A simple risk (and uncertainty) management process slide

Best to you. David Tate, Esq. (and inactive CPA)

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Remember, every case and situation is different. It is important to obtain and evaluate all of the evidence that is available, and to apply that evidence to the applicable standards and laws. You do need to consult with an attorney and other professionals about your particular situation. This post is not a solicitation for legal or other services inside of or outside of California, and, of course, this post only is a summary of information that changes from time to time, and does not apply to any particular situation or to your specific situation. So . . . you cannot rely on this post for your situation or as legal or other professional advice or representation.

Thank you for reading this post. I ask that you also pass it along to other people who would be interested as it is through collaboration that great things and success occur more quickly. And please also subscribe to this blog and my other blog (see below), and connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter.

My two blogs are:

Business, D&O, audit committee, governance, compliance, etc. http://auditcommitteeupdate.com

Trust, estate, conservatorship, elder and elder abuse, etc. litigation and contentious administrations http://californiaestatetrust.com

Best to you, David Tate, Esq. (and inactive California CPA) – practicing in California only.

⁃  Litigation, disputes and trials (primarily in the following areas):

Commercial and business, and business owner, investor, shareholder, D&O, officer, director, governance, accountings, lost income, profits and royalties, and business-related;

Trust, estate, elder abuse, POA, conservatorship, contentious administrations, ethics, etc.;

Workplace and employment, and real property; and

Various other cases and areas (environmental contamination, accidents, insurance, etc.).

⁃  Boards and committees including audit and governance committees, investigations, independence, conflicts, governance, diligence, risk management, ESG, etc. – representation and advising re conduct, authority, duties and responsibilities, rights and liability.

⁃  Services as a mediator, and dispute resolution.

Coming soon (perhaps) a wave of litigation to compel businesses and others to be in line with the Paris Agreement, or with any other agreement or standard

Below is a link to a CNBC article about a Dutch Court holding that Shell must cut carbon emissions by 45% to be in line with the Paris Agreement. Shell is appealing the decision; however, the decision does raise a lot of issues and questions for United States businesses, entities, and people internationally, and for United States businesses, entities and people in the United States, not the least of which might be the following two multiple issues and questions:

  • To what extent might a court of another country have authority to order and compel a United States business, entity or person to reduce its carbon or any other emissions to be in line with the Paris Agreement or to be in line with any other climate agreement or standard?
  • To what extent might a United States court, United States regulatory agency, state court, state regulatory agency, or other entity or person in the United States have authority to order and compel a United States business, entity or person to reduce its carbon or any other emissions to be in line with the Paris Agreement or to be in line with any other climate agreement or standard?

The article indicates a possible wave of litigation, which would not surprise me. See the link to the article below.

https://www.cnbc.com/2021/05/26/dutch-court-rules-oil-giant-shell-must-cut-carbon-emissions-by-45percent-by-2030-in-landmark-case.html

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Best to you. David Tate, Esq. (and inactive CPA)

——————————————————————–

Remember, every case and situation is different. It is important to obtain and evaluate all of the evidence that is available, and to apply that evidence to the applicable standards and laws. You do need to consult with an attorney and other professionals about your particular situation. This post is not a solicitation for legal or other services inside of or outside of California, and, of course, this post only is a summary of information that changes from time to time, and does not apply to any particular situation or to your specific situation. So . . . you cannot rely on this post for your situation or as legal or other professional advice or representation.

Thank you for reading this post. I ask that you also pass it along to other people who would be interested as it is through collaboration that great things and success occur more quickly. And please also subscribe to this blog and my other blog (see below), and connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter.

My two blogs are:

Business, D&O, audit committee, governance, compliance, etc. http://auditcommitteeupdate.com

Trust, estate, conservatorship, elder and elder abuse, etc. litigation and contentious administrations http://californiaestatetrust.com

Best to you, David Tate, Esq. (and inactive California CPA) – practicing in California only.

⁃  Litigation, disputes and trials (primarily in the following areas):

Commercial and business, and business owner, investor, shareholder, D&O, officer, director, governance, accountings, lost income, profits and royalties, and business-related;

Trust, estate, elder abuse, POA, conservatorship, contentious administrations, ethics, etc.;

Workplace and employment, and real property; and

Various other cases and areas (environmental contamination, accidents, insurance, etc.).

