Plaintiff Magazine on Andy Gillin: Like ‘Talking With an Old Friend’

In it’s April 2010 issue, Plaintiff Magazine, one of the leading sources of legal news in northern California, profiled GJEL managing partner Andy Gillin about his four decades of legal service in the Bay Area. The profile, penned by freelancer Stephen Ellison, captures Andy to a tee in both his professional ethos and personal demeanor. Due to Andy’s dedication to GJEL, writes Ellison, the firm has become “one of the area’s top civil litigation firms.”

April 22, 2010 Andy Gillin

Christian Legal Society: UC Hastings Law Violates Freedom of Religion

There’s Supreme Court trouble brewing here in the Bay Area, where a Christian students’ group has sued UC Hastings College of Law for withholding public funding from the group because it refuses to admit gay students as full members. The Christian Legal Society, an evangelical group with dozens of chapters nationwide, forces members to sign a statement of faith that condemns “unrepentant participation in or advocacy of a sexually immoral lifestyle.”

During CLS v. Martinez oral arguments before the Supreme Court Monday, justices seemed divided on whether Hastings was at fault.

April 20, 2010 Andy Gillin

New Avvo Blog ‘NakedLaw’ Targets Non-Lawyers

Our friends over at Avvo, the social networking site for lawyers and non-lawyers in need of advice, launched a new blog today with the purpose of “exposing the law for non-lawyers in an engaging and informative way, so that people are thinking about, and can understand, the law even when they’re not in legal trouble.”

I’ve made it no secret in the past that I’m a big fan of the services Avvo provides, both for lawyers and non-lawyers. But I’m particularly excited about this new blog, dubbed NakedLaw, because it jives with my goal for the GJEL blog.

April 20, 2010 Andy Gillin

California Senator Joe Simitian: Distracted Driving Laws “Will Take Time, Education, & Enforcement”

For the past few weeks at GJEL blog, we’ve been focusing on distracted driving bans limping through state legislatures across the country. The movement is also picking up steam on the national level. The Department of Transportation have launched trial programs in New York and Connecticut to boost regulation, and congressional Democrats have promised to address a federal distracted driving law this year. But here in California, the debate is really heating up. Earlier this month, the state’s transportation and housing committee approved a bill sponsored by Palo Alto Democrat Joe Simitian which would increase distracted driving fines for drivers, and add new penalties for cyclists. Speaking to GJEL Blog, Sen. Simitian discussed the real-world dangers of distracted driving, opposition from cell phone companies, and his bill’s potential to save more than 700 people per year in California alone.

April 19, 2010 Andy Gillin

Toyota Will Recall Unsafe Lexus SUV, But Remains Rich

After a year of devastating PR stories that included unintended acceleration due to faulty car mats, delayed corporate reaction to potential recalls, and an additional forthcoming Lexus GX 460 recall, it turns out Toyota expects to post a $885 million net profit for the fiscal year that ended March 31.

April 19, 2010 Andy Gillin

Federal Distracted Driving Law Stalled by “States’ Rights”

Toyota recalls aside, the debate on distracted driving has been the month’s most compelling consumer issue. Over the past few years, eight states have banned the use of cell phone handsets while driving, and the dangers of such actions have been well documented in the main stream media. This Tuesday’s Pulitzer Prize announcements, for example, honored two New York Times articles exposing the serious risks of texting, typing, and talking in the car. On his blog, Secretary of Transportation Ray Lahood applauded these articles in addition to television shows like Modern Family, The Office, and Glee, which have all promoted themes against distracted driving, the number one killer of teenagers.

Though this publicity helps Lahood’s goal to eradicate distracted driving, nationwide legislation against the practice continues to stall in congress.

April 16, 2010 Andy Gillin

Lawmakers Challenge University Law Clinics

This Tuesday, a New Jersey state appeals panel heart arguments on whether the Rutgers University’s state-funded environmental law clinic must disclose client names and finances. Developer Sussex Commons claims the clinic is avoiding financial accountability in order to promote an “anti-development political agenda and bias.” The suit, which came after the clinic sued Sussex to halt construction on a planned strip mall, is hte newest in a string of corporate challenges to the autonomy of university clinics.

April 15, 2010 Andy Gillin

Avvo Legal Directory Upgrades Look, Adds Features

Last week, Avvo, the social media directory of attorney profiles that prospective clients can use to find the right fit, bought itself “a new suit.” Avvo CEO Mark Britton said the change was necessary, just like when he would periodically realize as an associate that it was time for some new clothes. “Maybe styles had changed a bit; maybe it was losing its shape; maybe I slept in it one too many times,” he wrote on the site’s blog. “Whatever the case, I would simply look at my aging suit and think, ‘Time for a new one.'”

April 12, 2010 Andy Gillin

Department of Transportation Jump Starts Anti-Distracted Driving Program

We wrote yesterday about the proposed hands free phone law currently languishing in congress. A set of key democrats think the law would drastically reduce vehicular deaths, but the bill stalled thanks to confusion about its nationwide implementation. Meanwhile, the US Department of Transportation gave these senators a helping hand Thursday by jump starting distracted driving prevention test programs in New York and Connecticut.

April 9, 2010 Andy Gillin

State of California to Boost Texting Fines for Drivers, Bikers

We’ve written before about the dangers of turning your car into a mobile work station. A driver’s risk of collision quadruples when speaking on the phone, and skyrockets if he’s texting or typing on a handheld device. Coasting on the success of California’s 2008 hands-free phone law, State Senator Joe Simitian has announced plans to increase the penalty for texting violations. Earlier this week, the Senate Transportation and Housing Committee approved the measure.

April 8, 2010 Andy Gillin

Archives