Stanford Legal Ethics Heavyweight Deborah Rhode Dead At 68

By Emily Lever

Stanford Law School professor Deborah Rhode, a legal ethicist and advocate for women's rights and access to justice, has died, the law school confirmed. She was 68.

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MoFo Handing Out Pair Of Bonuses To Associates

By Justin Wise

Morrison & Foerster LLP is reportedly offering U.S. associates bonuses of up to $140,000 for their work during 2020, joining a group of BigLaw firms that are handing out special bonuses in addition to annual end-of-year monetary rewards.

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Calif. Law School Professor Retires Amid Capitol Riot Fallout

By Justin Wise

John Eastman, a Chapman University law professor and attorney who has represented President Donald Trump, is retiring from his faculty position amid fallout within the university over his appearance at a Washington, D.C., rally that preceded a deadly riot in the U.S. Capitol.

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HP Taps GC As Its Next Chief Legal Officer

By Michele Gorman

HP Inc. will promote its general counsel to chief legal officer as the technology company's current top lawyer prepares to step down after nearly five years in the role, according to a Tuesday announcement.

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Crowell & Moring Nabs Orrick Litigator In San Francisco

By Xiumei Dong

Crowell & Moring LLP has snagged a veteran litigator from Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP for its San Francisco office as part of the East Coast firm's strategy to expand its litigation and regulatory capabilities in California.

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Paul Weiss Builds Bay Area Office With Orrick, Kirkland Hires

By Dave Simpson

Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP announced Wednesday that it's forming the foundation of its Northern California office, adding three litigation partners from Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP and a corporate partner from Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

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Freeman Mathis Promotes 6 Attys To Partner

By Emily Johnson

National litigation firm Freeman Mathis & Gary LLP announced it has promoted six attorneys to partner at its offices in Georgia, Kentucky, Florida and California.

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Where 5 States Stand On Nonlawyer Practice Of Law Regs

By Aebra Coe

At least five states are in various stages of consideration and implementation of new attorney regulations that would expand the universe of who can practice law — in some cases to include nonlawyers.

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Anheuser-Busch Brews Up Discovery Cost-Saving Algorithm

By Steven Lerner

Anheuser-Busch InBev is making more than just beer, as the brewing giant's in-house legal department told Law360 Pulse it has developed a tool that could reduce time spent reviewing documents and cut discovery costs by millions of dollars.

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Legal Industry Still Largely White And Male, ABA Survey Says

By Marco Poggio

White men still occupy most law firm leadership roles and are more likely to move up the ladder than women, minorities and people with disabilities, according to a survey published Tuesday by the American Bar Association.

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Coinbase Appoints New CCO As It Prepares To Go Public

By Al Barbarino

Coinbase named an ex-executive from fintech firm Stripe as its new chief compliance officer on Wednesday, a move that follows a string of legal hires at the cryptocurrency exchange as it pushes into the mainstream banking world and prepares to go public.

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These Firms Steered The Most Cases In The Last 3 Years

By Xiumei Dong

Attorneys have fielded hundreds of thousands of civil lawsuits in federal district courts over the past three years, according to Lex Machina's Law Firms Activity Report released Thursday. Here, Law360 Pulse digs into which law firms racked up the most litigation work.

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Duane Morris Trial Vet Remembered As A 'Wunderkind'

By Rachel Rippetoe

Retired Duane Morris legal malpractice and trial partner Jim Krieg, remembered as a "true lawyer's lawyer" with a wicked sense of humor and wit, has died at age 70, the firm confirmed Tuesday.

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Movers & Shakers

1Law's Jason Velez On Nonlawyer Investment

By Aebra Coe

Attorney Jason Velez launched his firm 1Law to experiment with new ideas around how to deliver legal services, including through technology. Here, he speaks with Law360 Pulse about seeking nonlawyer investment for the firm and other innovations.

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Analysis

Virtual Law Firms Grow Amid BigLaw Hiring Slump

By Xiumei Dong

Several law firms that have long embraced a remote work culture saw their headcounts and revenues soar in 2020, a trend some say will continue post-pandemic now that attorneys have gotten used to the work-from-home model.

