on the shoulder. The rider was pronounced dead at the scene. When I hear about crashes involving parked commercial vehicles, I always consider whether the vehicle was properly positioned and marked to prevent a collision. Was the Semi-Truck Parked Safely and Legally? Investigators will likely review whether the 2004 Freightliner was parked in accordance with commercial vehicle regulations. That includes whether it was on a legal shoulder, whether hazard lights or warning triangles were in place, and if the truck was…

A serious collision occurred late Friday morning on I-24 East in Rutherford County, Tennessee, near the Sam Ridley Parkway interchange. According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, a 2024 Peterbilt semi-truck was reportedly attempting to merge from the shoulder back onto the interstate when a 2014 Jeep Wrangler, traveling in the same direction, struck the rear of the trailer. The Jeep’s driver, 35-year-old Beyar Yahya, suffered serious injuries and was airlifted to a hospital. Two children in the vehicle were reportedly unharmed. The truck driver was not injured. Anytime a collision involves a semi-truck merging onto a busy interstate, it’s important to understand whether the maneuver was executed with appropriate caution and whether all drivers had sufficient warning. Was the Semi-Truck Merging Safely? Investigators will likely examine whether the semi-truck’s driver took the necessary precautions before merging. Trucks have a legal obligation to…

Investor Lawsuit Investigation – Kim Kunz The White Law Group is investigating potential securities claims involving former broker Kim Ray Kunz (CRD#: 718618), who was most recently registered with WestPark Capital, Inc. in Atascadero, California. Kunz reportedly has a history of regulatory sanctions and customer complaints, including unsuitable investment recommendations and violations of FINRA and SEC rules. Regulatory Sanctions & Suspension According to FINRA, Kunz was suspended for seven months beginning July 2025 after continuing to associate with his broker-dealer while under a prior three-month suspension. During his suspension, he communicated with clients about their accounts and relayed orders through another broker, in violation of FINRA Rule 2010 and Regulation Best Interest (Reg BI). These actions rendered him statutorily disqualified. This followed an earlier suspension in 2024 for recommending speculative and illiquid debt securities to moderate-risk…

This week, Slate is featuring ruminations on the nature of revenge. And as our country is increasingly run by the petty grievances of a powerful man, it feels particularly relevant. Perusing the content, I was struck by one particular tale of Biglaw revenge. Alison Green of Ask a Manager has been giving out workplace advice for nearly 20 years. For her contribution for the revenge compendium, she collected the best stories of employee revenge, which started strong with this Biglaw story. “A legal secretary at the Big Law firm I worked at knew she was going to be fired, so the day before, she went into a bunch of partners’ emails and sent their wives evidence of infidelity, printed out confidential employee evaluations and communications about bonuses/pay and left them in everyone’s desk, and then cleaned out the swag closet (company-branded shirts/hats/bags etc.) and dropped several thousand dollars’ worth of merchandise with the law firm’s…

From Mogan v. Portfolio Media, Inc., decided today by Seventh Circuit Judges Michael Brennan, Candace Jackson-Akiwumi, and Joshua Kolar: Michael Mogan appeals the district court's dismissal of his suit against Portfolio Media, the owner of Law360, for defamation and false light. Because Mogan fails to show that any statement by Law360 falls outside the fair report privilege, we affirm the district court. Mogan, who is an attorney, sued Airbnb in California state court on behalf of a client named Veronica McCluskey in 2018. After that case went to arbitration, Mogan sued Airbnb on his own behalf, also in California state court, for abuse of process and unfair business practices that he alleged Airbnb committed in the McCluskey case. The state court dismissed the case and imposed sanctions against Mogan for filing a frivolous lawsuit. When he refused to pay the sanctions, the California State Bar filed disciplinary charges against him. Law360, a legal news website, detailed…

Tesla’s “Autopilot” has been implicated in over a dozen deaths in the U.S. alone, and yet the company has yet to face a significant finding of liability in a litigated case. That may end soon, as trial is set to begin in federal court today following a blockbuster summary judgment opinion issued only a few weeks ago. Benavides v. Tesla involves a crash that occurred on a two-lane county road in Key Largo, Florida in 2019. George McGee was driving his Tesla Model S from his office in Boca Raton to his home, a distance of around 100 miles, when he ran through a stop sign at a T-intersection and collided with a Chevy Tahoe that was parked on the far side of the road at around 60 miles per hour. Naibel Benavides, a 22-year-old college student, was standing next to the Tahoe and was killed. Her friend Dillon Angulo—the two were on a date—was severely injured and is also a plaintiff in the case. The Benavides crash implicates many of the same…