⁃  Boards and committees including audit and governance committees, investigations, independence, conflicts, governance, diligence, risk management, ESG, etc. – representation and advising re conduct, authority, duties and responsibilities, rights and liability.

⁃  Services as a mediator, and dispute resolution.

HOW WOULD YOU RATE THE ESG AT YOUR LAW FIRM OR SERVICE PROVIDER BUSINESS OR ORGANIZATION – MENTAL HEALTH, INCLUSIVENESS AND SUSTAINABILITY?

While at least some of the public company investment world is focused on or interested in ESG, the fact is that ESG criteria can be applied to every business (public and private), governmental entity, nonprofit, and other organization, and also to every industry and profession. I have written previously, for example, that governmental entities, education (schools), medical/medicine, and some nonprofits would be well-positioned to apply and report ESG criteria as a means of demonstrating how other public and private businesses might go about doing the same, while perhaps at the same time raise community and public awareness and expectations and reducing the need or push for legislation. In the end, unless ESG becomes overly or too expensive and starts to not insignificantly negatively impact jobs, I expect that we will have both additional mandated legislation and regulations, and increasing community and public awareness.   

The discussion in this blog post is about law firm ESG, applying ESG to law firms, and rating the ESG at your law firm. For reference and a useful discussion about ESG criteria, I have copied and pasted below my December 29, 2020 blog post titled ESG and the “E” and the “S” and the “G” – ESG + Sustainability + Climate Action.

With respect to law firms, and for that matter also for other service and professional service businesses, governmental entities, nonprofits and other organizations (including, for example, education/schools and medical/medicine, I would view the “S” and the “G” and “Sustainability” to be the most challenging and important. That is not to suggest that the “E” and the “Climate Action” are unimportant, but merely to recognize that in service and professional service type organizations, such as law firms, people, governance, services and related risk management lift the organization and keep it operating, sustainable and perhaps growing.

Let’s look at “S” for a law firm. Some law firms and partners or owners are satisfied to operate their own practices and have a reduced interest in associate and mid-level experience attorneys, other than to the extent that those worker type attorneys support the partners or owners. Typically that type of firm also will not provide much in the way of mentorship, development, guidance, allowing involvement, or at some point upward mobility opportunities (including little dissemination of information that would help provide direction in those areas). Whether and to what extent to provide “S” to associates and mid-level experienced attorneys is a partner and owner choice. Without much “S” the firm and its partners and owners still can do well, but in my view not as well as they could by providing “S.” “S” also relates to community involvement – again, without community involvement the firm and its partners and owners still can do well, but in my view not as well as they could. See below from my December 29, 2020, blog post examples of some possible “S” criteria. In the context of law firms and the atmosphere and opportunities that are present two words that come to mind are mental health and inclusiveness, both of which are related to both “S” and “G” criteria. You might be aware that there has been a general increased focus on mental health in the legal profession and at firms, and this increased focus started pre-COVID. The following is a link to a post on the California Lawyers Association page discussing a new, recent study about attorney mental health and wellbeing (including the extent of stress, anxiety, drinking and depression) https://calawyers.org/california-lawyers-association/california-lawyers-association-and-the-d-c-bar-announce-results-of-groundbreaking-study-on-attorney-mental-health-and-well-being/.

Let’s look at “G” for a law firm. Some of these topic areas also relate to the firm atmosphere and environment for associate and mid-level experience attorneys, including, for example, whether and the extent to which they are allowed and encouraged to be involved in the governance or growth or marketing of the firm. Importantly, “G” also relates to the relationships and interactions of and between the partners and owners, and to other “S” criteria. Lack of governance, or inadequate or improper governance, and definitely bad governance can or will negatively impact the entire firm and its longevity, whereas “good” governance will have a positive impact. See below from my December 29, 2020, blog post examples of some possible “G” criteria.

Finally, for the purpose of this post “sustainability.” Law firms come and go, grow, or shrink or stagnate, but they and the legal profession and market are always changing. Laws change. The demand for legal services change. The competition changes. The people with or at the firm change. The abilities of the firm change. Sustainability involves “S” and “G,” the experiences, abilities, strengths, weaknesses, personalities, and hard work of the attorneys and other people at the firm, services and practice areas that are and that can be offered, the ability to personally reach and communicate with clients and prospective clients, and collaboration and working together.

