L&B WELCOMES GABRIEL LEVINE! We’re delighted to announce that Super Lawyers Rising Star Gabriel (Gabe) Levine joined the firm as Of Counsel on August 1, 2011. In addition to adding depth to our commercial and dispute resolution practices, Gabe brings L&B an up-to-the-minute New Media Counseling and Asset Protection practice with him. Gabe received his J.D. from University of San Francisco School of Law, graduating Magna Cum Laude in 2003.

Executives: Watch out for your rights in M&A: With increasing M&A activity in Silicon Valley, the latest trend is for buyers to demand executives give up their vested rights as a condition of the deal. Alisa Baker guides you through a pre-acquisition checklist for assessing your rights prior to an acquisition.

Does Concepcion mean the end of Armendariz? There's reason to worry about employee protections for pre-dispute arbitration clauses after this unpleasant U.S. Supreme Court decision (PDF, 239KB). We discuss the case and its implications for our clients in AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion: Trouble for Pre-Dispute Arbitration Clauses in California?

Forum Selection Clauses in Employment Agreements: An employment agreement that requires out-of-state dispute resolution may make the cost of enforcing your legal rights prohibitive. Rick Levine gives us a new practice piece discussing the risks of ignoring these seemingly benign contract provisions.