About Jessica Ogilvie
Jessica Ogilvie is an award-winning journalist whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, Los Angeles Magazine, Conde Nast Traveler, Buzzfeed, L.A. Weekly and many more. She was a contributing editor at Playboy for six years, and is currently at work on a memoir.
Articles written by Jessica Ogilvie
Divorce Is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
How to choose the best path and guide for the difficult roadGetting divorced in California, in the emotional aspect, is the same as getting divorced anywhere. “It is really, really hard,” says Stacy D. Phillips, a certified family law specialist at Blank Rome in Los Angeles. “The process is emotionally difficult. It just is.” But procedurally, it’s often different. California has a deep reserve of retired or semi-retired family law judges who can help move the process along outside of court as mediators and judges pro tem. …
Facing Down a DUI Charge
What California law says and the defenses you can makeIt’s every driver’s nightmare: You’re tooling down the road and, suddenly, red and blue lights flash behind you. Hopefully, there’s no reason to be concerned. But if an officer believes you’re under the influence, you may be looking at an arrest. If you’re facing a DUI charge—whether warranted or not—here’s what to know. How They Build a Case Law enforcement officers need to establish reasonable suspicion to pull them over. This is done by watching for traffic violations such …
Tsang’s Way
What Mei Tsang brings to her intellectual property practiceSitting in her sun-filled Irvine office, Mei Tsang gestures to a colorful abstract painting leaning against the wall. A gift from the artist, Tsang’s late friend Virginia Phillips, the work is called On Our Back. “It looks like hills, but it’s to celebrate a woman who does so much for society,” says Tsang. “I bought it from her when she was alive. ... This was a piece that I really loved. It moved me—the colors and the meaning.” Tsang, 50, is dressed in casual black pants, a white …
Once More Unto the Breach
Torin Dorros’ niche is private medical data leaksThe client who changed the direction of Torin Dorros’ career was a nurse in the midst of a new relationship. All was going well, until she discovered that her partner’s ex—also a nurse—had, in a fit of jealousy, accessed her medical files, including mental healthcare and OB-GYN records, and posted the information online. Dorros reached out to the medical provider, citing a violation of the California Confidentiality of Medical Information Act. As the case was resolving in mediation, …
Lessons from the Bench
Stephen Larson picked up some do’s and don’ts during his time as a judgeMany an attorney has found him or herself standing in front of a judge, wishing they knew what the robed individual was thinking. For Stephen Larson, a founding partner of Larson LLP, which has offices in Southern California and Washington, D.C., the answer became clear after he spent 10 years as a U.S. magistrate and district judge. “You see what works, what doesn’t work, what’s effective, what’s ineffective,” Larson says. “You also get the sense of what rings true to a judge …
Finding an American Dream
Nguyen D. Luu helps his pro bono clients navigate difficult watersIt was 2021 when Nguyen D. Luu received word from the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) that help was needed in Wisconsin. The San Jose-based immigration attorney was told that more than 13,000 Afghan refugees had landed in camps as part of the United States’ resettlement program following the country’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. Luu arrived in November, and the circumstances were grim: children running barefoot in the snow, people with no coats or other protection from …
Going Further Than the Maryland Child Victims Act
Samantha Dos Santos aims to hold perpetrators accountable, whether they’re backed by institutions or notOn April 26, Samantha Dos Santos, a partner in the Maryland law firm Plaxen Adler Muncy, published an op-ed in The Baltimore Sun titled “Maryland must pursue justice for all sex-abuse survivors.” In it, Dos Santos addressed the benefits and shortcomings of Maryland Child Victims Act of 2023. The act lifted the statute of limitations on civil lawsuits in child sexual abuse cases, making it easier for survivors to pursue justice. However, Dos Santos argued that many attorneys are now focusing …
All About Chemistry
Why Hang Alexandra Do turned her passion for science into a successful law careerHang Alexandra Do grew up predominantly in the Bay Area with a passion for science that was sparked by the ocean and marine life in general—and by one creature in particular. “I had this huge love for whales,” says the senior associate at Wilson Turner Kosmo in San Diego. “I loved learning about them, their ecosystem, everything.” Her curiosity about the sciences was further stoked in high school, when a teacher engaged Do’s class in the concepts of chemistry through baking. “I …
Trade Talks
Clifton Albright worked with both Obama and Trump administrations to ensure small businesses are repped fairlyIt wasn’t a surprise when Clifton Albright received an invitation from President Barack Obama’s administration to serve on the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Small, Minority, and Woman-led Business. He’d worked to help elect him and became friendly with people in his inner circle. But when the Trump administration asked him to stay on board, that was unexpected. “I was packing up,” says Albright, a founding partner at Albright, Yee & Schmit. “I figured it was over. …
The Medical Malpractice Defender Inspired by Erin Brockovich
Sarah Cherry watched the Julia Roberts film as an adolescent and found her callingAs a child, Sarah Cherry aspired to excel in the arts, medicine and the law. The Michigan-based medical malpractice defender saw the world as full of opportunity for an ambitious young person. “I wanted to be an actress, I wanted to be a doctor, I want to be a lawyer,” she says. “I had the impression I could do all those things at once.” That impression remained in place until the day law took the lead in an unexpected way. Cherry was 13 years old when she saw Erin Brockovich—starring …
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