I have not covered “E” or Climate Action – those can be topics for another post, and with comments and suggestions by other people relating to law firms and service and professional service businesses and organizations. As, for example, you may have seen recent articles discussing “E” as it pertains to cryptocurrencies, certainty law firm “E” extends beyond the use of paper and ink, office energy use, waste, and recycling.

Obviously the above discussion is not intended to be a treatise – certainly many attorneys and other people who work or who have worked at law firms, and at other service and professional service organizations, could add considerably more discussions.  Immediately below is the copy and paste of my December 29, 2020, blog post.

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December 29, 2020, blog post

ESG and the “E” and the “S” and the “G” – ESG + Sustainability + Climate Action

ESG criteria refers to an organization’s environmental, social and governance policies, practices and processes, some of which depend upon whether the organization is a public corporation or business, private corporation or business, nonprofit, not for profit or NGO, governmental organization or entity, or a hybrid or mixed organization or entity. ESG criteria will also vary depending on the size of the organization or entity, its industry, and whether it primarily provides a service, a product or manufacturing, or a combination of both.

The following criteria can be used for reference; indeed, however, whereas applicable criteria have been set in some circumstances or for some situations, applicable criteria otherwise often remain in a state of change, discretion, suggestion or proposal, and choice. The various services that evaluate and rate ESG also each individually decide which criteria they will use. Indeed, the below listed possible criteria are intended to be fairly encompassing so as to promote thought and consideration, but are not necessarily in the whole a list of required criteria. Each organization and entity must evaluate its own requirements and circumstances.

Environmental criteria broadly refer to some or all of the following:

Resource materials and energy evaluation, selection, use, and discharge, management and conservation;

Environmental risks and management;

Waste;

Emissions;

Pollution;

Hazardous and toxic wastes and emissions;

Ownership and management of contaminated materials and land;

Treatment of animals; and

Compliance with laws and regulations.

Depending on the processes that are being used sometimes the environmental component of ESG can be the more clear-cut or direct component to identify and measure.

Social criteria broadly refer to some or all of the following:

The organization’s or entity’s internal and external relationships, values and culture and its adherence to and enforcement of values with employees and independent contractors in the workplace and work environment;

Its working relationship employees, independent contractors and in the workplace, with customers, with suppliers, in the community, and with other stakeholders;

Human capital, as it has been called – I don’t particularly like the term “human capital” as to me it sounds a bit faceless or depersonalized – instead I prefer something such as simply the category “People”;

Health and safety;

Well-being;

Diversity;

Opportunities provided, inclusiveness and equality, training, mentorship, advancement and advancement opportunities;

Talent acquisition and retention;

Social engagement and active involvement;

Discrimination;

Organizational openness and communications;

Organizational trust, integrity and reputation; and

Compliance with laws and regulations.

I view the social criteria component of ESG as being the more currently challenging component because of the very large numbers of criteria that people can argue are or should be included, and its sometimes difficulty of measurement or more subjective nature.

Governance criteria broadly refer to some or all of the following:

The organization or entity overall, and to its leaders and their actions and leadership including such criteria as:

Board and management roles, makeup, structure, policies, processes and practices;

Decision making;

Accounting methods and related transparency;

Shareholder engagement and shareholder rights;

Avoidance of unlawful practices, and legally or ethically questionable business practices;

Strong, transparent and enforced governance policies and practices;

Codes of conduct and ethics, and enforcement;

Board, executive officer and senior management diversity;

Measurement of corporate and organization performance;

Corporate and organization values, trust, integrity, and reputation;

Board oversight;

Accountability for actions;

Oversight of internal controls;

Oversight of compliance with laws and regulations;

Compensation;

Avoidance of unlawful conflicts of interest;

Information disclosure;

Corporate and organization sustainability;

Oversight of environmental, social and governance criteria;

The organization’s use of information and private information, and information and cyber security;

Protection of the organization’s assets including intellectual property;

Officer, director, and management openness to appropriate challenges, disagreement, and criticism, and the manner and processes for learning about, addressing, evaluating and debating, decision making, and resolving those ongoing occurrences and situations; and

Board and director structure, agenda setting, demeanor, meeting processes, independence, and adherence to prudent business judgment and diligent, active and proactive business judgment rule practices.

Whereas the above list of possible governance criteria might suggest that the governance component of ESG is more well-defined, I view the governance criteria as currently being perhaps the more challenging component of ESG because a large number of possible criteria can be identified but in practice the criteria that are recognized as being accepted tend to be less numerous, and as a group governance criteria still tend to be more vague, undefined and less agreed upon, and identification, evaluation and measurement of governance criteria also tend to vary more from organization and entity to organization and entity.

