California Pulse


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    Greenberg Traurig Adds Ex-Federal Prosecutor In Los Angeles

    Greenberg Traurig LLP has announced that a longtime federal prosecutor joined the firm's Los Angeles office as a litigation shareholder after nearly two decades with the U.S. Department of Justice.

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    Federal Judge Warns Threats Imperil Judicial Independence

    U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom of the Southern District of Florida told Law360 that judges and members of the bar need to educate the public on the judiciary's important role in American democracy to combat increasing threats, speaking following the release of two reports this week that warn of safety concerns for judges and that defiance of court orders is undermining the federal judiciary's independence.

  • Ex-IRL App CEO Says Prosecutors Ignored Ethics Breaches

    The co-founder of defunct social app IRL is fighting fraud charges by claiming that the U.S. attorney's office prosecuting him is conflicted because an attorney who formerly defended IRL in an SEC investigation and is now with the office pushed for him to be charged — and he is disputing prosecutors' denial of impropriety. 

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    Webcor's GC Used Business Fluency To Land The CLO Spot

    Over the past 12 years, Patrick Kirby has gone from outside counsel for Webcor to assistant general counsel, general counsel and chief legal officer at the commercial general contractor — and he says there's a factor to consider in landing a promotion that he says likely applies for many of his peers.

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    How A Partner-Only Law Firm Uses AI To Replace Associates

    Lawyers Michael Pierson and Joel M. Ferdinand asked a simple question when they decided to launch their own firm: What would the elite law firm of the future look like?

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    Akerman Hires Consumer Protection Law Ace From Steptoe

    Akerman LLP announced on Monday it has welcomed a former Steptoe LLP attorney who brings vast experience helping clients navigate a unique, complicated landscape involving Golden State consumer protection laws and regulations, including matters related to Proposition 65.

  • ABA Outlines Attys' Duties To Clients With Intellectual Limits

    Attorneys have the same obligations to clients with decision-making limitations, should abide by those clients' decisions regarding their representation and must work to maintain an ordinary client-lawyer relationship as much as possible, the American Bar Association said in an opinion released Wednesday.

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    Cohen Milstein Launches On West Coast With LA Office

    Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll LLP announced that the firm has opened an office in Los Angeles led by an experienced consumer protection attorney who will be relocating from Washington, D.C., to lead its expansion into the West Coast market.

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    Ex-Munger Tolles Partner Launches Calif. Litigation Boutique

    Weeks after announcing her departure from Munger Tolles & Olson LLP, one of the firm's former partners announced Wednesday that she has launched a litigation boutique based out of the Los Angeles suburb of Altadena, California.

  • Calif. Bill Regulating Atty AI Use Heads To Newsom's Desk

    A bill regulating attorneys' and arbitrators' use of generative artificial intelligence has unanimously passed the California State Legislature and is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom's desk.

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    Determined To Expand, Law Firms Face Tight Office Market

    Law firms are finding new ways to expand their office space, since finding sufficient space is proving to be a challenge in desirable areas such as Manhattan, where the top-tier office market has now fully recovered.

  • Ex-Warriors GC, DEI Exec Say Bias Complaints Led To Firings

    The Golden State Warriors' former associate general counsel and its former vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion allege they were unlawfully fired in retaliation for speaking up about enduring a workplace marked by gender and race-based discrimination.

  • Judges Say Social Media, Political Rhetoric Endanger Them

    Increased access to social media and personal data via the internet, a larger number of high-profile cases, and inflammatory comments made by politicians have led to a rise in violent threats against judges and concerns about their safety, according to a recently published report.

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    Massumi & Consoli Matches Milbank Associate Pay Scale

    Associates at Massumi & Consoli will see salary increases of $10,000 and $20,000 this year, the firm confirmed to Law360 Pulse on Tuesday, matching the pay scale set by Milbank LLP in June.

  • The Top In-House Hires Of August

    Legal department hires during the past month included high-profile appointments at Anthropic, Zillow and ConocoPhillips. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at some of the top in-house announcements from August.

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    Meta's In-House Legal Moves Blur Line Between Risk, Error

    Ahead of the company's $17 billion settlement over claims its content harmed children, Meta's in-house lawyers drew criticism from a federal judge last week over their handling of privilege claims and damaging internal research. But attorneys and academics differ over whether the moves reflect legal missteps or defensible efforts to manage litigation risk.

  • Gordon Rees Elevates 73 Attorneys To Partners Nationwide

    Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP recently promoted more than 70 attorneys to the partnership level in 32 offices around the U.S., a record number of elevations for the firm.

