EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. – The Bureau of Land Management has eased fire restrictions, effective Monday Nov. 4, on public lands managed by the Mother Lode and Ukiah field offices. Fire restrictions were initiated on June 12 to curb the wildfire risk. Recreational target shooting and campfires are once again allowed on public lands with a valid campfire permit, unless otherwise posted.

The easing of fire restrictions applies to public lands managed in Amador, Calaveras, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lake, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba counties.

“Due to cooler fall weather conditions and declining wildfire danger, we are lifting seasonal fire restrictions,” advises Central California District Fire Management Officer Dave Brinsfield. “While weather conditions are no longer causing high wildfire danger, we still urge everyone to Recreate Responsibly to help minimize wildfire potential when visiting public lands.”

The public is reminded to remain cautious and practice good fire safety to help prevent wildfire such as keeping vehicles off dry grass or brush; carrying a fire extinguisher, shovel and water; and getting a permit for any campfire or use of portable gas stoves. California campfire permits are available free online or at BLM, USDA Forest Service and CAL FIRE offices.

The statewide Fire Prevention Order remains in place for BLM-managed public lands in California. Recreational target shooters are reminded that hot bullet fragments and exploding targets can spark a wildfire. Tracer round ammunition and incendiary devices are not allowed on BLM-managed public lands. Recreational target shooters are required to pack out all spent shells, brass and targets. More information on safe recreational target shooting is available on the BLM website.

The public can visit CAL FIRE’s website to learn how to prevent wildland fires. A map of current restrictions and active fire prevention orders are available online. Fire weather forecasts are available through the National Weather Service. For specific questions, please contact the appropriate field office or you may email Public Affairs Officer Philip Oviatt at poviatt@blm.gov.

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Law Firms

As law firm office space shrinks, natural light is in and ‘capacious’ corner offices are gone

By Debra Cassens Weiss

February 29, 2024, 9:06 am CST

Law firms moving to new offices are often saving on space, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they will save money, according to a story in the New York Times on the BigLaw office market.

Firms that move to newer offices are paying a higher price tag per square foot. That means that firms “may wind up paying the same amount” or even more, said Thomas Fulcher, a vice chairman at Savills, a real estate services agency, in an interview with the New York Times.

Fulcher said the new benchmark is about 600 square feet per lawyer, compared to 1,000 square feet in the past.

Now, physical libraries “have gone the way of the landline and the Dictaphone,” and walls of filing cabinets are no longer needed. Also gone are “capacious corner offices,” which have been replaced with “collaborative spaces and multimedia-equipped conference rooms.”

“Lawyers of all seniority, including the so-called rainmakers, now sit in offices of similar size with uniform furniture,” the article reports.

Work-at-home policies are also affecting office size. Chapman and Cutler assigns offices to lawyers who commit to coming to spending three days per week at the office. Those spending less time there will have office space, “but not necessarily one with their name on the door,” said Kelley M. Bender, the firm’s chief operating partner.

New offices often emphasize natural light and may incorporate glass doors instead of wood, audio and video technology, plenty of electrical outlets, air filtration, acoustics and better artificial lighting.

“And recreation has come to the fore,” the New York Times reports. “Few will own up to adding a foosball table, but Venable does have a regulation bocce ball court in its Washington office.”