[Defendant had 100K X followers, and as a result O'Leary "was flooded with unwanted communications."] From Judge Beth Bloom's order today granting default judgment in O'Leary v. Armstrong: Defendant posted on X Plaintiff's private cell phone number and encouraged the public to harass Plaintiff, stating "[h]ave you ever wanted to call a real life murderer?! You can NOW! @kevinoleartyv is waiting for your call." Following the post, Plaintiff began receiving communications from strangers who had obtained his number directly from Defendant's post. On March 20, 2025 at 11:32 a.m., Defendant stated he "was forced to delete the murderer @kevinolearytv's phone number by X. I was in X jail for 12 hours." As of March 19, 2025, the post had been viewed over 18,000 times. {To state a claim for public disclosure of private facts under Florida law, "a plaintiff must allege (1) the publication, (2) of private facts, (3) that are…

[Mi CASA no es su CASA] Trump v. CASA is one of the Supreme Court's most important decisions about the powers of the Supreme Court. It ranks up there with City of Boerne v. Flores, Cooper v. Aaron, and maybe even Marbury v. Madison. To be clear, CASA was not a ruling about the Article III powers of the lower courts. Justice Barrett was quite clear the Court was only ruling based on whether the Judiciary Act of 1789. Our decision rests solely on the statutory authority that federal courts possess under the Judiciary Act of 1789. We express no view on the Government's argument that Article III forecloses universal relief. CASA also did not directly discuss the Article III powers of the Supreme Court in particular. Instead, the majority seemed to accept the premise of judicial supremacy, at least based on the Solicitor Generals' representation. By contrast, Justice Kavanaugh embraced it wholeheartedly. In short, the Supreme Court is Supreme, and…

Planning to attend law school? New student loan restrictions may affect the decision

New York City’s property owners have a legal obligation to minimize the risk of injury to anyone lawfully on their property. This legal duty of reasonable care applies to private property owners and the owners of commercial properties, such as stores, restaurants, businesses, apartment complexes, and hotels. If a property owner becomes aware of a safety hazard on their property and neglects to take prompt action to address the risk by placing warning signs and then promptly addressing, correcting, or repairing the problem, they may be held liable for the victim’s injury-related damages through a premises liability claim in NYC. But many injury victims want to know: “Is a slip-and-fall accident case and a premises liability claim the same thing?” Slip-and-Fall Cases Are a Category of Premises Liability Law In New York City Premises liability refers to a property owner’s liability for all injuries that occur on their property due to the property…

July 1, 2025, marked the one-year anniversary of SB 553, California’s comprehensive workplace violence prevention law, which means employers must ensure that they complete the law’s annual requirements, including reviewing their workplace violence prevention plans and retraining their employees. Prior to the signing of SB 553, effective July 1, 2024, many employers had workplace violence prevention policies and procedures in place, but they were optional for most employers. Plans varied in scope and depth, and they may not have been updated regularly. But — for the past year — workplace violence prevention is no longer optional. It’s mandatory for most California employers and brings substantial compliance obligations, including: Establishing, implementing and maintaining a written workplace violence prevention plan specific to employers’ worksites; Identifying, evaluating and correcting/mitigating workplace violence…

Very sad news report today -- Miami legal legend Robert Josefsberg has passed away at 86.  Bob was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York and received his B.A. degree from Dartmouth College in 1959. He graduated from the Yale Law School in 1962, and was admitted to the Florida Bar in 1962.Here's some more of his bio, which does not do justice to the impact he had on this community: Bob is one of Dade County′s premiere trial lawyers. He has been listed annually since 1987 in the Best Lawyers in America in two categories–Business Litigation and Criminal Law since 2003 and from 2003 he has been listed in Chambers and Partners as one of the top four commercial litigators in Florida. In 2006 he was listed #1 trial lawyer in Florida by Super Lawyers. He has received the Dade County Bar David Dyer Professionalism Award, the Bnai Brith Professionalism Award, the Florida Defense Lawyers Rodney Thaxton “Against All Odds”award, the American…