Hackard Law is happy to donate $5,000 to the American Red Cross relief effort for victims of the devastating wildfires in Hawaii. Michael Hackard participated in KCRA 3's Help Hawaii Telethon on the evening of Monday, August 14th. Thank you to all who have contributed for their care and generosity towards disaster survivors. [embed]https://youtu.be/2GGkOb6K0U4[/embed][...]

Hackard Law is pleased to announce that we've been featured in Comstock's Magazine, the premier publication for Sacramento's business community. We're proud of our attorneys, staff and all the hard work they do on behalf of our clients in estate and trust litigation. Here's the photo feature: [caption id="attachment_2311" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Hackard Law attorneys from left to right: Brian Geremia, Andrea Athens, Michael Hackard, Sarah Cullen and Dave Jones.[/caption][...]

Over 200 million Americans are staying home – sheltering in place. Covid-19, the culprit behind our need to take cover, is capturing the world’s headlines. And, we Americans, overwhelmed by minute-by-minute breaking news, want our questions answered. Headlines are not enough. And, the first question is how does the Coronavirus impact our bodies. The answer to the question is better shown, than told. So, thanks to the generosity of High Impact, a leading team of animators, forensic experts and physicians, this most important question is answered. High Impact is nationally known for assisting firms like Hackard Law in telling stories in ways that mere words cannot describe. The leaders of High Impact freely share this video wi[...]

We have a cascade of coronavirus updates. Given our firm’s presence in litigating both probate and civil cases in California’s courts, we have an active interest in staying up to date how our judicial system is treating the coronavirus pandemic. We collectively meet every Friday for a status review of cases and their scheduling requirements. Part of this review is an update of any changed court procedures. We can start with the highest court in the land. The U.S. Supreme Court announced Thursday, March 12, that it “will be closed to the public until further notice amid the coronavirus pandemic.” As of today, March 13, Sacramento, San Francisco and San Diego Courts are approaching the pandemic in different ways. The Sacramen[...]

Alternative dispute resolution (ADR) is an integral part of virtually all California civil lawsuits. ADR encompasses mediation, arbitration, court settlement conferences and neutral case evaluation. Less than 3% of civil lawsuits proceed to an actual trial. So, mediation of a civil lawsuit is common. The common mediation scenario starts at the mediator’s office. The parties to the lawsuit are assigned different meeting rooms. Some mediators start the mediation with an introduction that gathers the parties together in the same room. Now, you see where we’re going. Given the current heightened concerns over the high contagion factor of COVID-19, two leading California mediation groups have issued outbreak advisories for mediation[...]

We’re nearing Christmas. It is a time of great joy. And, of course it has its own stresses. Over the years, I’ve made efforts to remember and somehow reflect on the magic of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It helps to re-center the joy of the season. So, I’ll share some thoughts for us in this Christmas of 2019. Everyone has value. We are all children of God. There is magic in seeing life as a child. Our actions affect others. We can transform ourselves in helping and loving others. We all probably have a little Scrooge in us. We can do better. We can have joy. We can share. And, finally in the words of Tiny Tim, “God bless us, everyone.” Merry Christmas. [embed]https://www.youtube.com/w[...]