Nursing Homes Can’t Force Arbitration

A new rule issued on Wednesday prohibits long-term care facilities that receive Medicare or Medicaid funds (i.e., the vast majority of facilities) from forcing residents to agree to mandatory arbitration as the price of admission. The regulation – issued by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) – will ...

Stop Printing Cash?! Yes. Maybe.

This weekend’s WSJ has an interesting proposal: stop printing large denomination cash bills. It is an idea worth considering not only for the reasons discussed in the article, but also because right now the government seems to view with suspicion almost any business accepting large amounts of cash as payment ...

Would You Turn Down $8m to Make a Point to the SEC?

That’s what whistleblower and former Deutsche Bank risk officer Eric Ben Artzi announced he is going to do.  Ben Artzi went to the SEC after criticizing certain accounting practices at the bank.  The SEC settled its claims with the bank for $55m.  But Ben Artzi believes that the fine unfairly ...

Mark Drooks Featured in Law360’s Rainmaker Q&A Series

Bird Marella principal Mark Drooks has been featured in Law360’s Rainmaker Q&A Series, detailing his experiences as a civil litigator and offering insight into what it takes to become a Rainmaker. To read the full article, click here.

Spying on Your Cell Phone Just Got a Little Harder

Judges and legislators around the country are making it a little harder for law enforcement to spy on you through cell phone.  All the recent activity revolves around a device called StingRay (and its main competitor, Triggerfish) which acts as a cell tower site simulator.  That means that when a ...

Bird Marella Successfully Defends Global Nonprofit Healthcare Provider in High-Profile False Claims Act Lawsuit

Bird Marella attorneys Paul Chan and Marc Masters successfully defended a global nonprofit provider of AIDS/HIV healthcare, prevention services, and testing, in a high-profile False Claims Act lawsuit seeking eight-figure damages. The non-profit was sued by three former employee “whistleblowers” in federal court in Miami, Florida. The three plaintiffs/relators alleged that ...

12 Bird Marella Attorneys Selected to 2017 Best Lawyers in America®

12 Bird Marella principals have been recognized and selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2017 edition of the Best Lawyers in America.  Best Lawyers is based on an exhaustive peer-review survey in which more than 50,000 leading attorneys cast nearly 5 million votes on the legal abilities of ...

Ariel Neuman to Speak at 2016 Federal Bar Association CLE Luncheon

On Thursday, July 28, Bird Marella principal Ariel Neuman will be a featured speaker and co-present on the topic, “Ethical and Effective Use of Advance Wavers in Criminal and Civil Cases,” at the 2016 CLE Luncheon, presented by the Inland Empire Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. For more information, ...