California Pulse


  • Procopio Native American Head Joins Cox Castle In San Diego

    Cox Castle & Nicholson LLP announced Monday that an experienced real estate attorney who founded and led Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch LLP's Native American practice has joined the firm's San Diego office as a partner.

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    How Stanford Law Initiative Is Riding Private Capital 'Wave'

    A new initiative at Stanford Law School is turning a spotlight on the private capital environment, a once-niche area for investors that has grown into a "massive" financial ecosystem.

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    BigLaw Grew More Selective On Second Quarter Lateral Hires

    Lateral hiring at large U.S. law firms slowed in the second quarter of 2026 after a strong start to the year, with associate and counsel moves declining while partner hiring remained relatively steady, according to figures from legal data company Firm Prospects LLC.

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    Buchalter Taps Firmwide Litigation Chair To Lead LA Office

    Buchalter PC has tapped its firmwide chair of litigation, who has spent almost a decade with the firm on complex business disputes, commercial real estate litigation and intellectual property matters, as the new managing partner of its Los Angeles headquarters.

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    Davis Wright Atty Hit With Sanctions After Winning Sanctions

    After defending six-figure sanctions of plaintiffs lawyers for "a reckless course of prolonging litigation," a Davis Wright Tremaine LLP attorney is facing his own six-figure sanctions, with a California magistrate judge finding he "unnecessarily burdened" opposing counsel despite warnings dating back years about "improper litigation tactics."

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Greene Broillet & Wheeler LLP and Ludd & Ludd lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a San Diego jury ordered Hyatt to pay $15.5 million over the death of a guest who was left uncontacted for a day after failing to check out.

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    Reed Smith Creates AI-Focused Legal Services Team

    Reed Smith LLP has created a department to bring lawyers, e-discovery and AI professionals and others to support clients and the firm with legal, business and technology-focused guidance, and tapped a partner in Philadelphia to spearhead the effort.

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    MedReview Hires CLO From Aesthetics Co. Peachy

    MedReview Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of the New York County Health Services Review Organization, announced that it has hired the general counsel and chief people officer at preventative aesthetics company Peachy.

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    4 Takeaways From Probe Of Feb. 2025 Calif. Bar Exam Fiasco

    Poor implementation of the February 2025 California Bar Exam resulted in millions of dollars in extra costs and negatively affected "a significant portion" of test-takers, according to a new report by the California State Auditor.

  • Oura Health Swaps In Sidley For Quinn After Ex-CEO's DQ Bid

    A California federal judge granted Oura Health's request to swap in Sidley Austin LLP for Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP in breach-of-contract litigation by the fitness tracker company's former CEO after the ex-executive sought to disqualify Quinn Emanuel for purportedly having access to his confidential data.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry had another busy week as BigLaw firms expanded headcounts and practices. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse’s weekly quiz.

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    Small Firms Are Billing More Hours, Report Says

    Even amid an explosion of legal technology and artificial intelligence designed to make legal work more efficient, small firms are billing more hours per month on average, and the increase isn't impacting their collections rate, according to a report published Thursday.

  • RICO Defendant Says Claims Target Protected Activity

    An attorney named in a business owner's sprawling racketeering suit against his former business partner and numerous alleged co-conspirators has asked a California federal judge to throw out the claims, arguing the lawyer's actions were protected litigation activity and that the business owner lacks standing to sue.

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    95% Of Surveyed Law Firms Losing Clients, Report Finds

    Hundreds of law firms say they are increasingly losing clients and cite problems delivering their legal services as the top reason for the attrition, according to a report released Thursday.

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    Iridium Offers CLO $873K To Stay Through Rocket Lab Deal

    Global satellite operator Iridium Communications Inc. is offering its top lawyer $873,036 if she doesn't bail out of her job before the company closes its merger with Rocket Lab Corp. next year, according to a securities filing this week.

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    First Tech's New CLO Sees Job As 'Getting On A Moving Train'

    "Getting on a moving train" is how Steven Wright described his transition to chief legal officer at First Technology Federal Credit Union, a merged entity that formed at the beginning of the year. In a recent interview with Law360 Pulse, Wright said the California-based financial institution is in full integration mode.

  • Ex-Associate Says Jackson Lewis Pushed Her Out After Leave

    A former associate attorney who was on the partnership track at Jackson Lewis PC has brought suit against the employment law firm in California state court, alleging that it refused to accommodate her temporary medical restrictions after she returned from leave and pressured her to accept a demotion or resign.

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    Niche AI Legal Tools Gain Ground At Law Firms

    While general legal artificial intelligence assistants like Harvey and Legora dominate headlines, law firms are increasingly betting on practice-specific AI platforms designed for particular legal tasks.

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    Longtime Fed. Prosecutor Joins Sanford Heisler In San Diego

    Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight LLP announced Wednesday a longtime federal prosecutor and former executive counsel at energy equipment company GE Vernova has joined the firm's San Diego office as a partner.

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    Sheppard Adds Transactional, IP Attys In Chicago And San Diego

    Sheppard announced Wednesday that the firm has added an experienced intellectual property attorney focused on life sciences as a San Diego area-based partner, a day after announcing the addition of two Chicago-based transactional partners.

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    Painful Reality — When In-House Counsel Blow The Whistle

    It is exceedingly rare when in-house counsel snitch on their own company. But when they do, in-house whistleblowers often suffer severe consequences.

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    Desire To Be 'Bold,' 'Edgy' Fueled Winston Taylor's New Look

    After announcing their intent to merge last December, leaders from Winston & Strawn LLP and the U.K. arm of Taylor Wessing LLP embarked on a "listening road show" to help guide the visual identity of the new firm. They saw an opening to stand out from other major law firms.

