About John Devendorf, Esq.
John Devendorf is a graduate of UCLA and holds a J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law, where he was a Distinguished Scholar, recipient of the ALI-ABA Scholarship and Leadership Award, and a participant in the Immigrant Workers’ Rights Clinic and special delegation to Haiti.
A licensed attorney for more than a decade, John transitioned to a career as a legal content writer and editor after an externship with the IRS, a judicial clerkship, and practicing at a civil litigation firm in Princeton, New Jersey. John now lives in Portland, Oregon, where he enjoys writing, international travel, and escape rooms.
Articles written by John Devendorf, Esq.
Pornography Age Verification Laws: State-By-State Regulations After SCOTUS Ruling
Online adult content has become a battleground for state regulation. After years of legal challenges, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2025 that age verification laws are constitutional. Lawmakers are acting quickly, creating a complicated patchwork of rules that can affect anyone from national website operators to local counsel advising clients on compliance. The legal landscape is shifting in real time. Here is what you need to know about current laws and legal trends. Speak with a …
Suing in Small Claims Court: State-By-State Limits, Fees, and Steps
Small claims court is a local court process that allows individuals and businesses to resolve minor financial disputes quickly and easily without necessarily needing a lawyer. If someone owes you money for a loan or personal property damage, or a contractor failed to finish the job you paid them to do, small claims court offers a simple way to go to court to get a resolution to your legal matter. For more complex cases, you may find it helpful to consult a local attorney for legal guidance. If …
Rental Pest Control: Who Pays for Exterminators and Treatments?
Renters may be accustomed to seeing the occasional pest in or around their rental property. Pest infestations, on the other hand, can threaten your health and safety. Landlords generally have a legal responsibility to ensure the premises are safe and fit for human habitation, and this includes addressing pest infestations. But tenants can also be responsible for causing a pet infestation. Liability and pest control responsibilities for landlords and tenants can vary based on state and local …
What Data Privacy Laws Protect Me? A State-By-State Guide
If you live in the United States, your personal data privacy can be protected by a combination of state and federal laws. While there is currently no comprehensive federal data privacy law, an increasing number of states have enacted data privacy legislation. These laws include the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), Colorado Privacy Act (CPA), and Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act (VCDPA). If you have questions about your data privacy rights or feel your rights have been violated, seek …
Security Deposit Refunds: State Deadlines To Return My Money
Every state sets its own deadline for returning a security deposit, and those timelines are not always what tenants expect. Knowing where your state falls can make the difference between waiting patiently and recognizing when something is off. Understanding these deadlines puts you in a position to act if your money is being held too long. For legal help getting your security deposit back, speak with a landlord-tenant lawyer. What Is a Security Deposit? A security deposit is a payment landlords …
Aging Parent Estate Planning: Strategies To Start the Talk
Managing a person’s property and assets after they pass away is a burden that surviving family members must deal with. Estate planning can help ease that burden. The following article offers helpful information and strategies for discussing estate planning with loved ones before it's too late. For more information, talk to a local estate planning attorney. How To Talk to Your Parents About Estate Planning Talking about end-of-life care is difficult at any age. Younger people often put off …
Pour-Over Will Guide: Purpose and When To Use One
A pour-over will is a catch-all for assets you don’t directly allocate in your estate planning documents. Using a pour-over will ensures that assets not already in your will or trust are moved into a trust. The probate court must verify the assets before they go to the trust. Without a pour-over will, your heirs may have to go through the probate process for minor assets and property, which could have been avoided. If you are using a living trust, your estate planning attorney will …
Life Insurance Payouts: How Estates Process Death Benefits
Life insurance policies pay out when you pass away, including death benefits to designated beneficiaries. Naming beneficiaries under your life insurance policy will provide death benefits without going through probate. These benefits can help provide for your family members and loved ones in a time of need. If you do not name your life insurance beneficiaries, the payout will be delayed while it goes through probate. For more information about how estates process death benefits for life …
Will Contests: Who Has Legal Standing and How To File
When a family member or loved one dies, you may expect to get something in their will. If you’re not named as a beneficiary or only get a small inheritance, you may suspect something is wrong with the will. You can challenge the will if you can prove there was undue influence, fraud, or forgery. But to challenge a will, you need legal standing. Standing refers to your legal right to bring a lawsuit or file a claim in court. To have standing, you must have some connection to the case, …
Bank Account Inheritance: What Happens To Your Cash at Death
When you die, the cash in your bank account is inherited through your estate, right of survivorship, or beneficiary designation. For a joint account, the asset transfer is automatic to the joint owner. A bank or trust account with a payable on death beneficiary gets a non-probate direct inheritance. After the estate executor notifies the bank with a death certificate, an account freeze prohibits further withdrawals. Without a will, accounts transfer by intestate succession to a surviving spouse …
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