Most lawyers in today’s world have set aside their fountain pens and yellow legal pads and opened their laptops. Many lawyers have taken paperless practice to the extreme, carrying all of their data in a flash drive that hangs around their neck and storing all of their files in the cloud. With the disappearance of physical client files and related materials, what ethical rules can potentially apply within the contemporary world of the Green Law Office? The answer is: the same ethical rules that apply to a lawyer practicing law with a yellow pad and fountain pen. The difference is in the application.

Gov. Jerry Brown has signed another bill aimed at disenfranchising voters. Passed by Democrats catering to the demands of organized labor, SB 829 joins SB 922 in repudiating public votes. Union leaders must be cackling in their smoke-filled back rooms, or more likely, in the offices of their legislative puppets.

As the “top-two” primary election system embodied in 2010's Proposition 14 was being debated exactly two years ago, backers tried to comfort skeptics by pointing out that Californians already had experience with the system. The two leading vote-getters, they noted, have long advanced to runoffs whenever there’s been a special election anywhere in California.

At this time of year, when many of us are planning our summer vacation travels, figuring out how to stay connected while overseas needs planning as well. Data usage and phone calls could exceed the price of your flight if you’re not careful. It’s not uncommon to see cellular bills of thousands of dollars. That’s because cellular carriers and airlines are a lot alike. They both relish the opportunity to pile on extra charges.

The notion of government-imposed rent control sends shivers up the backs of most property owners and conservative politicians. The extent to which government tries to protect tenants by limiting what property owners can charge for rent fulfills the law of unintended consequences myriad times over. Owners of residential properties under rent control have little to no incentive to invest in maintaining, much less refurbishing, their properties to attract below-market-rent revenues. The result is predictable: Tenants may be paying less rent, but they’re living in substandard, if not outright dilapidated housing. Fort Apache, other areas of the Bronx and elsewhere are the poster children for rent control’s inevitable consequences.

Last week I was in Washington, and I happened to read an article in USA Today titled, "Invest in stocks? FORGET ABOUT IT." The article featured interviews with three people who, frankly, should be embarrassed about their proven stupidity over the last few years.

The Ken Blanchard Companies developed a method of helping leaders understand who they are and how their view of leadership has evolved. This method is incorporated into the curriculum of the Master of Science in Executive Leadership program at the University of San Diego. It's called the Leadership Point of View.

Anyone looking for the most under-reported story of the spring in California need look no further than the tall stalks of kelp swaying back and forth just beneath the ocean surface along much of the California coast.

The silly season has begun in the political arena a month before the San Diego primary election. It evolves around the four mayoral candidates jockeying for better poll standings by discrediting their opponents. A major objective is to grab media attention and create headlines with a sensational proclamation.

The silly season has begun in the political arena a month before the San Diego primary election. It evolves around the four mayoral candidates jockeying for better poll standings by discrediting their opponents. A major objective is to grab media attention and create headlines with a sensational proclamation.