With all the budget cuts in California state courts plaintiffs have gained the advantage in litigation related matters. Lawsuits now take twice as long to get to court.  What is worse is that plaintiffs may now attempt engage in unethical and overly aggressive tactics and the courts simply have a lot less time to address it.  When an attorney files a motion with the court complaining about improper conduct, it may be almost a year later before you get a hearing on the matter.  We are regularly receiving hearing dates that are actually scheduled after associated trial dates.

Trial dates are being set and not continued until the very last minute. This requires many business clients to pay their attorneys to prepare for trial, and then wait months to get a court room.  As experienced and proven business and real estate litigation attorneys, we are always prepared to go at a moment’s notice to protect their position and to maintain leverage and negotiating strength.

It was like this back in the eighties when I started practicing law. Different strategies were required then. Unfortunately, due to budget cuts and the limitation of courts and personnel it has become the “Wild West” again.  Cases without apparent merit are yielding top dollar because plaintiffs believe they can afford to use questionable strategies and drive up costs over two to three years.  Old school discovery, pleading and investigation tactics must be employed to survive.  At the Watkins Firm, I ensure that our clients interests are aggressively protected and pursued to preserve options and protect their short and long term interests.