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LEGAL LINKS
Orange County Bar Association:
This bar association is a voluntary one that many practicing attorneys belong to for reasons of continuing legal education, networking, service to the Orange County Superior Court, and affording legal assistance to the community at large. You must be a member to access many of the member benefits referenced at the site. Go to: www.ocbar.org
Pacer:
You can access the actual court documents filed in all of the Federal trial and bankruptcy courts in the country, and print them out at a relatively nominal cost. This is a valuable reference source for both attorneys and consumers. You must register to be able to log in. Go to: www.pacer.gov/psco/cgi-bin/links.pl
The Daily Journal:
This is the foremost legal newspaper in California. It contains in-depth articles on current events affecting the legal profession, disciplinary reports on attorneys, jury verdict and settlement results throughout various California counties, profiles on various judges and attorneys throughout the state, and advance sheets on the latest published appellate decisions of import. You must register to be able to log in, but other than that it is free. Go to: www.dailyjournal.com/index.cfm?cat=topstories
Contractors State License Board:
Don’t retain a contractor until you can verify his license status, bonding company, and workers’ compensation carrier. This site will also explain the significance of what particular types of contracting work your contractor may be licensed to do. For example, don’t hire a landscaping contractor to build your new swimming pool. Go to: www.cslb.ca.gov
State Bar of California:
A valuable resource for attorneys and consumers alike, you can check the background of any attorney in the state by using the search feature. In addition to providing you with the current business address and telephone number of any attorney licensed in the state, it will also provide you with a brief description of their educational background, years in practice, and details pertaining to any disciplinary proceedings that they may have subject to. Go to: www.calbar.ca.gov
Kelly Blue Book:
If your vehicle is totaled in a motor vehicle accident, you are usually limited to the fair market value (FMV) of the vehicle at the time of the accident, and not its replacement or original purchase value. The Blue Book can give you a good reference for what the FMV might be, although be forewarned that it is not the last word on the subject insofar as what an insurance carrier may offer you on your loss. Go to: www.kbb.com
Department of Real Estate:
This state sponsored site can provide valuable information on the realty profession, including checking the status of any given realtor and the process for making complaints to the Department if you have had a bad experience with a realtor. Go to: www.dre.ca.gov/index.html
Orange County Superior Court:
You can go on-line at this site to obtain information about court procedures and forms, and you can actually access the docket entries for civil, criminal, family law, and probate cases. Most of the civil case pleadings noted on the docket entries can be downloaded for a nominal cost. You can also verify the tentative rulings of the judges on pending law and motion matters, and which are posted on-line the day before the hearing is to be had. This is a very valuable resource, especially if you want to check the litigation history of a person or business entity. Go to: www.occourts.org
Los Angeles Superior Court:
The L.A. Superior Court’s website is not quite as user friendly as the O.C. Superior Court’s website, but you can still access a lot of information. For a nominal fee, searches for litigants or case histories can be initiated. Go to: www.lasuperiorcourt.org
California Secretary of State:
The main value of this site is its search engine that allows you to verify if a corporation or L.L.C. is an active business or not, including verification of their main business address and agent for service of process. No lawsuit against a business entity should be initiated without first accessing this resource to verify the correct name of the entity, whether its corporate license is suspended or not (which can effect the enforceability and successful collection of any judgment that one may obtain against that entity), and where their agent for service of process is located. Go to: http://kepler.sos.ca.gov
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