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Best to you. David Tate, Esq. (and inactive CPA)

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Remember, every case and situation is different. It is important to obtain and evaluate all of the evidence that is available, and to apply that evidence to the applicable standards and laws. You do need to consult with an attorney and other professionals about your particular situation. This post is not a solicitation for legal or other services inside of or outside of California, and, of course, this post only is a summary of information that changes from time to time, and does not apply to any particular situation or to your specific situation. So . . . you cannot rely on this post for your situation or as legal or other professional advice or representation.

Thank you for reading this post. I ask that you also pass it along to other people who would be interested as it is through collaboration that great things and success occur more quickly. And please also subscribe to this blog and my other blog (see below), and connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter.

My two blogs are:

Business, D&O, audit committee, governance, compliance, etc. http://auditcommitteeupdate.com

Trust, estate, conservatorship, elder and elder abuse, etc. litigation and contentious administrations http://californiaestatetrust.com

Best to you, David Tate, Esq. (and inactive California CPA) – practicing in California only

Litigation, Disputes, Mediator & Governance: Business, Trust/Probate, Real Property, Governance, Elder Abuse, Workplace, Investigations, Other Areas

Dave Tate, Esq. recent blog posts video

The following is an April 17, 2021 video that I am inserting into an email in which I have included links to recent blog posts:

Best to you. David Tate, Esq. (and inactive CPA)

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Remember, every case and situation is different. It is important to obtain and evaluate all of the evidence that is available, and to apply that evidence to the applicable standards and laws. You do need to consult with an attorney and other professionals about your particular situation. This post is not a solicitation for legal or other services inside of or outside of California, and, of course, this post only is a summary of information that changes from time to time, and does not apply to any particular situation or to your specific situation. So . . . you cannot rely on this post for your situation or as legal or other professional advice or representation.

Thank you for reading this post. I ask that you also pass it along to other people who would be interested as it is through collaboration that great things and success occur more quickly. And please also subscribe to this blog and my other blog (see below), and connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter.

My two blogs are:

Business, D&O, audit committee, governance, compliance, etc. http://auditcommitteeupdate.com

Trust, estate, conservatorship, elder and elder abuse, etc. litigation and contentious administrations http://californiaestatetrust.com

Best to you, David Tate, Esq. (and inactive California CPA) – practicing in California only

Litigation, Disputes, Mediator & Governance: Business, Trust/Probate, Real Property, Governance, Elder Abuse, Workplace, Investigations, Other Areas

BATNA doesn’t get you to settlement or resolution – instead, looking for answers does –

BATNA is an acronym that stands for Best Alternative To a Negotiated Agreement. It is defined as the best or most advantageous alternative that a negotiating or mediating party can take or has if negotiations and reaching settlement or resolution are failing or are not moving forward and if it is believed that settlement is breaking down cannot be reached. BATNA was presented in the book Getting to YES: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In (first published in 1981), and it continues to be used as a consideration that a negotiating or mediating party can and should use when deciding whether or not to engage in negotiation or mediation, or whether or not to continue negotiating or mediating when things seem to have stalled or reached an impasse.

Whereas considering BATNA (i.e., why a party should negotiate or keep negotiating) is a good means of moving the parties or a party back from a precipice or position wherein negotiations or mediation breakdown or breakdown at least temporarily, BATNA doesn’t get you to settlement – instead, moving beyond or back from BANTA, being openminded, continuing to explore options, looking for answers, considering the negatives and unknowns, and moving forward toward resolution do move the parties toward settlement and resolution or at least in part on some of the issues.

Thus, the parties, and the mediator need to consider the toolbox of options, and approaches and ways for the parties to continue talking and moving forward from the current position and from their current positions toward resolution or resolutions.

Parties can move off of their positions – or can be willing or induced to move off of their positions, by any number of means, such as, for example:

Persuasion;

Moving within the or their perceived global range of options;

Expanding the or their global range of options;

Disclosing or making known more about or what was previously known about their global range of options;

Force or threat, so to speak;

Changed circumstances;

Optics or disclosure to or about outside stakeholders or influencers;

Additional examination, discovery, evidence or related information, documents, or disclosure;

Additional understanding about the applicable law, burdens of proof, and presumptions;

Additional information about the possible trier of fact; and

More – that is, the long list depends on the particular situation at issue.

