About Beth Taylor
Beth Taylor was a senior editor for Super Lawyers for more than 20 years, and has won dozens of awards for headline-writing and editing throughout her career. Previously, she was an editor and covered courts for The Orlando Sentinel. She also worked for go2net and KIRO-TV in Seattle, where she wrote for and edited their websites. In addition, Beth edited The Kitsap Business Journal and Media Inc. Beth has written travel books, including Around Seattle With Kids for Fodor’s and Seattle Day By Day for Frommer’s, and online travel guides for Google. Her travel writing has appeared in publications including the Chicago Tribune and the San Francisco Chronicle. Beth has a B.A. in communications/journalism and a master’s degree in political science.
Articles written by Beth Taylor
When the Government Needs Your Land
You get a letter in the mail from a government agency saying there’s a new freeway on-ramp in the works — and your house is in the way. The agency wants to take your property for the project. What should you do next? Doing nothing is your worst option. “The old saying was, ‘You can’t fight city hall,’” says Joseph H. Fagundes, who practices eminent domain law at Malm Fagundes in Stockton. “That’s absolutely incorrect.” Know Your Rights While it may be impossible to derail …
Guidelines for Resolving Rental Disputes in Florida
Before you sign on the dotted lines to rent a home or apartment in the State of Florida, take another look at that lease and follow these best practices: Read the lease carefully Understand how the security deposit works Negotiate with the landlord Consult an attorney if in doubt Even on the standard agreement used by most landlords, there are variations. “Most leases have options to choose what the landlord and tenant will be responsible for, such as garbage removal,” says Miami real …
Cruise Lawsuit Raises Liability Question
Eric Ewing was on a weeklong island cruise with his brother and sister-in-law aboard the Carnival Ecstasy on Jan. 25, 2018, eating pizza as he sat on his bed, when an upper bunk crashed down on his head. His attorney, Miami maritime lawyer Keith Brais with Brais Law Firm, says his 53-year-old client suffered a traumatic brain injury and equilibrium issues. “Mr. Ewing’s injuries are life-altering and will eventually make it impossible for him to ambulate on his own or even take care of …
Tribute to 'Lion of the Bar' Stephen Susman
Founder of Susman Godfrey pioneered boutique and contingency lawStephen Susman, pioneer of contingency-based commercial law, fierce advocate of the jury system, and founder of Houston-based Susman Godfrey, passed away July 14 at age 79. Susman was riding his bicycle with a group of lawyers on April 22 when his wheel hit a crack and he was thrown from the bike. He was in a coma for more than a week, then regained consciousness and was moved by the middle of May to Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center for rehabilitation. However, he was diagnosed in late …
If I Could Change One Thing About Immigration Policy
Three lawyers submit to direct questioningAliya Alishiva: The U.S. Congress has, throughout history and even to this day, discriminated against immigrants according to their countries of origin. While those who are knowledgeable of history may be aware of events like the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which banned Chinese immigrants altogether and was later repealed, or Woodrow Wilson’s administration in the early 20th century emphasizing immigrants from Western European countries with Scandinavian or Germanic heritage and ignoring …
Suit Targets Florida Utility in Water Main Outage
Adam Moskowitz says thousands of Fort Lauderdale businesses were affectedAn attempt by a Florida Power & Light subcontractor to make underground electrical repairs near the Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport went wrong last July 17, rupturing a 42-inch water main and leaving many Fort Lauderdale businesses temporarily high and dry. Now, Miami attorney Adam Moskowitz and Fort Lauderdale lawyers William Scherer at Conrad & Scherer and Cristina Pierson at Kelley Uustal are seeking class action status for a lawsuit against the utility and three of its …
Trial by COVID-19
Despite lockdowns, courtroom health scares and two delays in a trial with a pandemic as the backdrop, an Oakland attorney returns home from Kentucky with a winOn Feb. 20, Randy Sue Pollock went to Kentucky to represent a client in a federal trial on drug and money-laundering charges. By the time she flew home nine weeks later, both Kentucky and Pollock’s home state of California were in lockdown; two health scares had delayed the trial; and she and her paralegal had spent two months in an Airbnb trying to social-distance from each other. She did get an acquittal for her client on all counts. “Other lawyers and friends could not believe that we …
Lawsuit Targets Princess Cruises Over Coronavirus Cases
San Francisco lawyers Mary Alexander and Elizabeth Cabraser seek class actionWhat was supposed to be a dream cruise around the Hawaiian islands ended in an outbreak of COVID-19 aboard the Grand Princess, the eventual deaths of two passengers and a crew member, and now a lawsuit against Princess Cruise Lines, filed by San Francisco attorneys Mary Alexander, at Mary Alexander & Associates, and Elizabeth Cabraser, at Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein. On Feb. 21, when the Grand Princess headed out for Hawaii, it had returned to San Francisco that same day from a …
Coping Skills: COVID-19 Lockdown
Northern California lawyers talk about adjusting to the new normalAs coronavirus lockdowns stretch toward the second month in several states, Northern California attorneys are finding ways to adapt to working remotely, having the kids home from school, and handling all the other challenges that go with trying to sidestep a pandemic. San Francisco immigration attorney Philip M. Levin, with Philip Levin & Associates, says his practice area presents unique work-from-home frustrations. “Immigration law is administrative law, and we have a fairly robust …
Airline Regulations Post-COVID-19: Refunds and Passenger Rights
When an airline cancels your flight, they owe you a full refund. Federal law provides a right to a full refund of your ticket for cancellations or significant delays of three or more hours for a domestic flight. Airlines offer rebooking or flight credit, which travelers can accept or reject in favor of a refund. Airlines can make it difficult for you to enforce your air passenger rights. Many air travelers feel they must accept whatever the airlines offer. To understand more about your air …
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