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Legal Tech Expands As Remote Work Settles In

By Steven Lerner

As companies went remote in 2020 amid the pandemic, law firms and legal departments supported the changing work environment with new investments in technology.

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Ex-USPTO Director Iancu Rejoins Irell & Manella

By Tiffany Hu

Former U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Andrei Iancu has returned to Irell & Manella LLP as a partner in its intellectual property litigation practice.

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11 Tech Tips To Help Law Firms Prepare For Attys' Return

By Steven Lerner

As law firms bring their legal professionals back to the office, technology will be instrumental to ensuring a safe and productive work environment. Here are 11 ways firms can use technology to ready their offices for the new normal.

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Womble Bond Dickinson Adds Hogan Lovells IP Vet in Calif.

By Rachel Rippetoe

Womble Bond Dickinson LLP has snagged an intellectual property veteran from Hogan Lovells to join its Silicon Valley office.

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Calif. Explores Changing Its Bar Exam, Or Nixing It Altogether

By Ryan Boysen

For the rest of the year, a California commission will study whether any major changes should be made to its bar exam or whether the test should continue to be administered at all, according to a Tuesday announcement.

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Paul Weiss Snags Another Kirkland Partner For New SF Office

By Rachel Rippetoe

Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP continued its Northern California expansion this week with the hire of another Kirkland corporate partner, the firm announced Thursday.

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Freshfields Hires NSA Attorney For Cyber Practice

By Emily Lever

Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP has hired a former National Security Agency attorney for its cybersecurity and technology practice, the firm announced Monday.

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Q&A

How Greenberg Traurig Added 37 Laterals In 19 Weeks

By Aebra Coe

Greenberg Traurig LLP has added 37 lateral shareholders since the beginning of 2021. CEO Brian Duffy talked to Law360 Pulse about the role in the firm's appeal of a management style light on "micromanaging."

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What Newsom's Revised Budget Would Mean For Calif. Courts

By Rachel Rippetoe

California Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a revised budget last week that would allocate more than $1 billion in additional funds to the judicial branch.

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LegalMatch Sanctioned For 'Appalling' Calif. Bar Suit Actions

By Dave Simpson

A California state judge Thursday sanctioned online attorney search website LegalMatch.com $10,000 for its "appalling" discovery behavior in a dispute with the State Bar of California and dismissed its challenge to a state law that restricts the website's advertising practices.

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Gibson Dunn Leadership Shuffle Effort To 'Amplify All Voices'

By Justin Wise

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP on Thursday announced its first leadership reshuffle under newly minted chair and managing partner Barbara Becker, in a move the firm said further expands its "ranks of diverse leaders" across offices and practices.

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Girardi Firm Trustee Can Hire Atty To Chase Wife's Assets

By Lauren Berg

Girardi Keese's bankruptcy trustee can hire a social media-savvy lawyer who has criticized the law firm founder's estranged wife, reality television star Erika Girardi, to investigate whether she has assets belonging to the defunct practice, a California federal judge ruled from the bench Tuesday.

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Why Willkie, Longford Want Their $50M Funding Deal Public

By Steven Lerner

The $50 million litigation funding agreement between Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP and Longford Capital Management LP is a market milestone in the acceptance of third-party financing among lawyers and clients alike. Here, leaders from Willkie and Longford tell Law360 Pulse why they made the deal public.

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Video Tech Glitches, Masked Jurors Spark 'Inevitable' Appeals

By Jack Karp

Technical hiccups in videoconferencing, masked jury selection and off-screen witness coaching are some of the pandemic-related issues cropping up in a growing number of appeals attorneys call inevitable.

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Holland & Knight Snags 2 Orrick Attys For Calif. Office

By Clarice Silber

Holland & Knight LLP has tapped two Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP attorneys to work as partners in the firm's Orange County, California, office.

