Rescind, Surrender, And Cancel. Courts' Handling Of Leases.

I recently had to ask a clerk of the San Francisco Superior Court to enter a default judgment "for possession only" in an eviction case. The procedure does not require many steps to comply with, but this time I talked the details over with the clerk, and left very glad that I did, because I accidentally discovered that the SF Court follows an ancient tradition of physically canceling an original instrument, the lease agreement.

fLAWcharts and fLAWpps

The laws are the rules, and following those rules is akin following steps of an algorithm. "Yes" or "No," or, if you did X, then you get Y under the rule Z.  On this basic premise, I decided to try my hand in making a legal flowchart ("flawchart") and an app to walk a user by that flawchart ("flawpp"). I so far was able to complete just one, covering steps a homeowner might take if (s)he gets a notice of violation from the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection.

Comparing Housing Regulations Across Atlantic

As economy improves, so does the housing market. Increased activity on that market causes prices to go up, together with the pressure on tenants who pay below the market rent. This general rule appears to work the same way in various urban markets, which makes it interesting to take a look at how it is handled across the Atlantic, in London, UK.

Access to UK Caselaw And Beyond

If you need to look up a case decided in United Kingdom, try this free database. While there, look at the right column, entitled "World Law Resources," it has links to a collection of world jurisdictions.

Legal Paper Size is ... Illegal. Foolscap!

Today, for the first time, my complaint was not accepted for filing because some of the pages were presented on legal size paper. The lease was printed on an old "long" form, requiring the legal size, and, while I used to have those exhibits successfully filed before, my luck ended today. The reason is not even a law, but the technology: I was told that the scanning company complains about the legal size, so all non-letter sized papers are now prohibited, in order not to upset the scanners. There you have it, the paper size called "legal" is not legal after all. I made a new copy of the long pages, reducing them to 8.5" x 11," and the filing went through, but, while I waited in line, I tried to look the subject up, and here are my findings.

Running Circles Around Planning Department: Start By Planning

Back in 2012, I've made a simplified flowchart of the steps required for a real estate homeowner or developer to handle the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection's notices of violation.  This plan is still relevant today.

"App" Help For Lawyers - FilingRabbit.com Takes On Document Management

The "Internet of Things" comes as a next phase in our practical appreciation of the Internet, going beyond webpage interactions and social media. You can call a cab substitute, summon a baby-sitter, or get your online order delivered, all by tapping into a power of crowd-sourced and -outsourced apps, straight from your phone.

Search your phone's app store, and you will discover that pretty much any activity under the sun has its own app for it. Legal profession, though, notably lags in the apps offering.