California Pulse


  • Santa Clara Deputy DA Loses Free Speech Retaliation Suit

    A California federal judge has tossed a retaliation suit from a former Santa Clara County, California, deputy district attorney.

  • 2_up_Jackson Lewis.png

    Jackson Lewis Lands 2 Principals From Stokes Wagner

    Jackson Lewis PC announced Thursday that it has hired two former Stokes Wagner attorneys as principals in two of its California offices to bolster the employment law services it offers its clients.

  • Joshua Cook.png

    Goodwin Venture Capital Ace Joins Lowenstein Sandler

    Lowenstein Sandler LLP has added a Goodwin Procter LLP partner in Northern California, strengthening its emerging companies and venture capital group, the firm announced Thursday.

  • Industrial Laser Co. Coherent Embeds Eudia Legal AI

    Coherent Corp., a Pennsylvania-based tech company that specializes in manufacturing materials, networking components and lasers, announced Thursday a new partnership with California-based legal artificial intelligence startup Eudia.

  • Ropes and Gray Laterals 0925.jpg

    Sheppard Mullin Lands 21-Atty IP Team From Ropes & Gray

    Continuing on efforts to grow its intellectual property group and build a nationally acclaimed patent litigation practice, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP announced Thursday that it is bringing in a 21-attorney IP team from Ropes & Gray LLP.

  • iStock-1088968022.jpg

    Litigation Spending To Keep Growing As Biz Risks Run High

    Companies are likely to increase their spending on litigation next year, some by over 10%, as legal disputes become more complex, more contentious and more high-stakes, according to a new report out Thursday.

  • Feds Want 3 Years For Girardi Son-In-Law's Chicago Contempt

    Tom Girardi's son-in-law should receive a three-year prison sentence for his admitted role in helping the once-celebrated plaintiffs' lawyer steal millions from Lion Air crash victims, federal prosecutors in Chicago argued Wednesday.

  • Ex-Calif. Judge Gets 35 Years For Shooting Wife To Death

    Former California state court judge Jeffrey M. Ferguson lost his bid for a new trial Wednesday and was sentenced to 35 years to life in prison for shooting his wife to death at home in a drunken rage, with the presiding judge expressing sympathy for his "extraordinary" son who tried to save his mother's life.

  • Christopher "Smitty" Smith, Steven Werth and Katherine Meek

    Saul Ewing Lands Greenspoon Marder Enviro Atty Trio In LA

    Saul Ewing LLP is expanding its environmental team, bringing in a trio of Greenspoon Marder LLP litigators in the firm's Los Angeles office.

  • Leticia Espinoza.png

    People Skills Helped This GC Grow Role At Grocers Group

    Leticia Espinoza was the first person in her family to go to college and join a specialized profession — an achievement she continues to expand on by becoming a lawyer, then a general counsel, a chief legal and human resources officer, and most recently over the summer, the chief administration officer at Heritage Grocers Group, one of the largest Hispanic and ethnic food retailers in the country.

  • Jenn McCarron.jpg

    CLOC President Exits To Launch Tech Venture

    The president of the board of directors for the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium, or CLOC, a member-run organization for in-house legal operations professionals, stepped down on Wednesday.

  • iStock-2188923669.jpg

    Courts Told Head-In-The-Sand Approach To AI Can Backfire

    State courts might be inclined not to implement generative artificial intelligence tools or to ban staff from using them to avoid hallucinations and privacy breaches, but that strategy could backfire, a panelist told a court technology conference Tuesday.

  • UC Groups Sue Trump Admin Alleging Free Speech Violations

    A coalition of faculty, staff and unions affiliated with the University of California system sued the Trump administration in federal court Tuesday, arguing the suspension of $584 million in research projects along with threats to terminate billions more violates the law and is an attempt to violate their free speech.

  • imgi_4_poss_j_cropped_low_res-transprent.png

    Willkie Taps PE Head To Co-Lead The Firm In 2027

    Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP announced Tuesday that the nearly decade-long head of its private equity practice will step up to co-lead the firm as its joint chairman at the start of 2027.

  • Samuel Harbourt.png

    California AG Bonta Names New State Solicitor General

    California Attorney General Rob Bonta has promoted a veteran attorney in the state's Department of Justice to become the state's new solicitor general.