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Judiciary Seeks $1.54B For Renovations, Better Security

By Ryan Boysen

The U.S. federal court system has asked Congress for $1.54 billion to beef up security, renovate aging courthouses and overhaul inadequate IT systems, as lawmakers contemplate a massive, multitrillion-dollar infrastructure bill.

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Gordon & Rees Adds Ex-Burnham Brown Litigator In Calif.

By Kevin Penton

Gordon & Rees LLP has added a team of six attorneys previously with Burnham Brown, including an experienced litigator who joined as a partner based in its San Francisco and Oakland, California, offices.

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Katten Won't Set Return-To-Office Mandate

By Xiumei Dong

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP will not require its attorneys and staff to work in the office for a set number of days once the firm reopens its offices in the fall, according to an internal memo shared with Law360 Pulse.

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Husch Blackwell's Virtual Office Now Among Firm's Largest

By Anna Sanders

Husch Blackwell LLP's virtual office has become one of the BigLaw firm's largest a year after opening during the coronavirus pandemic, with leaders saying the fully remote workspace has buoyed efforts to expand and support clients across the country.

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Tom Brady's Religion Of Sports Hires Ex-Red Bull Atty As GC

By Clarice Silber

Religion of Sports, the sports media company co-founded by Tom Brady, Gotham Chopra and Michael Strahan, has tapped former Red Bull North America Director of Legal Affairs Ben Mauceri to serve as its general counsel and head of business affairs.

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Do Virtual Courts Have A Harmful Effect On Litigant Empathy?

By Adrian Cruz

Courthouses and other legal bodies have had to adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic in a similar fashion to many other institutions, by substituting most, if not all of their in-house proceedings with virtual ones typically done over Zoom. But do these virtual courts have a hidden side effect that puts litigants at a disadvantage?

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Paul Weiss Joins Firms Delaying Return Plans, Mandating Vax

By Justin Wise

Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP is delaying the next phase of its office return plan and will Monday require all personnel and visitors to be vaccinated to enter its locations, according to a memo shared with Law360.

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Cryptic US Crypto Rules Seen Pushing 'Good Actors' Abroad

By Michele Gorman

The U.S. needs a clear cryptocurrency framework for "good actors" who want to run their businesses with clarity, or risk continuing to lose companies moving abroad where regulations in this space are more apparent, a group of panelists said Thursday during the American Bar Association's annual meeting.

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Do Diversity Reviews Actually Advance Progress?

By Cara Bayles

In recent years, corporate clients have been asking firms more and more for internal demographic data, in an effort to hold BigLaw to its diversity goals. But can client pressure and data gathering actually produce results?

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Mid-Law Salaries Rising Amid Pressure From Market, BigLaw

By Emma Cueto

As BigLaw firms raise associate salaries to new heights, many midsize firms are also increasing their compensation, a move driven largely by the same market pressures affecting BigLaw.

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Jones Day Slams Orrick's Bid To Avoid Top Brass Testifying

By Lauren Berg

Jones Day urged a California federal court Friday to force Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP to provide testimony in an ongoing confidential international arbitration in Washington, D.C., saying Orrick's arguments that the California court doesn't have jurisdiction to enforce an arbitrator's summonses "fly in the face" of law and policy.

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Fitbit General Counsel Jumps To Archer Aviation As CLO

By Clarice Silber

Electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft maker Archer Aviation Inc. has hired Fitbit Inc. general counsel Andy Missan to serve as its new chief legal officer.

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These Firms Have The Most Women In Equity Partnerships

By Jacqueline Bell

Many law firms are seeing only modest progress as they seek to close the gender gap in their top ranks. But these firms are working to shake up that reality and forging a path to progress.

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Calif. Judge Loses GOP Support In Bid For 9th Circ. Seat

By Jack Karp

A Ninth Circuit nominee who joined a California federal court with bipartisan support just last year has lost the backing of Republicans upset over a pair of her rulings amid a contentious confirmation fight for the higher-profile appellate post.