Best to you. David Tate, Esq. (and inactive CPA)

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Remember, every case and situation is different. It is important to obtain and evaluate all of the evidence that is available, and to apply that evidence to the applicable standards and laws. You do need to consult with an attorney and other professionals about your particular situation. This post is not a solicitation for legal or other services inside of or outside of California, and, of course, this post only is a summary of information that changes from time to time, and does not apply to any particular situation or to your specific situation. So . . . you cannot rely on this post for your situation or as legal or other professional advice or representation.

Thank you for reading this post. I ask that you also pass it along to other people who would be interested as it is through collaboration that great things and success occur more quickly. And please also subscribe to this blog and my other blog (see below), and connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter.

My two blogs are:

Business, D&O, audit committee, governance, compliance, etc. http://auditcommitteeupdate.com

Trust, estate, conservatorship, elder and elder abuse, etc. litigation and contentious administrations http://californiaestatetrust.com

Best to you, David Tate, Esq. (and inactive California CPA) – practicing in California only

Litigation, Disputes, Mediator & Governance: Business, Trust/Probate, Real Property, Governance, Elder Abuse, Workplace, Investigations, Compliance, Authority, Responsibilities, Rights and Liability, Other Areas

 

Private Directors Association – San Francisco Chapter, and Webinar Sponsor, Speaker and Panel Opportunities

I am a founding member of the San Francisco Chapter of the Private Directors Association (PDA). The San Francisco Chapter was formed in 2020 during COVID. The Chapter is humming along and has over 100 members.

The Private Directors Association has Chapters across the United States, and also two additional Chapters in Southern California.

Each Chapter presents webinars on topics of interest and relevance to private company and organization directors. There are opportunities for webinar sponsors, speakers and panels. Upcoming webinars and events are advertised and promoted to all members and Chapters, not just to the local Chapter.

There are also Chapter sponsorship opportunities which provide additional benefits and exposure for the sponsor.

For additional information, if you would like, you can reach out to me at dave@tateattorney.com. I have also linked below the current webinar sponsor/speaker packet, a brochure for the San Francisco Chapter, and a brochure for National PDA.

Here is a link for the San Francisco Chapter website https://www.privatedirectorsassociation.org/san-francisco-chapter and here is a link for the National PDA website https://www.privatedirectorsassociation.org/

Immediately below in the following order you will find links for the current webinar sponsor/speaker packet, a brochure for the San Francisco PDA Chapter, and a brochure for National PDA.

Best to you. David Tate, Esq. (and inactive CPA)

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Remember, every case and situation is different. It is important to obtain and evaluate all of the evidence that is available, and to apply that evidence to the applicable standards and laws. You do need to consult with an attorney and other professionals about your particular situation. This post is not a solicitation for legal or other services inside of or outside of California, and, of course, this post only is a summary of information that changes from time to time, and does not apply to any particular situation or to your specific situation. So . . . you cannot rely on this post for your situation or as legal or other professional advice or representation.

Thank you for reading this post. I ask that you also pass it along to other people who would be interested as it is through collaboration that great things and success occur more quickly. And please also subscribe to this blog and my other blog (see below), and connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter.

My two blogs are:

Business, D&O, audit committee, governance, compliance, etc. http://auditcommitteeupdate.com

Trust, estate, conservatorship, elder and elder abuse, etc. litigation and contentious administrations http://californiaestatetrust.com

Best to you, David Tate, Esq. (and inactive California CPA) – practicing in California only

Litigation, Disputes, Mediator & Governance: Business, Trust/Probate, Real Property, Governance, Elder Abuse, Workplace, Investigations, Other Areas

California SB9 – a statewide land control zoning shift from local cities and communities to Sacramento

I was just recently made aware of California SB9 during a local rather vocal City Council/public comment meeting. The relevant topic on the Council’s agenda was whether to hire a consulting firm to evaluate whether all single family residence zoning in the entire City should be abolished so as to allow multiple unit building zoning anywhere and everywhere in the City. A multiple unit building could be newly constructed, or it could be an existing single family residence that is then converted into a multiple unit building in the middle of a community that had been zoned for single family residences.

Now, land use and zoning are not my areas of law. And I will also say that I learned some important things about City Council meetings, City Council members and their approaches to issues and risk management, and speakers from outside of the community – but maybe more about those in a different blog post.

