Toyota’s nightmare
As Toyota faces lawsuits over sudden unintended acceleration, here’s what you can expect. The author is handling 10 Toyota cases.
Lawrence R. Booth

Profile: Lee Harris
This San Francisco insurance and bad-faith lawyer is a Bay Area native and approaches his work with a strong sense of community. “With our system, people feel powerless, abused … what I do is try to give people back control.”
Stephen Ellison

Westlaw’s new upgrade – WestlawNext
In February 2010, West rolled out its new, updated version of Westlaw, WestlawNext. Our appellate columnist takes a look at it, and likes a lot of what he sees.
Jeffrey Isaac Ehrlich

Placing form over substance
Freedman v. Brutzkus: Opposing counsel cannot rely on attorney’s approval as to form and content.
Jonathan B. Cole, Michael McCarthy and  Susan Baker

Accountability: Empowering you and shaping your practice
“I wish that client would stop calling me all the time! Does he think he’s the only client I have?” Does this sound like you? Are you sometimes struck by how out of control you feel in your own practice. The author has some suggestions on taking control.
Cami McLaren

Marketing: The five truths of advertising in a membership directory
Your ad can only work if it is seen. The author questions if a directory is the right medium for attorney advertising.
Bob Weiss

Trial Practice & Procedure
Companies that hire independent contractors are still on the hook for nondelegable duties.
The airline that hired a contractor to maintain its baggage conveyor belts didn’t believe it when they were sued for an injury by that contractor’s employee. Seabright reaffirms liability for injury to employee of independent contractor.
William Veen and Anthony L. Label

Appellate Reports
Including Cotton v. Starcare Medical Group, Inc.:  An important case for anyone who brings claims against Medicare Advantage Plans. The court held that the 2003 “MMA” amendments to the Medicare Act did not preempt all state-law based tort claims against Medicare Advantage Plans.
Jeffrey Isaac Ehrlich

Mediation Matters
Status check, please
In every negotiation there is a pecking order. You can maximize your chances of getting a fair result by raising the status of your adversary, particularly when they are surrounded by their clients.
Jeffrey Krivis

Managing Your Office
Handheld scanners – an essential weapon in a litigator’s arsenal
Handheld scanners can be a godsend in copying pages from court files or putting a document on the screen at the last minute during a trial. Prior practice with the device is a must.
Michael Mortimer

Letters to the Editor

A Winning Verdict
Different doesn’t mean weaker; it just means different.
The columnist responds to readers who took exception to his views on how women trial lawyers may be a factor in the declining number of civil jury trials.
J. Gary Gwilliam