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Landlord Can't Prove Arbitrator Lied In $6.6M Award Fight

By Caroline Simson

A California appeals court on Tuesday refused to vacate a $6.6 million arbitral award favoring a tenant in a dispute over a San Francisco office lease, ruling that the building owner couldn't prove that the JAMS arbitrator who issued it had lied about his experience to boost his business.

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Dinsmore & Shohl Adds Three-Atty Employment Team In LA

By Jack Rodgers

Cincinnati-based Dinsmore & Shohl LLP has continued its expansion in California by hiring a three-attorney labor and employment team from Daugherty Lordan LLP for its Los Angeles office, the firm said Friday.

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Returning To The Office Isn't One-Size-Fits-All

By Xiumei Dong

As summer vacations draw to a close, a growing number of law firms are signaling their desire to bring attorneys back to their desks, with some adopting a four-day-in-office policy. However, as firms grapple with redefining their office culture, experts are cautious about the one-size-fits-all approach.

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Saul Ewing, Freeman Leaders On Why They Combined Forces

By Tracey Read

Saul Ewing LLP and Southern California's Freeman Freeman & Smiley LLP have created a combined law firm with more than 400 lawyers across 18 offices. Law360 Pulse spoke with firm leaders on how the combination takes advantage of "strength on strength."

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Amid Fraud Claims, 35,000 Clients May Go To 1-Man Law Firm

By Daniel Connolly

As efforts play out in California bankruptcy court to salvage collapsed debt-relief firm Litigation Practice Group's operations amid claims of fraud, records show that a one-attorney outfit that is buying some 35,000 LPG client files plans to continue working with key former associates of LPG's disbarred founder.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Georgetown Law's Appellate Courts Immersion Clinic and Ellwanger Law lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions after the full Fifth Circuit unwound decades-old precedent that limited the scope of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act to "ultimate employment decisions."

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'Fat Leonard' Felonies Tossed After Fed Misconduct Alleged

By Hailey Konnath

A California federal judge on Wednesday vacated the felony convictions of four former U.S. Navy officials found guilty of bribery in the sprawling "Fat Leonard" scandal, accepting their agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty to one misdemeanor each after they raised allegations of Brady violations and prosecutorial misconduct.

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Eastman Witness Can't Identify Underage Voters, Error Rates

By Gina Kim

Under cross-examination Friday by a California State Bar attorney in John Eastman's disbarment trial, 2020 election skeptic Garland Favorito repeatedly came up short defending his report alleging widespread voter fraud in Georgia, conceding he didn't perform any analysis on his claims of 2,000 underage voters or hand recount error rates. 

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Judges, Attys Must Pay Special Attention To Implicit Bias

By Jack Karp

While everyone has implicit bias, judges, lawyers and court staff can be particularly susceptible to unconscious prejudices, and their biases can have a greater impact on the people they encounter, according to a webinar held Monday.

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Showbiz Atty Departs Paul Hastings To Advise Ryan Murphy

By Gina Kim

Media and entertainment law heavyweight Craig Emanuel is retiring from Paul Hastings LLP after a five-year tenure to shift his focus on advising longtime client and famed television producer Ryan Murphy, known for creating shows such as "Nip/Tuck" and "Glee."

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Red Mass: What Does It Mean To Be A Catholic Lawyer?

By Daniel Connolly

This fall, some Catholic lawyers are celebrating the Red Mass, a traditional blessing for the legal profession. An annual mass in Washington, D.C. has sometimes drawn U.S. Supreme Court justices. Amid the church’s ongoing challenges, what does it mean to be a Catholic attorney today?

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Why Gusto's CLO Puts Advocacy 'At The Heart' Of Her Work

By Michele Gorman

Growing up in Ukraine, Dina Segal was influenced by her grandfather, who as a lawyer helped solve complex issues in the aftermath of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. She remembers declaring at age 13 that she wanted to become a lawyer. Now, she advocates for small businesses as chief legal officer at software company Gusto, which helps simplify complex processes in HR services.

