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Browse below for news, legal insights, information on presentations and events, and other resources from the Weintraub Tobin legal team.

Devinn Martin to speak at UC Davis Law School’s FGASB Culture Week

  • When: Feb 10, 2026 12:00 pm PST - 01:00 pm PST
  • Where: King Hall, Room 1002, UC Davis

On February 10th, the First Generation Advocates Student Board (FGASB) at UC Davis School of Law will host FGASB Culture Week, a series of events focused on supporting and celebrating first-generation law students. Weintraub Tobin attorney Devinn Martin, a first-generation college graduate and attorney, will participate as a panelist, sharing insight and perspective on navigating the legal profession and working in private practice while fostering community, mentorship, and inclusion.

The Briefing: Part One: CCPA’s New Rules on Automated Decision making Technology (ADMT)

Published: February 6, 2026

California privacy law has entered a new phase. In Part One of this two-part episode of The Briefing, Weintraub Tobin Partners Scott Hervey and Richard Buckley breaks down California’s new CCPA regulations governing Automated Decision making Technology, or ADMT. This episode explains how the amended rules go beyond data collection and sharing to regulate how businesses use algorithms, artificial intelligence, and automated tools to make decisions about people.

In this episode, they cover:

Webinar – The Undiscovered Country: Discovery Practice in Trust and Estate Litigation

  • When: Feb 11, 2026 12:00 pm PST - 01:00 pm PST
  • Where: Webinar

Weintraub Tobin is pleased to share that shareholder Lily Harris and associate Madeline Giles will host a webinar on behalf of the Silicon Valley Bar Association on February 11th, 2026. The webinar, titled “The Undiscovered Country: Discovery Practice in Trust and Estate Litigation” will provide an overview of discovery practice as encountered in trust and estate litigation.

Tenant’s Overlooked Risk: Landlord Default

Published: February 5, 2026

by Mark E. Ellinghouse
Real Estate Legal Updates

In the balance of power between landlords and tenants, the risk of default is usually higher for the tenant. While many landlords have accrued wealth and invested in low-risk assets, many tenants are embarking on a new business venture with the hopes of starting the next billion-dollar enterprise. Conventional wisdom holds that 9 out of every 10 of these ventures will fail. Commercial leases reflect this imbalance, providing a laundry-list of protections for the landlord to address a potential tenant default without giving as much attention to the risk of a landlord default.

Christopher Anderson Named Chair of Corporate Practice Group; Justin Borrowdale Named Vice-Chair

Published: February 5, 2026

Weintraub Tobin is pleased to announce the appointment of shareholders Christopher Anderson as Chair and Justin Borrowdale as Vice-Chair of the Firm’s Corporate Practice Group.

Christopher (Chris) is a shareholder and accomplished transactional corporate and healthcare attorney based in the Firm’s Sacramento office. His practice focuses on business transactional matters, with particular emphasis on corporate and healthcare-related clients, healthcare regulatory advice, and complex healthcare mergers & acquisitions. He represents a broad range of clients, including private equity-backed healthcare management companies, ambulatory surgery center development companies, physician practices, hospitals, medical foundations, independent practice associations, clinical laboratories, healthcare technology companies, and telemedicine providers.

WT Clients: Fantasy Author Brandon Sanderson to Launch ‘Cosmere’ Universe on Apple TV

Published: February 4, 2026

Apple TV has secured the screen rights to Mistborn and The Stormlight Archive, two highly sought-after fantasy book series from bestselling author and Weintraub Tobin client Brandon Sanderson, for development across film and television. The deal encompasses Sanderson’s expansive Cosmere universe and followed competitive interest from multiple studios before Apple emerged as the winning bidder.

Sanderson will be closely involved in the adaptations, serving as a producer and creative consultant. Current plans call for Mistborn to be developed as a feature film franchise, with The Stormlight Archive envisioned as a television series.

Brandon Sanderson is represented by Weintraub Tobin shareholder Matt Sugarman.

For more on Apple TV’s development of Sanderson’s Cosmere universe, please see the full Hollywood Reporter article.

WT Clients: Diane Lane Cast in New Exorcist Film

Published: February 4, 2026

Weintraub Tobin client, Diane Lane, has signed on to star in Mike Flanagan’s upcoming installment of The Exorcist franchise, joining Scarlett Johansson and Jacobi Jupe in a new, standalone story set within the iconic horror setting. The film, written and directed by Flanagan and produced by Red Room Pictures, Morgan Creek Entertainment, and Blumhouse-Atomic Monster, will begin production in New York and is scheduled for theatrical release on March 12, 2027. An Oscar nominee and Emmy-nominated actress, Lane continues a strong run of high-profile projects following roles in Feud: Capote vs. The Swans, A Man in Full, and Inside Out 2.

Diane Lane is represented by Weintraub partners, Stan Coleman and Shaun Gordon.

For more information on this project please see the Deadline article here.

Who Really Owns Your Startup’s IP?

Published: January 30, 2026

by Jeffrey Pietsch
The IP Law Blog

The Most Overlooked Mistake That Can Kill Your Company Before It Starts

Most founders assume their company owns what it builds. It doesn’t, at least not automatically.

Under U.S. law, the person who creates intellectual property owns it unless they’ve assigned it in writing. That means your company may not own its core code, designs, or brand even if you paid for them.

I’ve seen financings delayed, acquisitions fall apart, and founders lose control of their own products because they never secured clear IP ownership. It’s the single most common, and most avoidable, legal mistake in early-stage companies.

The Briefing: Why Lady Gaga Beat a Trademark Injunction Over “Mayhem”

Published: January 30, 2026

We previously covered the trademark lawsuit filed by Lost International against Lady Gaga over her use of “Mayhem” in connection with her album, tour, and related merchandise. Now the court has ruled, denying Lost’s motion for a preliminary injunction. In this episode of The Briefing, Weintraub Tobin partners Scott Hervey and Tara Sattler break down the court’s order and what it signals about the Rogers test after the Supreme Court’s Jack Daniel’s decision.

In this episode, they cover: