Sacramento Family Law Firm Woodruff, O'Hair, Posner & Salinger Inc Sued for $1 Million in Legal Malpractice Case

Divorce Attorney D. Thomas Woodruff and Firm Woodruff, O'Hair & Posner Accused of Over One Million Dollar Loss In Legal Malpractice Lawsuit

A prominent Sacramento family law firm is being sued for more than $1 million in damages stemming from a botched Sacramento Family Law Court divorce case. Plaintiff Wei-Jen Luan filed the case in 2004 alleging that divorce attorney Tom Woodruff and his firm Woodruff, O'Hair and Posner Inc., mishandled the sale of real estate held in a family trust during her divorce proceedings.

California Court Users Prefer Court Decisions Be Made Through Fair Process

According to a 2005 survey [pdf] of the public, the strongest predictor by far of whether members of the public approve or have confidence in the courts was: 

Having a sense that court decisions are made through processes that are fair. 

Between November 2004 and February 2005, over 2,400 California adults were surveyed regarding their: 

• Knowledge about the courts and the sources of that knowledge
• Perceived and experienced barriers to court access
• Experiences as jurors, litigants, or consumers of court information
• Expectations for what the courts should be doing
• Sense of the accessibility, fairness and efficiency of the courts 

The study was commissioned by the Administrative Office of the Courts on behalf of the Judicial Council of California, and the results were published [pdf] in September 2005. We'll cover more of the study results in future posts.

New Law Requires Judicial Branch Comply with California Whistleblower Protection Act

State Auditor Authority Over Judicial Branch Expanded by New Legislation

A bill signed into law yesterday will require the Judicial Branch to comply with the California Whistleblower Protection Act (CWPA). The Judicial Branch will now be required to post information about the CWPA in any place where information for employees is posted. he law, passed at the request of California State Auditor Elaine Howle, also revises the statutory definition of "improper governmental activity" to include violations of California Rules of Court.

Orange County Judge Admits Domestic Violence Laws Misused

In a recent Judicial Council publication, an Orange County judge inadvertently acknowledged that domestic violence laws are misued.

New Report from the Judicial Council of California

Domestic violence laws serve an important function, but here at the Family Court Accountability Coalition we are contacted regularly by self-represented family court litigants who have provided us with court records and other conclusive evidence that they have been falsely accused of domestic violence - almost always in cases where the opposing party is represented by an attorney.

FCAC has documented that to gain a tactical advantage in a divorce, many attorneys encourage their clients to make false spousal abuse accusations. An accusation of domestic violence can result in the reduction or elimination of temporary and post-judgment support obligations, one-sided child custody and visitation orders, and an inequitable division of community property.

Chief Justice Tani G. Cantil-Sakauye to Speak in Riverside for Law Day USA

Chief Justice To Discuss Importance of Judicial Branch

California Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye will speak at a luncheon at the Riverside Mission Inn in Riverside on May 9. The occasion is “Law Day USA” a day of national dedication to the principles of the “rule of law” and our democratic form of government.  The event is sponsored by the Riverside and San Bernardino County Bar Associations and will be held at the Riverside Mission Inn in Riverside. 

In attendance will be more than 200 jurists and attorneys, according to the Judicial Council. The master of ceremonies will be retired U.S. District Court Judge Stephen G. Larson, and the Chief Justice will be introduced by Court of Appeal Presiding Judge Manual A. Ramirez. Indigent family court litigants without lawyers - who make up 75 percent of family court users - apparently are not invited to the affair. 

Mendocino County Announces Court Closures

Effective April 1, 2011 the Covelo and Point Arena Courts in Mendocino County  will hear criminal, traffic, infraction, limited civil and small claims cases every other month. 

The Covelo Court will hear cases on the fourth Friday of each odd numbered monty, while the Point Arena Court will hear cases only on the third Thursday of each odd numbered month.

The "calendaring changes" are necessary due to the Superior Court's current financial crises and a decline in hearings for the Covelo and Point Arena Courts, according to a county press release.