Fiduciary duties are basically the ninjas of the law. They’re everywhere and they take on many different forms, often arising in both corporate and family settings. Jack Russo asks Professor Rafael Chodos if this is something better left for fiduciaries and trustees or if lawyers are thinking too narrowly about this topic under the light of the covid pandemic. Though coronavirus hasn’t impacted fiduciary duties the way many of us expected, it has changed the way the law is applied. Rafael explains how defining fiduciary duty as a three place predicate makes fiduciary duty laws equally rigid and flexible that adapt to changes happening in our lives.

It has been quite a few decades since Jack Russo met Blake Stafford at Davis, Stafford, Kellman & Fenwick. 50 years later the good vibes are still flowing between the two and the support has spread through the family with Blake’s daughter, Paige, and granddaughter, Audrey, have also worked with Jack. Join Jack for this very Stafford reunion as they recount the many times their professional paths have crossed.

Before Covid-19 was even over, people were already concerned that a second, worse phase was waiting to strike. Data from the 1918 pandemic shows there were 3 “phases” where the virus surged and 100 years later, we aren’t sure if things will be so much different. While the numbers keep ticking up, Jack Russo and Dr. Leonard Hayflick take to the waves to remind us of the three simple ways we can protect ourselves and our loved ones from this potentially fatal disease instead of waiting for it to blow up and peter out on its own.

Click HERE to read more about the fight against covid.

Is our tax system too complicated? Californians have long heard about the ongoing mass exodus of people fleeing to other states citing everything from sky high home prices to jam-packed traffic and even just getting tired of state taxes. However, the frequency of people considering leaving the US altogether seems to be increasing, posing a worrying trend for the government to acknowledge and resolve before it gets too late. Does the motivation for this move go beyond covid worries and Zoom capabilities? Jack Russo asks CPA Steve Rabin if it is possible for US citizens to avoid state and federal taxes by leaving the country.

Sometimes the data just doesn’t make sense. The US is at 3.1 million covid infection cases, yet China, where the outbreak originated, is reporting only 90,000 cases. Absolute numbers do not tell the truth. What you need to look at are the number of cases and deaths in respect to the population (i.e. cases and deaths per 100,000 people). Other factors to consider is what is the definition of a case, who determines the cause of death and how accurate that information is. Jack Russo and Dr. Leonard Hayflick talk in greater depths about the massive way coronavirus has infected our population and how we can look at the data and statistics through a different eye.

Click HERE for more information!

How cool would it be to talk to some of the greatest minds from the past and get their opinions on important matters happening today? For the Institute for the Future (TIFT), Eileen Clegg designs timeline murals used to reveal patterns between society and technology which gives TIFT information to forecast the future. Jack Russo wonders if augmented human intelligence could be in the future as he and Eileen Clegg celebrate Douglas Engelbart’s theory of coevolution and the idea that mapping and organizing information could solve problems all over the world.

Several states are reporting big surges in covid cases and people everywhere are beginning to worry as we all head back to work. Today Jack Russo finds out from Dr. Leonard Hayflick if we are experiencing a resurgence in the virus or if Darwin is at work and this is more of an upsurge because, as a society, we failed to observe practical hygiene that prevents the spread of this disease.

With poor leadership from the government, and possibly a few ulterior motives in a no-win situation, it’s survival of the fittest at its core.

Click HERE to check out this alarming article from The New York Times.

The greatest risk factor for the leading cause of death is to ignore it. It’s not just words of wisdom from Dr. Hayflick, but the title of his new paper. Understanding the etiology of aging has largely been disregarded by many, including scientists who are incentivized to continue focusing on treating the effects of aging since major developments against aging would threaten their livelihoods. Could it be that the entire area of the actual causation of death boils down to (intentional) understudying? Listen in as Jack Russo finds out more about this complicated subject that leaves even things such as death certificates open to suspect.

Is there a heightened fiduciary duty when a pandemic is running rampant? The current atmosphere is fragile, and it is noble for CEO’s, board members, trustees, officers and other titled peoples who take extra care to act in the interests of trustees, beneficiaries and consumers – but should it be essential? One could easily argue that the law is the law and standards should remain consistent. Jack Russo chats with Rafael Chodos about the differences between changes in the law and changes in required behavior to determine basic competency in this new environment.

On July 9, 2020, SCOTUS issued an important ruling in a case that combined geography, history, and law in one important setting: Do Indian Nations with Treaty Rights exist as sovereign nations as various Treaties from the 1800s so stated?  The answer by a divided (5-4) Supreme Court was yes; this case is far more important than most press accounts now state. . Treaty Laws passed over 100 years ago have now come into focus: The decision by SCOTUS this week establishes that the Creek Nation Tribe are sovereign; a state criminal conviction for a violent sex crime against a minor was set aside as a result.  What else may no longer be valid?   If an Indian Tribe is a sovereign nation under a Treaty, then a state has no jurisdiction over the Tribe's citizens; who then enforces state law on those Tribal lands?  Are those Treaty-protected Tribal lands able to operate as, in effect, separate nations.  Jack Russo and Professor Bob Acker share their views on the differing majority and dissenting opinions on the role of Treaties under our Constitution and how bad facts in a particular case can impact different views of law regardless of geography and history.  Will Indian Nations now have the ability to build on this or will we see some Congressional renegotiation of Treaties that have been on the books for over a century. 

Click HERE to read more about the Supreme Court's decision.