  • Stanford Tech Lab Partners With Cleary, Davis Wright, Vorys

    Stanford Law School on Monday announced the official launch of its Legal Innovation through Frontier Technology Lab, whose advisory board founding members include law firms and an artificial intelligence company.

  • iStock-2207250357.jpg

    These Firms Were The Top For Their Summer Associates

    Working as a summer associate is a rite of passage for many law students, and these training programs can boost aspiring attorneys' confidence in their career paths. Find out what students valued most and how they rated those experiences in a new survey from Law360 Pulse.

  • iStock-2121380389.jpg

    Summer Associates Remain On The Fence About AI In Law

    Most summer associates used generative artificial intelligence tools at their firms this year, but views on adoption were mixed. Students told Law360 Pulse the tools were useful for research and drafting, but voiced concerns over reliability, job loss and diminished writing skills.

  • summer

    What Summer Associates Learned From Working At Firms

    We asked this year's cohort about the most valuable lessons they learned during their summer associateship. Here's the advice they shared for those ready to jump into law firm life.

  • 2_up_Potomac.png

    Potomac Law Group Adds Pair Of Litigators In San Francisco

    Two new litigators have joined a Potomac Law Group PLLC affiliate in San Francisco as partners — a business and civil litigator most recently with the Spaulding McCullough & Tansil LLP boutique, and a white collar defense and civil litigator with the Rogers Joseph O'Donnell LLP boutique.

  • 3 Law Firms Want Ford's 'Thermonuclear' RICO Suit Snuffed

    Knight Law Group LLP, the Altman Law Group and Wirtz Law APC have urged a California federal judge to dismantle Ford Motor Co.'s racketeering lawsuit accusing the firms of overzealous billing and conspiring to dupe unsuspecting clients in product liability and personal injury cases against automakers.

  • Calif. Court Issues AI Hallucinations 'Warning,' Sanctions Atty

    A California appeals court has issued a published opinion "as a warning" to Golden State attorneys to personally review case law quotations made by generative artificial intelligence, and imposed a $10,000 monetary sanction on plaintiff's counsel in an otherwise straightforward appeal in an employment case.

  • 2T0MPC7.jpg

    Calif. Legislators OK Requiring Oversight Of Workplace AI

    The California Senate has approved a bill that would restrict how employers can use tools powered by artificial intelligence to make employment decisions, sending the legislation to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk despite opposition from business groups.

  • iStock-2197069140.jpg

    Stradley Ronon Wants Keesal Young's Poaching Suit Tossed

    Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP has moved to nix a suit by California firm Keesal Young & Logan, saying its recruitment of 10 former Keesal Young attorneys was entirely above board and that the noncompete clauses in Keesal Young's partnership agreement were not allowed under California law.

  • 2_up_low.png

    Lowenstein Sandler Unveils Tech-Centered Data Privacy Team

    Lowenstein Sandler LLP has rolled out a new multidisciplinary data privacy team, bringing together attorneys with both legal and tech experience to advise on a range of data-related issues.

Expert Analysis

  • How Firms Can Plan For Succession Of Admin Professionals Author Photo

    Many law firms are familiar with the need for attorney succession plans, but it’s also essential to plan for the succession of administrative professionals — from human resources personnel to finance leaders — to ensure continuity of critical day-to-day operations, say Eryn Carter and Travis Armstrong at the Association of Legal Administrators.

  • Series

    Expanding The Reach Of A Legal Nonprofit Author Photo

    I co-founded the Legal Mentor Network with the goal of providing free legal mentoring to law students and early career attorneys, and the experience has highlighted how nonprofits can grow with the help of strong sponsorships and volunteers who all operate from a positive place, says Chrystal Mauro at the Legal Mentor Network.

  • How 1Ls Can Plan For Sped-Up Summer Associate Hiring Author Photo

    The ever-earlier recruiting of summer associates sets high stakes before new law students may even realize, but 1Ls can better land a good 2L summer fit if they hit their first semester focused on the hiring timeline and ready to ask important questions about their would-be firms, says Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.

  • How GCs Can Help Build A Geopolitical Command Center Author Photo

    In the face of sustained regulatory and economic uncertainty, general counsel can help businesses move from reactive to proactive management by building a clear, cross-functional geopolitical command center that monitors and coordinates responses to a wide spectrum of issues, says Lars Faeste at FTI Consulting.