Ultimately after the local community was more informed and vocal at the second meeting on the issue, the vote was postponed as it was discussed that the Legislature in Sacramento is looking at the same or a similar issue in SB9, which, it was explained, is expected to pass. Thus, in my view, there never was a reason to even put this issue on the local City Council agenda. Through SB9 the Legislature in Sacramento seeks to take control of and to change single family zoning throughout the State of California. Again, this isn’t my area of law, but I looked up SB9 anyway.

First, like a lot of legislation, much of the wording and many of the provisions in SB9 are vague, undefined, open-ended, or to be determined in the future by some other regulation, department, committee, commission, board, organization or later added additional legislation.

Equally, and perhaps more interesting, I found Section 4 near the end of the proposed statute that I was reading. I have pasted Section 4 below. I believe that all legislation should disclose the legal basis and authority upon which it is being proposed and enacted. But that doesn’t happen. I’m not representing that the Legislature does not have authority – I’m simply saying that upon what legal basis and authority should be disclosed. Thus, for example, in SB9 the Legislature in Sacramento “finds and declares that ensuring access to affordable housing is a matter of statewide concern and not a municipal affair as that term . . . is used in the California Constitution” and that “[t]herefore, [the Sections that are being enacted] apply to all cities, including charter cities.” You can read the wording below.

(1) I would ask, under what legal authority is the Legislature interpreting or changing the California Constitution?

(2) And, as “ensuring access to affordable housing is a statewide concern,” which is an entirely vague and undefined goal, I would bet that if SB9 is enacted the Legislature in Sacramento will regularly (e.g., possibly on a year in and year out basis) be looking to mandate new and additional housing and building zoning changes to be applied throughout the State on a statewide basis regardless of the differing facts and makeups of the local communities that are impacted. I would say, for example, housing in San Diego (and even San Diego should be broken down into local communities) is different than housing in Torrance, which is different than housing in Fresno (which also should be broken down into local communities), which is different than housing in Hillsborough, which is different than housing in Santa Rosa, which is different than housing in Elks Grove, which is different than housing in Chico or Redding, etc.

The following is SB9 Section 4:

SEC. 4.

The Legislature finds and declares that ensuring access to affordable housing is a matter of statewide concern and not a municipal affair as that term is used in Section 5 of Article XI of the California Constitution. Therefore, Sections 1 and 2 of this act adding Sections 65852.21 and 66411.7 to the Government Code and Section 3 of this act amending Section 66452.6 of the Government Code apply to all cities, including charter cities.

Best to you. David Tate, Esq. (and inactive CPA)

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Remember, every case and situation is different. It is important to obtain and evaluate all of the evidence that is available, and to apply that evidence to the applicable standards and laws. You do need to consult with an attorney and other professionals about your particular situation. This post is not a solicitation for legal or other services inside of or outside of California, and, of course, this post only is a summary of information that changes from time to time, and does not apply to any particular situation or to your specific situation. So . . . you cannot rely on this post for your situation or as legal or other professional advice or representation.

Thank you for reading this post. I ask that you also pass it along to other people who would be interested as it is through collaboration that great things and success occur more quickly. And please also subscribe to this blog and my other blog (see below), and connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter.

My two blogs are:

Business, D&O, audit committee, governance, compliance, etc. http://auditcommitteeupdate.com

Trust, estate, conservatorship, elder and elder abuse, etc. litigation and contentious administrations http://californiaestatetrust.com

Best to you, David Tate, Esq. (and inactive California CPA) – practicing in California only

Litigation, Disputes, Mediator & Governance: Business, Trust/Probate, Real Property, Governance, Elder Abuse, Workplace, Investigations, Other Areas

Two discussions about allowances and limitations on social and internet speech in the context of employers and professional associations – forwarding by Joshua Borger

I have provided below links to two discussions by Joshua Borger of Berliner Cohen in which Joshua discusses:

1. Can employers fire employees for social or political speech? Click on the following link:

https://www.dailyjournal.com/mcle/887-can-employers-fire-employees-for-social-or-political-speech

2. Can professional associations dismiss members for internet posts? Click on the following link:

https://dailyjournal.com/mcle/889-can-professional-associations-dismiss-members-for-internet-posts

The two above discussions are highly relevant, and they relate to areas of law that are changing and undecided in many respects. Currently, and in the years to come, new court decisions will be handed down, including from the US Supreme Court. The discussions in this area also can depend on whether the speaker and the speech or communication in question is subject to conduct or morality clauses or agreements. More will follow on these topics, to be sure.

