What is the status of immigration law in 2021 under the Biden Administration? In this episode of I Know a Lawyer, I speak with Rebecca Freeman of The San Francisco Law Group about immigration law and specifically the state of immigration law in 2021. She discusses: Basic framework of immigration law The difficulties under the Trump Administration What changes the Biden Administration is making Employer/employee based programs, including for entrepreneurs Thank you to Rebecca for joining the show. If you have questions for Rebecca, reach out to her at her website: www.sanfranciscolawgroup.com.  I Know a Lawyer is brought to you by the law firm McKenna Brink Signorotti, which is a boutique law firm in Walnut Creek, California. Reach out to us if you have legal issues regarding civil litigation, tax & estate planning or business transactional law. Find us at mckennabrink.com. This podcast is for informational purposes only. Do not rely on a podcast for legal advice. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mckennabrink/message

What is the general process for a commercial property transaction? What key areas should a buyer and seller be aware of? On this episode of I Know a Lawyer, I speak with Shawn Harding of Clarity Law about commercial property transactions. We discuss: General process of the transaction Key terms and components to pay attention to Importance of title policies Distinctions for transactions for development What if the deal goes sour? Thank you to Shawn Harding of Clarity Law for joining me on the show. Shawn has extensive experience in commercial transactions and is a great wealth of knowledge on the topic. If you have questions for Shawn, contact him at his website: claritylaw.net or email him at [email protected]. I Know a Lawyer is brought to you by McKenna Brink Signorotti LLP, located in Walnut Creek, California.  As always, this podcast is not intended to provide legal advice. If you need legal advise, contact an attorney. Don't rely on podcasts.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mckennabrink/message

How does mediation work? Are there certain disputes that mediation can help with? In this episode of I Know a Lawyer, I speak with Karen Juster Hecht about her mediation practice and how mediation works. In the show, Karen discusses: How mediation works  Types of mediation  Benefits of mediation  Challenges/disadvantages  Mediation in a pandemic Why mediation is relevant today Thank you to Karen Juster Hecht for joining the show. I hope you learned more about mediation and its place through our discussion. Contact Karen via her website or call her at 510-210-3796. As always, this show is brought to you by McKenna Brink Signorotti LLP, located in Walnut Creek, California.  This episode is not meant to provide legal advice. Don't rely on podcasts for legal advice, contact an attorney instead. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mckennabrink/message

Got sued? Don't know what to do next? Then listen to this episode of I Know a Lawyer with Mika Domingo of MS Domingo Law Group, PC. Mika provides 8 tips on what to do when you are being sued. Mika is a trust and estate litigator with a full litigation background. She provides some excellent tips that every person should know so they don't panic or miss out on important litigation deadlines. In the episode, Mika discusses: The importance of remaining calm and reading the documents carefully (02:01) Gathering information at the beginning of the process (06:52) Choosing the right attorney for you (09:10) Different options on how to respond to the lawsuit (10:44) Properly assess your finances (15:21) Improperly assuming your attorney's fees will paid by opponent (17:50) Listen and trust your attorney (19:41) Be prepared for a long case potentially (22:14) Thank you to Mika Domingo for joining the show today. You can contact Mika at her website here, or call her at 925--891-5006.  Stay to the end of the show to listen to a special announcement about I Know a Lawyer. As always, this podcast is brought to you by McKenna Brink Signorotti LLP, located in Walnut Creek. Check out our website at mckennabrink.com. The podcast is not intended to provide legal advice. Consult an attorney for legal advice, not a podcast.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mckennabrink/message

Heard about the major change the Proposition 19 is going to make? Curious how the Proposition affects the parent-child transfer of real property? Then I got you covered. In this solo episode of I Know a Lawyer, I go over the basic framework of Proposition 19 and how it will affect parent-child property tax transfers. In the episode, I discuss: Current Prop 58 law basics and transfers of property other than the primary residence (01:49) Prop 19 effective date and how it will eliminate exemptions for transfer of non-primary residences (04:50) Two prongs of Prop 19 and requirements (06:50) Example of transfer of home and partial reassessment upon transfer (08:38) Other tax considerations before jumping to transfer before deadline (10:35) Other possible solutions (13:12) Find a handy chart from the Board of Equalization regarding the change here. If you have a questions about Prop 19 or whether you should transfer your property prior to February 16, 2021, contact me at 925-433-5447, [email protected] or reach us through our website at mckennabrink.com.  This podcast is for educational purposes. Don't take legal advice from a podcast, contact a lawyer instead for advice tailored to your situation.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mckennabrink/message