  • For Some Lawyers, Building A New Practice Makes Perfect Author Photo

    Leaving an established law firm to start a boutique business of your own requires not only vision and resilience but also a solid business plan to help mitigate risks and increase your chances of unparalleled personal and professional success, says Rebecca Palmer at the Rebecca L. Palmer Law Group.

  • Beyond Billable Hours: The Unseen Labor Of Women In Law Author Photo

    The legal profession has a critical role to play in reducing attrition of women lawyers by addressing the disproportionate burden of the mental load — the often-unseen work of managing tasks and anticipating needs in both personal and professional realms, says Michelle Browning-Coughlin at Northern Kentucky University’s Chase College of Law.

  • 10 Key Strategies For Successful Lateral Partner Integration Author Photo

    To help ensure new partners and practice groups are successfully integrated, firms should embrace specific structured practices that recognize each lateral's distinct value, personalize their integration plans and proactively address transition complexities long after onboarding ends, say Elizabeth Kennedy at NewEdge BD and Erika Steinberg at CMO2Go.

  • How Firms Can Manage DEI Commitments Amid Headwinds Author Photo

    By recalibrating how they structure and communicate their inclusion efforts, law firms can reduce legal exposure and preserve their values, says Angela Vallot at VallotKarp Consulting.

  • Key Ingredients For Effective Law Firm Strategic Planning Author Photo

    As the legal industry faces political turmoil and economic uncertainty, the time is ripe for firms to revisit their strategic plans, ensuring they contain a few essential elements — from accountability systems to broad-based input — to achieve sustainable growth and profitability, says Joe Calve at Calve Communications.

  • AI-Powered Biz Development Can Democratize Rainmaking Author Photo

    As fluency in artificial intelligence becomes a competitive imperative in the legal industry, the next generation of rainmakers likely won’t be defined by their Rolodexes or club memberships, but by their ability to leverage AI business development tools effectively, says Jessica Aries at By Aries.

  • How Law Students Can Effectively Use AI In Their Job Search Author Photo

    Law students can use artificial intelligence tools strategically throughout the job application process to review materials, prepare for interviews and navigate employers’ use of similar tools, but there are several key missteps they should be careful to avoid, says Lauren Wong at University of San Diego School of Law.

  • An After-Placement Plan Maximizes Legal Content's Potential Author Photo

    Before landing a published quote, feature or interview, law firms should articulate the content’s purpose and develop a strategic plan for repurposing it to ensure they’re aligning public relations efforts with measurable business outcomes, says John Hellerman at Hellerman Communications.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Should I Coordinate Pro Bono Projects? Author Photo

    Julie LaEace at Perkins Coie offers tips for attorneys acting as pro bono coordinators, including how to choose appropriate projects, how to encourage participation and why it is important to keep in touch with legal aid partner organizations.

  • 6 Strategies For Navigating Legal Leadership Transitions Author Photo

    Amid uncertainty in the legal job market, attorneys who are considering a transition to a leadership role must fundamentally reimagine their approach to value creation and develop a new set of skills, say Stacy Bratcher at Cottage Health and Michael Watkins at Genesis Advisers.

  • The Augmented Lawyer: Crafting Responsible AI Policies Author Photo

    As the legal industry increasingly looks to impose responsive guardrails for artificial intelligence use, firms and organizations’ internal use policies, outside counsel guidelines and vendor contracts can address confidentiality and data retention concerns in several ways, say attorneys at KXT Law.

×

Law360

Law360 Law360 UK Law360 Tax Authority Law360 Employment Authority Law360 Insurance Authority Law360 Real Estate Authority Law360 Healthcare Authority Law360 Bankruptcy Authority

Rankings

NEWLeaderboard Analytics Social Impact Leaders Prestige Leaders Pulse Leaderboard Women in Law Report Law360 400 Diversity Snapshot Rising Stars Summer Associates

National Sections

Modern Lawyer Courts Daily Litigation In-House Mid-Law Legal Tech Small Law Insights

Regional Sections

California Pulse Connecticut Pulse DC Pulse Delaware Pulse Florida Pulse Georgia Pulse New Jersey Pulse New York Pulse Pennsylvania Pulse Texas Pulse

Site Menu

Subscribe Advanced Search About Contact