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9th Circ Rejects Ex-NS8 Legal Chief's Fraud Coverage Bid

By Abraham Gross

The ex-chief legal officer of defunct tech company NS8 Inc. is not entitled to coverage for underlying litigation alleging he breached his fiduciary duty by failing to report fraud by the ex-CEO., the Ninth Circuit affirmed Tuesday.

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Data Shows Minority Attys 'Woefully' Low On MDL Teams

By Bonnie Eslinger

Efforts to diversify the leadership of plaintiffs' counsel in multidistrict litigation have moved substantially more women attorneys into top roles, but attorneys of color are still dramatically underrepresented, according to data presented at a conference on ethics in complex litigation Saturday in San Francisco.

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Interview

Ex-Calif. Top Judge On Facing & Fighting Sexism In The Law

By Hannah Albarazi

Recently retired California Supreme Court Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye broke through barriers on her rise to the top of the Golden State's judiciary, but as a law student she endured a haunting experience that would shape her legal career.

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Girardi '​​​​​​​Exaggerating His Symptoms,' Unsealed Order Says

By Lauren Berg

A Los Angeles federal judge concluded that disbarred lawyer Tom Girardi is "exaggerating his symptoms" to back a claim that he has dementia, finding that he is competent to face trial on charges that he stole millions of dollars from his clients, according to an order unsealed Friday.

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Cooley Brings On New COO From Fried Frank

By Madison Arnold

Cooley LLP announced Monday that it has hired the former chief operating officer at Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP to fill the same role.

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Mercedes USA's Former GC Joins Luxury Electric Car Maker

By Aaron West

Lucid Motors said on Tuesday that it had brought on Mercedes-Benz USA's former general counsel to lead its legal affairs as the young electric vehicle company aims to expand production while grappling with an increasingly competitive market.

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These Cos. Are In The Hot Seat As Proxy Season Approaches

By Sue Reisinger

At least four high-profile corporations and their general counsel are gearing up for a tougher-than-usual 2024 proxy season — those three months in the spring when most companies hold their annual meetings.

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9th Circ. Affirms $90M Facebook Privacy Deal Over Objections

By Rachel Riley

A Ninth Circuit panel affirmed a $90 million class settlement on Wednesday to resolve allegations that Facebook illegally tracked logged-out users' browsing activity, calling two objectors' suggestion that the company faced $1.24 trillion in statutory damages "an unreasonable baseline that would violate due process."

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Calif. Judges Get Guidance On When To Report Atty Misconduct

By Emily Sawicki

California judges need not always report attorney misconduct to the state bar, according to the latest opinion issued by the California Supreme Court's ethics watchdog on Thursday, advising when judges are compelled to report attorney misdeeds.

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These Are The Hottest Trends In Law Firm Design

By Tracey Read

Out with the law library and in with Zoom rooms? Law360 Pulse recently talked to architects and legal employers to find out what the biggest trends are in law firm design.

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Murdaugh Prosecutor To Join Capitol Police On March 11

By Courtney Bublé

Johnny James, who was part of the team that successfully prosecuted former South Carolina attorney Alex Murdaugh for murder, will start March 11 as a federal prosecutor in California with the U.S. Capitol Police and a U.S. attorney's office as part of the federal government's efforts to address the increasing number of threats around the country to members of Congress.

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Dickinson Wright Adds Ex-Assistant US Atty In Silicon Valley

By James Mills

Dickinson Wright PLLC is expanding its white collar team, announcing Tuesday it is bringing in a former assistant U.S. attorney as a member of its Silicon Valley office in Mountain View, California.

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Law360 Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Mitchell Law PLLC, Gessler Blue LLC and Dhillon Law Group Inc. lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously found that states can't bar former president Donald Trump from running for reelection this year based on a 14th Amendment provision.

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How Senior Associates Can Build Their Books Of Business

By Kevin Penton

As associates grow into their positions, there can come a point at which they realize that mastering the art of the legal brief or the deposition is not enough: They also need to learn how to attract and retain clients.

