Business Law Section of the California Lawyers Association

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Business Law Section of the California Lawyers Association The Business Law Section

We are committed to accessibility! Learn more at https://calawyers.org/accessibility/

The Business Law Section is a vital source of education, information and service opportunities for California lawyers in business practice. We invite you to become a member: http://www.calbar.org/join-a-section

Standing Committees:

Agribusiness
Business Litigation
Commercial Transactions (formerly UCC)
Consumer Financial Services
Corporations
Cyberspace Law
Editorial Board (publisher of the Business Law News and annual legislative report)
Financial Institutions
Franchise Law
Health Law
Insolvency Law
Insurance Law
Nonprofit Organizations
Opinions
Partnerships and Limited Liability Companies

This Friday, we're celebrating the next generation of business lawyers.Congratulations to Savanna Burney, winner of the ...
10/19/2026

This Friday, we're celebrating the next generation of business lawyers.

Congratulations to Savanna Burney, winner of the Business Law Section's 2026 Law Student Essay Contest! A recent graduate of UC Davis School of Law, Savanna was active in the King Hall Moot Court Honors Board, the King Hall Negotiations Team and the Humanitarian Aid Legal Organization. She's passionate about business litigation and has joined Freeman, Mathis & Gary as a post-bar law clerk.

We'll recognize Savanna at the 2026 Roland E. Brandel Luncheon on Friday, October 23 in San Diego, alongside honoree Mikel R. Bistrow and keynote speaker Professor Jiaqi Ma. Seats are $20: https://hubs.la/Q04Bqsbv0

What could a recent Prop 65 trial mean for food claims? Join us November 5 for “Recent Developments re Prop 65 Food Clai...
10/15/2026

What could a recent Prop 65 trial mean for food claims? Join us November 5 for “Recent Developments re Prop 65 Food Claims.”

Robert E. Boone III will discuss the Chemical Toxin Working Group v. The Pictsweet Company trial, including the safe harbor defense, evidence presented, the court’s ruling, and potential ramifications. The webinar will also cover other Prop 65 litigation developments.

Earn 1 participatory MCLE credit.

Register: https://bit.ly/3VNir0t

📢 Business Law Section Co-Chairs’ Statement – September 2026“The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you h...
10/15/2026

📢 Business Law Section Co-Chairs’ Statement – September 2026

“The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it.” - John Lewis

“[Voting] is the physical expression of the promise that government derives its just powers from the consent of the governed.”

“Samuel Adams warned us: ‘If ever a time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin.’ While everyone should rise to the call in times like these, attorneys are uniquely suited to be these ‘experienced patriots.’”

These are a few key reflections highlighted in the recent Co-Chairs’ Statement from Christopher Hughes and Soyeun Choi, Co-Chairs of the Business Law Section, originally published in the September 2026 edition of the Business Law eNews.

Read the full statement and explore the complete issue below:

Co-Chairs’ Message: https://calawyers.org/business-law/message-from-christopher-hughes-and-soyeun-choi-co-chairs-of-the-business-law-section-13/
Full September eNews: https://calawyers.org/tag/business-law-enews/


Who's liable when no one's behind the wheel?At this year's Brandel Luncheon, Professor Jiaqi Ma, Director of the UCLA Mo...
10/14/2026

Who's liable when no one's behind the wheel?

At this year's Brandel Luncheon, Professor Jiaqi Ma, Director of the UCLA Mobility Lab, presents "AI Behind the Wheel: Autonomous Vehicles, Business Transformation, and the Law's Next Challenge."

He'll cover where the autonomous vehicle industry stands today, where it's headed, and how business law needs to adapt on safety, liability, data, insurance and regulation.

Friday, October 23 | 12:00 PM | San Diego | $20
Register: https://hubs.la/Q04Bd1rK0

Every contract looks solid until it's tested.The Business Law Section is presenting "Litigation-Ready Drafting: Risk All...
10/13/2026

Every contract looks solid until it's tested.

The Business Law Section is presenting "Litigation-Ready Drafting: Risk Allocation That Survives Disputes" at the 2026 CLA Annual Meeting.

Speakers Soyeun Choi, Soody Tronson, Stephen Kong, and Mala Sahai will focus on risk allocation architecture: indemnities, limitations of liability, remedies realism, and dispute resolution structure, and how AI-assisted materials are reshaping contract defensibility. Whether you draft deals or litigate their failures, this session delivers guidance you can apply immediately.