Best to you. David Tate, Esq. (and inactive CPA)

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Remember, every case and situation is different. It is important to obtain and evaluate all of the evidence that is available, and to apply that evidence to the applicable standards and laws. You do need to consult with an attorney and other professionals about your particular situation. This post is not a solicitation for legal or other services inside of or outside of California, and, of course, this post only is a summary of information that changes from time to time, and does not apply to any particular situation or to your specific situation. So . . . you cannot rely on this post for your situation or as legal or other professional advice or representation.

Thank you for reading this post. I ask that you also pass it along to other people who would be interested as it is through collaboration that great things and success occur more quickly. And please also subscribe to this blog and my other blog (see below), and connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter.

My two blogs are:

Business, D&O, audit committee, governance, compliance, etc. http://auditcommitteeupdate.com

Trust, estate, conservatorship, elder and elder abuse, etc. litigation and contentious administrations http://californiaestatetrust.com

Best to you, David Tate, Esq. (and inactive California CPA) – practicing in California only

Litigation, Disputes, Mediator & Governance: Business, Trust/Probate, Real Property, Governance, Elder Abuse, Workplace, Investigations, Other Areas

Questions To Consider To Facilitate Dispute And Conflict Resolution (attached/updated)

I have updated (slightly) and attached my paper with questions to consider to facilitate dispute and conflict resolution. Parties and their counsel in litigation should consider these questions prior to mediation or conflict resolution, and should be prepared and willing to discuss these questions with the mediator. These are also useful questions to consider in situations involving contentious or possible litigious disputes. Click the link below for the pdf.

Best to you. David Tate, Esq. (and inactive CPA)

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Remember, every case and situation is different. It is important to obtain and evaluate all of the evidence that is available, and to apply that evidence to the applicable standards and laws. You do need to consult with an attorney and other professionals about your particular situation. This post is not a solicitation for legal or other services inside of or outside of California, and, of course, this post only is a summary of information that changes from time to time, and does not apply to any particular situation or to your specific situation. So . . . you cannot rely on this post for your situation or as legal or other professional advice or representation.

Thank you for reading this post. I ask that you also pass it along to other people who would be interested as it is through collaboration that great things and success occur more quickly. And please also subscribe to this blog and my other blog (see below), and connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter.

My two blogs are:

Business, D&O, audit committee, governance, compliance, etc. http://auditcommitteeupdate.com

Trust, estate, conservatorship, elder and elder abuse, etc. litigation and contentious administrations http://californiaestatetrust.com

Best to you, David Tate, Esq. (and inactive California CPA) – practicing in California only

Litigation, Disputes, Mediator & Governance: Business, Trust/Probate, Real Property, Governance, Elder Abuse, Workplace, Investigations, Other Areas

A Simple Risk (And Uncertainty) Management Process (Slide)

I have provided below a jpg of my simple risk and uncertainty management process slide – a sample ten-point process – or for a more clear picture click on the download link below.

Best to you. David Tate, Esq. (and inactive CPA)

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Remember, every case and situation is different. It is important to obtain and evaluate all of the evidence that is available, and to apply that evidence to the applicable standards and laws. You do need to consult with an attorney and other professionals about your particular situation. This post is not a solicitation for legal or other services inside of or outside of California, and, of course, this post only is a summary of information that changes from time to time, and does not apply to any particular situation or to your specific situation. So . . . you cannot rely on this post for your situation or as legal or other professional advice or representation.

Thank you for reading this post. I ask that you also pass it along to other people who would be interested as it is through collaboration that great things and success occur more quickly. And please also subscribe to this blog and my other blog (see below), and connect with me on LinkedIn and Twitter.

My two blogs are:

Business, D&O, audit committee, governance, compliance, etc. http://auditcommitteeupdate.com

Trust, estate, conservatorship, elder and elder abuse, etc. litigation and contentious administrations http://californiaestatetrust.com

Best to you, David Tate, Esq. (and inactive California CPA) – practicing in California only

Litigation, Disputes, Mediator & Governance: Business, Trust/Probate, Real Property, Governance, Elder Abuse, Workplace, Investigations, Other Areas