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'Eat Or Be Eaten': Mid-Law Drove Q1 Law Firm Mergers

By Aebra Coe

As firms feel the pressure to grow to meet client demands, midsize law firms appear to be more eager to gobble up small law firms and less thrilled by the idea of being acquired, according to consultants and first quarter U.S. law firm combination results collected by Law360 Pulse.

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Carlton Fields Gets New Leader In LA Office

By James Mills

Carlton Fields has selected a longtime white collar defense and civil litigator to take over as managing shareholder of its Los Angeles office.

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Calif. Bar Exam's February Pass Rate Up From 2023

By Matt Perez

The overall passage percentage for California's general bar exam rose from last year's results to 33.9%, following trends across other states that also saw higher passage rates in 2024.

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Judicate West Adds Former California Federal Judge

By James Mills

The alternative dispute resolution service Judicate West is expanding its roster of neutrals, bringing in a recently retired Southern District of California federal judge to act as a mediator.

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How Weight-Lifting Trial Ace Decided To Start New Calif. Firm

By James Mills

After more than three decades with his former law firm, California trial attorney Michael Schonbuch knew it was time to hang up a sign of his own.

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Paul Weiss Establishes Center To Combat Hate

By Lynn LaRowe

Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP announced Wednesday that it has launched the Center to Combat Hate, an organization that will partner with civil rights groups and educational institutions to use litigation in tackling violence and intimidation driven by hate.

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Goodwin Adds Sidley Startup, Climate Tech Ace In Calif.

By James Mills

Goodwin Procter LLP is expanding its technology team, announcing Monday it is bringing in a Sidley Austin LLP startup and climate tech specialist as a partner in its Silicon Valley office.

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ABA Faces Racial Bias Complaint Over Diversity Programs

By Ryan Boysen

A conservative nonprofit on Tuesday hit the American Bar Association with a Title VI complaint, claiming a handful of "nefarious" ABA-led programs meant to connect minority law school students with judges are "racially discriminatory."

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5 'Fat Leonard' Bribery Pleas Axed Over Misconduct

By Phillip Bantz

A California federal judge has agreed to toss felony plea deals for five former U.S. Navy officers who admitted they took bribes from the Malaysian defense contractor known as "Fat Leonard," after the government acknowledged prosecutorial missteps had tainted the high-profile case.

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DLA Piper Adds Corporate Ace From Goodwin In Calif.

By Lynn LaRowe

A finance lawyer with deep expertise has joined DLA Piper from Goodwin Procter LLP in its Palo Alto shop, strengthening its offerings in the Golden State.

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Once A Standard, US News Rankings Now 'Entirely Irrelevant'

By Alison Knezevich

Once "the bellwether of the legal academy," the annual law school rankings published by U.S. News & World Report don't matter to today's prospective law students, a pair of law professors say in a new study.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Sonosky Chambers Sachse Endreson & Perry LLP, Jenner & Block LLP, Sidley Austin LLP and Hobbs Straus Dean & Walker LLP lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the U.S. Supreme Court held that the federal government is required to reimburse two Native American tribes millions of dollars in administrative healthcare costs.

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Roundup

Law360 Pulse Spotlight On Mid-Law Work

By Emma Cueto

Beveridge & Diamond PC's successful pursuit of a writ of certiorari at the U.S. Supreme Court in a Clean Water Act case and Farella Braun & Martel LLP's work on a cannabis company business loan lead this edition of Law360 Pulse's Spotlight On Mid-Law Work, recapping the top matters for Mid-Law firms from May 24 to June 7.

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An Olympics Volunteer, This GC Still Seeks To Be Champion

By Sue Reisinger

Robert Herbst, a former general counsel and world champion weightlifter, has woven together the law and sports throughout his career, including this week in Paris where he is working with the U.S. Olympic team as a volunteer.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Fillmore Law Firm LLP, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, the U.S. Chamber Litigation Center and the Business Roundtable lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a Texas federal judge blocked a Federal Trade Commission ban on noncompete agreements in employment contracts.

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Google Privacy Class Action Delays Irk Discovery Judge

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge expressed frustration Tuesday with discovery delays in a years-old class action alleging Google Assistant-enabled devices surreptitiously recorded conversations, telling attorneys they've already "been around and around and around" on discovery fights, and "we need to keep this moving."