You'll leave this session with practical drafting principles that increase clarity, align incentives, and reduce downstream friction across a range of deal types, including commercial transactions, financings, and system-based relationships.

Spots are filling quickly. Don't wait to register for the 2026 CLA Annual Meeting: https://calawyers.org/2026-annual-meeting/

Four decades in practice. Partner at five national law firms. More than 100 talks on bankruptcy, secured lending and Art...
10/12/2026

Four decades in practice. Partner at five national law firms. More than 100 talks on bankruptcy, secured lending and Article 9. And in retirement, a climb up Mt. Kilimanjaro.

Meet Mikel R. Bistrow, the 2026 Roland E. Brandel Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, a lawyer known to "leave no stone unturned."

Read her story: https://calawyers.org/business-law/mikel-renay-bistrow-receives-business-law-sections-2025-roland-e-brandel-lifetime-achievement-award/

Celebrate Mikel with us on Friday, October 23 at the Brandel Luncheon in San Diego. $20. Register: https://calawyers.org/event/2026-roland-e-brandel-lifetime-achievement-award-luncheon/

Join the Business Law Section at the 2026 CLA Annual Meeting for "Enforcement Readiness and Multistate Compliance for Bu...
10/09/2026

Join the Business Law Section at the 2026 CLA Annual Meeting for "Enforcement Readiness and Multistate Compliance for Business Clients."

This practice-focused session gives entity counsel, in-house advisors, and litigators a clear framework for stronger governance. You'll walk away with guidance on:
▪️Designing sound processes for boards, managers, and controlling stakeholders
▪️Identifying conflicts early and maintaining documentation discipline
▪️Managing AI-assisted analysis and automated workflows in decision-making, investigations, and reporting
▪️Spotting and mitigating bias in AI-assisted recommendations
▪️Building decisions that hold up if challenged by investors, regulators, or plaintiffs

Hear practical insights from panelists Jean Cha, Sameer Desai, and James Yoon.

Secure your seat and turn governance risk into defensible practice.

Register for the 2026 CLA Annual Meeting: https://calawyers.org/2026-annual-meeting/

Uneven valuations. Higher cost of capital. Shifting liquidity. Your clients feel it in every financing and every exit. T...
10/07/2026

Uneven valuations. Higher cost of capital. Shifting liquidity. Your clients feel it in every financing and every exit.

The Business Law Section is excited to present "Capital Strategies and Exit Planning in a Mixed Market" at the 2026 CLA Annual Meeting.

This session gives counsel a practical map for guiding clients when assumptions shift, covering venture and growth financing, structured capital, M&A readiness, entity choice, governance mechanics, and how lender covenant architecture affects exit flexibility. Hanifa Baporia, Roger Royse, and Michael Umansky bring deep transactional and disputes experience to a discussion designed to be commercially grounded and immediately applicable.

You'll leave with a resilience-by-design framework for advising capital and exits across any market condition.

Register for the 2026 CLA Annual Meeting: https://hubs.la/Q04zydND0

Join us at the 2026 CLA Annual Meeting for the 3rd Annual Joint Sections Awards Reception. This year, the Business Law S...
10/07/2026

Join us at the 2026 CLA Annual Meeting for the 3rd Annual Joint Sections Awards Reception.

This year, the Business Law Section's Agribusiness Standing Committee joins the celebration. Committee Chair Robert E. Boone III, Partner at Maschoff Brennan, will introduce the committee and share more about its work.

Stay to network, meet colleagues from across CLA's sections, and celebrate attorney excellence from across California.

Date: Friday, October 23, 2026
Time: 5:15 PM
Location: Coral 4 Ballroom, Sheraton San Diego Resort
No registration required.

Learn more about the 2026 CLA Annual Meeting: https://calawyers.org/2026-annual-meeting/

What legal issues arise when AI and automated technologies enter agribusiness?Join us for a webinar featuring Robert E. ...
09/29/2026

What legal issues arise when AI and automated technologies enter agribusiness?

Join us for a webinar featuring Robert E. Boone III, who brings nearly 40 years of experience representing companies across the agriculture, food, technology, banking, and aviation industries.

Robert will explore key legal considerations surrounding the growing use of AI and automation in agriculture, including privacy, contracts, intellectual property, and tort issues.

October 6 | 12:00–1:00 PM
1 Participatory MCLE Credit

Register now: https://hubs.la/Q04yBtbF0

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Sacramento, CA

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