How many of us lawyers really understand that California has an entire state bar court just for attorney discipline? Or how the disciplinary process really works? Lucky for us, Tom D'Amato of D'Amato Law is here to educate us. In this episode of I Know a Lawyer, I speak with Tom about the attorney discipline process as well as how the State Bar Court of California operates and its unique position in the country. We discuss: How the state bar works and its purpose (02:42). Attorney discipline process (03:46). How complaints against lawyers are processed and mostly dismissed (05:44). Investigation phase by by the Office of the Chief Trial Counsel (09:40). Attorney's opportunities to respond (15:04). Settlement options that may remain private (17:06). State Bar Court hearing and review (22:31). Thank you to Tom D'Amato for joining the show. I think all attorneys could learn a thing or two from listening to Tom's presentation. Contact Tom at damatolawcorp.com. Check out Tom's presentation on this topic here. Thank you for listening and if you enjoy the show, hit subscribe so you don't miss out on any future episodes.  This podcast is brought to you by McKenna Brink Signorotti LLP, located in Walnut Creek, California. As usual, this podcast is not intended to provide legal advice. If you need legal advice, contact an attorney, don't rely on podcasts. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mckennabrink/message

Have you heard that immigration law is changing in 2020? What about how the executive branch has made substantial changes? In this episode of I Know a Lawyer, I speak with Matthew Olsman of the Law Office of Matthew Olsman. Matt is an expert in immigration law and with his criminal law background, has a unique perspective into immigration and how it impacts several areas of the law. In this episode, we discuss: Overview of applying for immigration benefits (01:03) Options for people without "status" (03:30) Process of an application (05:10) Asylum and what is actually means (07:36) Executive Branch's exertion of power over immigration law (13:34) Post-criminal conviction relief (18:38) Resources for attorneys (23:87) Thank you to Matt Olsman for joining the show. I learned quite a bit about the continuous wave of change underway in immigration law currently. Contact Matt at (818) 308-4068 or email him at [email protected]. Also check out his website at OlsmanLawFirm.com.  This podcast is brought to you by McKenna Brink Signorotti LLP and nothing in this episode or any episode of I Know a Lawyer is meant to be taken as legal advice. If you need legal advice, call an attorney, don't rely on podcasts. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mckennabrink/message

Should we trust the trustee? Do trustees really steal from the trust? Maybe not, and yes, they do. On today's episode of I Know a Lawyer, I speak with Scott Rahn of RMO LLP about bad trustees and their bad actions, including theft. Scott is a top-notch trust & estate litigator who has seen the full range of bad trustee actions. In the episode, we discuss: Trustee's failure to provide information. (01:21) How a lawyer can help break the ice between trustees and beneficiaries. (03:27) Can a Court compel an accounting even if waived in the trust? (06:43) Two most common examples of bad trustee actions. (08:55) Trustee's fiduciary duty and acting on behalf of the beneficiaries. (11:40) Example of a truly bad trustee. (14:20) Thank you Scott Rahn for joining me on the show. I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation. If you have questions for Scott or his team at rmolawyers.com, reach out to them or give them a call at 424-320-9444.  This podcast is brought to you by McKenna Brink Signorotti LLP and nothing in this episode or any episode of I Know a Lawyer is meant to be taken as legal advice. If you need legal advice, call an attorney, don't rely on podcasts. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mckennabrink/message

Curious about how Special Needs Trusts work in California? Or about the difference between a 1st party SNT and a 3rd party SNT? On this week's episode of I Know a Lawyer, I discuss Special Needs Trusts with Elijah Keyes of Keyes Law Group. Elijah is a Certified Legal Specialist in Estate Planning and has extensive experience and knowledge in Special Needs Trusts. In the episode, we discuss: The difference between 1st party and 3rd party special needs trusts. (01:30) California's ability to make an estate recovery claim against 1st party trusts. (05:01) The benefit of having both 1st party and 3rd party trusts. (09:44) What a trustee can and can't do. (12:30) Pitfalls. (16:28) Special needs trusts for persons with addiction problems. (19:37) Thank you to Elijah for joining me. I learned a great deal more about special needs trusts and I hope the listener did as well. Contact Elijah Keyes at 408-444-7019 or find him at his website: keyeslawgroup.com if you have questions about special needs trust.  This podcast is brought to you by McKenna Brink Signorotti LLP.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mckennabrink/message

Welcome to a special edition episode of I Know a Lawyer. In this episode, I, Ryan Lockhart, go solo in order to convey certain key pieces of information about California Property Taxes. In the episode, I discuss: Prop 58: The Parent-Child Transfer Exclusion Entity rules with respect to property tax reassessments Two sub-rules for entities to know in order to mitigate reassessment Prop 15 on the November ballot Thank you for listening to this special solo edition of I Know a Lawyer. Next week, we will return to our original programming. If you have any questions about property taxes and any of the sub-topics I discussed in this episode, contact me at 925-433-5447 or through our website: mckennabrink.com. I Know a Lawyer is brought to you by McKenna Brink Signorotti LLP. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mckennabrink/message