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The Road Map For Restoring Public Trust In State Courts

By Lynn LaRowe

At a time when misconduct accusations continue to hover over the U.S. Supreme Court, state court leaders have put forth a strategy to boost trust in local judicial officials that largely calls for them to take on more public-facing roles.

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Better Days Ahead For Associates, Recruiters Say

By Ryan Boysen

Things are looking up for associates, recruiters say, as a strong economic outlook for the legal industry appears to be driving increased demand for younger attorneys after two straight years of layoffs.

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Cozen O'Connor Reelects CEO Michael Heller To Fifth Term

By James Boyle

Cozen O'Connor's continuous steady growth over the last 12 years has prompted the firm's leadership to reelect its current chief executive for another three-year term.

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Venable Assistant Sues Firm For Denying Medical WFH Status

By Emily Sawicki

A Venable LLP administrative assistant has sued her employer in Los Angeles Superior Court, accusing the firm of denying her medically necessary work from home request in violation of the Fair Employment and Housing Act by forcing her into unpaid administrative leave.

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Paul Weiss Chair Defends Trump Deal Amid Outcry

By Aebra Coe

Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP Chairman Brad Karp explained to the law firm's personnel on Sunday his decision to strike a deal with the Trump administration to avoid retribution related to the firm's selection of clients and DEI practices, a decision that has prompted public outcry among legal industry pundits and firm alumni.

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Juniper GC Earned $3.35M Amid Challenged HPE Merger

By Rachel Rippetoe

The top lawyer for Juniper Network Inc. earned over $3 million last year as the company was working through a $14 billion attempted merger with Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. that has since been challenged by the Justice Department, according to a securities filing Thursday.

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Roundup

Law360 Pulse Spotlight On Mid-Law Work

By Emma Cueto

Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP's work monitoring compliance in the T-Mobile and Sprint merger and Choate Hall & Stewart LLP's role in the $6.1 billion acquisition of the Boston Celtics lead this edition of Law360 Pulse's Spotlight on Mid-Law Work, recapping the top matters for Mid-Law firms from April 4 to 18.

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DLA Piper Hires New CFO From Knight Frank

By Ashish Sareen

DLA Piper said Monday that it has appointed Knight Frank's group chief financial officer to take on a similar role as it looks to achieve its goals for growing the business.

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Cannabis Drink Co. Accuses Stoel Rives Attorneys Of Fraud

By Sam Reisman

A startup that develops nonalcoholic cannabis beers has claimed in a California state court action that attorneys from Stoel Rives LLP and others conspired on a scheme to defraud the company out of millions by allegedly trying to sell an unlicensed marijuana business.

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Lathrop GPM Continues Calif. Focus With Sacramento Office

By Emma Cueto

Lathrop GPM LLP has launched an office in Sacramento, California, its fourth in the Golden State, to be helmed by three existing partners, the firm said in an announcement Tuesday.

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Q&A

Gordon Rees Leader Talks Handing Reins To New Blood

By James Mills

As he approached two decades at the helm of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP, managing partner Dion Cominos says he knew it was time to turn over leadership of the firm to a "new generation."

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Ex-DHS AI Chief Joins Salesforce's Legal Team As Tech Exec

By Christine DeRosa

The former chief information officer and chief artificial intelligence officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has joined Salesforce as its new chief AI and transformation officer for legal and corporate affairs.

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How These Small Firms Have Withstood The Test Of Time

By Rachel Rippetoe

According to the leaders of small law firms that have survived for generations, and whose legacies include prosecuting secessionists after the Civil War and taking on Ford Motor Co. in one of the first automobile-related product liability cases, succession planning and deep community ties have been key to their longevity.

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5 Best Practices For Firms Designing DEI Programs

Nikki Lewis Simon, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Greenberg Traurig, discusses best practices — and some pitfalls to avoid — for law firms looking to build programs aimed at driving inclusion in the workplace.

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