  • Calif. Judge Asks About Standing In Google Antitrust Case

    A California federal judge overseeing an antitrust litigation accusing Google of shutting out rival search engines has asked for evidence showing that the consumers bringing the case have standing.

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    Kilpatrick Hires M&A Pro From Reed Smith In Silicon Valley

    Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP has added a former Reed Smith LLP mergers and acquisitions star to chair its West Coast Mergers & Acquisitions Practice at its Menlo Park, California, office, where he brings deep experience handling complex mergers, cross-border acquisitions, divestitures, stock investments, consolidations and more. 

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    Ex-In-House Counsel Accused In Hospital Takeover Scheme

    American Healthcare Systems Corp. and its founder announced Tuesday that they have filed an amended complaint in California state court against the company's former in-house counsel, alleging he orchestrated a coordinated extortion and takeover scheme to seize control over the corporation.

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Expert Analysis

  • A Closer Look At 5 Types Of Legal Management Services Orgs Author Photo

    Legal management services organizations, which outsource the administrative aspects of law firms to separate entities, are poised to disrupt the industry in the year to come, so firms and attorneys should consider the advantages and disadvantages of several MSO models, say Frederick Shelton and Ayven Dodd at Shelton & Steele.

  • Law And Disorder: How To Tackle A Key Burnout Syndrome Author Photo

    Impostor syndrome prevails as a main root cause of attorney burnout, but sufferers can equip themselves with a series of practice tips that build confidence through evidence, not emotion, to address the mindset behind this damaging condition, says Jonathan Cohen at PNY.

  • What GCs Value Most: 7 Ways To Build Client Relationships Author Photo

    Today's general counsel expect outside lawyers to show interest, relevance and value long before there is a live matter to address, including by engaging with attorneys at every level of the company and dispensing free advice thoughtfully, says Andrew Dick at The L Suite.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Start Early In Your Career Author Photo

    Having the courage to embark on your legal business development strategy early in your career allows you to sooner reap the rewards of a strong network, which in turn can increase the momentum of referrals over the course of your career, says Kristin Housh at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Enthusiasm Is Legal Leadership Differentiator In AI Era Author Photo

    As the legal profession navigates changes driven by artificial intelligence and broader pressures, leaders should consider behavioral research-backed strategies to translate enthusiasm into tangible results for team performance, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • Weighing Opportunities, Risks Of PE Investment In Law Firms Author Photo

    Though law firms and private equity firms appear to be strange bedfellows, such combinations may offer opportunities for ailing midsize firms — which must be weighed against risks to culture, brand and growth prospects, say directors at FTI Consulting.

  • 3 Forces Reshaping The Legal Buyer-Seller Relationship Author Photo

    This year's Buying Legal Council Conference highlighted three emerging forces in how buyers and sellers operate in the legal ecosystem — artificial intelligence, data and preferred panels — and organizations would be well advised to combine them into an integrated framework for transparency, performance and collaboration, says Matthew Prinn at RFP Advisory Group.

  • 5 Steps For GCs To Drive Generative AI Experimentation Author Photo

    As legal departments face mounting pressure to do more with less, general counsel should lead a structured process for adopting generative artificial intelligence tools to transform productivity, manage risk and align with enterprise priorities, says Maesea McCalpin at Gartner.

  • How Attys Can DIY Their Own System For Professional Growth Author Photo

    Amid law firm layoffs of business development staff, lawyers cannot depend solely on their firms to foster their professional growth, and must instead create their own initiatives for building community, says Lana Manganiello at Practice Growth Partner.

  • The Augmented Lawyer: In-House, Outside Counsel AI Collabs Author Photo

    As artificial intelligence changes the dynamic between in-house and outside counsel, both internal and external legal teams must thoughtfully reimagine how to mutually leverage AI tools to collaborate and deliver successful outcomes, say Karineh Khachatourian at KXT Law and Diane Honda at Redis.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Do I Adjust To In-House After BigLaw? Author Photo

    Sirisha Gummaregula at QuisLex offers advice on navigating the challenges that come with taking on an in-house counsel role after leaving law firm life, including learning your company's business goals and leading with empathy and collaboration.

  • Adapting Legal Thought Leadership To An AI World Author Photo

    As potential clients with legal questions increasingly rely on summaries generated by artificial intelligence, attorneys must rethink their content strategy to make sure AI chatbots and search overviews cite their thought leadership, say Ioana Good and Adrien Maines at Promova and Nancy Myrland at Myrland Marketing.

  • 10 Practical Tips For Attorneys Navigating High-Profile Cases Author Photo

    Complex corporate litigation now often unfolds under the glare of a parallel trial in the court of public opinion, requiring attorneys to adopt a cohesive strategy for legal filings, leadership communications and narrative control, says Monica Smith at Integer PR.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Tailor Your Personal Style Author Photo

    In an industry where competition for clients is fierce, a thoughtful approach to personal style can give you the confidence to walk into any room and own it, the magnetism to make connections that matter, and the tools to highlight your deeper professional values, says Leslie Berkoff at Moritt Hock.

  • What GCs Value Most: 7 Tips For Landing The Client Pitch Author Photo

    In today’s competitive legal market, successful attorneys treat the pitch process with general counsel like the beginning of a relationship, not a one-off sale — showing up with curiosity, commercial awareness and the ability to engage in a meaningful way from the start, says Andrew Dick at The L Suite.

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