A man convicted of murder and attempted murder has failed in his effort to persuade Div. Eight of the Court of Appeal for this district that he was denied the effective assistance of counsel at trial because the lawyer did not object to the admission into evidence of a confession by the actual shooter.

Unsworn out-of-court allegations by a man’s teenage step-children were properly admitted at a probation-revocation/resentencing hearing, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded yesterday, rebuffing the contention that the right to confront witnesses was wrongfully denied.

(Subscription required) California lawmakers on Wednesday passed a 2026 lawyer licensing bill that will not raise fees but will require the state bar to use a national bar exam, and not a multiple-choice test written by a private vendor, at least until 2027.

The California Supreme Court ordered Thursday that Los Angeles attorney