I’m Mike Hackard of Hackard Law. Diamond cutting shapes a rough stone into a faceted gem. It’s extremely difficult. The best diamond cutters use great knowledge, tools, and techniques. The diamond is usually cut to be seen from only one direction. Catastrophic injury lawsuits are like diamond cutting. The cases start with a very rough set of facts. Different views change how the facts are seen. We start with a preliminary set of rules. The case is developed. The facts are seen from different perspectives. Some views are clear. Others clouded. We update the rules. Rules well established in law, practice or common sense. Knowledge, tools and techniques transform the rough case. The case evolves from intense information gath[...]

California trust, estate & catastrophic injury litigation shifted dramatically in March 2020. Standard approaches to disputed case resolutions are put to the test. Trial dates settle cases. Covid impacts trial dates. Judges suspend, postpone, and defer 2020 trial dates into 2021. 2021 trial dates are now problematical. Our clients depend on us to advance their cases. We accept the challenge. When litigators are not in trial, they should be training for trial. The ultimate goal of trial training is to win cases. Continued training is a commitment to excellence. Continued training makes our adversary system of justice work. Continued training benefits our clients. New and existing clients deserve to kno[...]

Just about everyone is happy that 2020 is almost over – it’s been an incredibly rough ride for just about all of us. In between the Covid pandemic, waves of shutdowns, and social upheaval, it’s safe to say we have nowhere to go from here but onward and upward. Thankfully, we have the Christmas Season to celebrate. Christmas is my favorite holiday for lots of reasons, but the main one is its deep consolation to mankind. In the cold night sky a star burns brightly, and in a humble manger below, our Savior is born. “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God is with us.”) (Matthew 1:23) We’ve undergone many challenges this year, and we’ll be ready for new ones[...]

I’m Mike Hackard. I’m part of a plaintiffs’ litigation law practice. This practice is rich in helping clients, neighbors and friends deal with overcoming the familiar barriers, challenges and trials of estate, trust, and catastrophic injury litigation. While there are many similar fact patterns, there are others less commonplace. This Christmas season brings a few of the less commonplace to mind. We all have our Holiday or Christmas reflections. Maybe rituals. Each year is different in some way. Each Christmas season, I’ve made it a point to reflect upon the life lessons from Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. I’ve read the book many times, seen it presented in plays, and watched several film versions of the story. It [...]

Hello, I’m Mike Hackard of Hackard Law. We’re a law firm that civilly prosecutes trust beneficiary and catastrophic injury claims in California’s Superior Courts. Juries are empowered by our system to impose accountability and consequences for those who have broken the rules and caused injury to another. Juries ultimately determine the damages – that which was taken from seniors inflicted by financial elder abuse through no fault of their own. California vests juries with great authority to calculate damage remedies against financial elder abusers. Our statute says that an elder financially abused by a defendant may recover compensatory damages as part of their lawsuit. Compensatory damages include both economic (what was phys[...]

Hello, I’m Mike Hackard. I lead a group of Hackard Law lawyers who civilly prosecute trust beneficiary and catastrophic injury claims in California’s Superior Courts. A significant part of our litigation involves the recovery of damages from defendants who’ve inflicted financial elder abuse on seniors. California, like many states, provides for strong damage remedies against financial elder abusers. Our statute says that an elder financially abused by a defendant may recover compensatory damages as part of their lawsuit. Compensatory damages include both economic (what was physically taken or out of pocket losses) and noneconomic damages (widely referenced as physical pain, mental suffering and emotional distress). Our state’s[...]

I’m Mike Hackard of Hackard Law. All trust beneficiary litigation, with its potent blend of family feuds, grief over loss, and conflict over money, is ultimately a quest for justice: the prevention of harm, protection of the victims, and pursuit of beneficiary rights. An abused beneficiary experiences several emotions: a deep-rooted mix of family expectations, fear of rejection, and mourning. These cases stem from wrongdoing - from the violation of moral, family or legal rules. Trustees who fraudulently or recklessly breach their duties of loyalty and fidelity may be liable for the emotional distress damages inflicted on the abused beneficiary. Lawsuits may be filed to prevent further harm to beneficiaries. To protect them from cont[...]

Hi, I’m Stephanie at Hackard Law. Now that our Christmas 2020 Guitar Giveaway is completed, we are excited to announce the winner: contestant Torrance Baird was chosen by our random comment picker software to receive the prize, a brand-new Fender Player Stratocaster HSS in classic red. Congratulations to Torrance, and we’ll get in touch with you to send you the guitar shortly. Torrance’s favorite Christmas song is Carol of the Bells, and his favorite Christmas movie is White Christmas. We would also like to thank each and every one of you who participated for all your likes, comments and shares. We appreciate your participation – you guys make these awesome contests possible! And stay tuned for future guitar giveaways by Hacka[...]