  • Coblentz Patch Adds 4 Attys From Shuttered Carr McClellan

    San Francisco-based Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP has grown its corporate and litigation practices with the addition of four attorneys from Carr McClellan PC, which ceased operations in early August.

  • Eve Legal Says AI.Law Doc Drafting Patent Is Invalid

    California legal tech company Eve Legal wants out of a patent lawsuit brought by Ohio-based rival AI.Law, telling a San Francisco federal judge that the patent is insufficient, covering little more than using ordinary artificial intelligence tools to draft legal documents.

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    Skadden Adds Ex-Global Banking And Finance Head At Orrick

    Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP has expanded its finance team in Palo Alto, California, with the addition of the former global banking and finance group head at Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP.

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    4 Boutiques Launch Global Insurance Firm For Policyholders

    Four insurance law firms that exclusively represent policyholders have joined forces to create a global firm operating in eight countries, including the U.S., the U.K., France and Spain, saying in an announcement Tuesday that it is the largest policyholder-side law firm in the world.

  • Whistleblower Atty Award Cut To $5.4M After 9th Circ. Remand

    A California federal judge cut fees and expenses to $5.4 million for attorneys representing a whistleblower in her suit against Academy Mortgage Corp., after a Ninth Circuit remand deemed the previously awarded $8.6 million to be too high.

  • Calif. Bar Drops Disciplinary Action Against 4 DTLA Law Attys

    The California State Bar dismissed, without prejudice, disciplinary charges against four DTLA Law Group attorneys alleging they illegally practiced law outside the state as part of their work with the personal injury law firm, which is under investigation for its involvement in Los Angeles County's $4 billion sex abuse settlement.

  • House Passes Bill Adding Texas, California Court Sites

    The House voted 378-10 on Monday evening to expand access to federal courts in Texas and California, the two most populous states in the nation.

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    New Report Rings Alarm On Threats To Judicial Independence

    Verbal attacks on judges, disinformation about the courts and the defiance of court orders are undermining the independence of the federal judiciary and significantly affecting individual judges' ability to do their jobs, a report out Monday says.

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Expert Analysis

  • Talking Mental Health: The View From Life After BigLaw Author Photo

    Life coach and author Wendy Tamis Robbins discusses why she left a career in BigLaw to work in the professional well-being space after finding freedom from anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and substance use disorders, and highlights two changes the legal industry should implement to address attorneys' mental health.

  • 6 Essential Skills For Summer Associates To Land An Offer
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    With full-time offer rates at the lowest point since 2012, summer associates must do all they can to distinguish themselves, starting with a few fundamentals — from the importance of asking clarifying questions to being honest about mistakes, says James Argionis at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Making Legal Cents: How Law Firms Can Innovate Faster Author Photo

    To meet the demands of an evolving legal market and changing client expectations, law firms must not only embrace innovation, but also find ways to accelerate adoption and mitigate risks in an industry historically resistant to change, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Should Departing Partners Approach Pay? Author Photo

    Sabina Lippman at CenterPeak discusses steps BigLaw partners can take when considering a move or announcing their departure to help navigate tricky compensation issues and remain on good terms with their current partners.

  • How 2 Litigators Decided Dad Would Stay Home With The Kids Author Photo

    Jennifer Hoekstra at Aylstock Witkin shares the tough conversations about timing, goals, logistics and values involved in her family's decision that she would build her career as a litigator and law firm partner while her husband stepped back from his own litigation role to stay home with their children.

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    My Nonpracticing Law Job: Legal Commentary Ghostwriter Author Photo

    Wayne Pollock at Copo Strategies shares how he went from overworked Am Law 50 associate to owner of a legal thought leadership ghostwriting service, and provides four lessons for anyone who might be considering launching a business within the legal industry.

  • Ask A Mentor: As Trials Grow Rarer, How Do I Hone My Skills? Author Photo

    Gary Parsons at Brooks Pierce offers advice for young lawyers seeking trial experience in an environment where fewer cases make it to trial, including how to build their reputations, set their expectations and pick the right firm.

  • Talking Mental Health: Managing Depression As A Co. Founder Author Photo

    New Era ADR co-founder Collin Williams discusses his journey navigating a clinical depression diagnosis, how this experience affected his leadership style, and what the legal industry can do to better support attorneys with mental health conditions.

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    My Nonpracticing Law Job: Career And Wellness Coach Author Photo

    Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea shares how she went from BigLaw partner to legal industry career and wellness coach, and explains how attorneys can use their capabilities, knowledge and professional networks to pursue coaching themselves, or bring refreshed meaning and purpose to their current roles.

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    Talking Mental Health: Tackling Stress As A Practice Leader Author Photo

    Constance Rhebergen at Bracewell discusses how she handles the stress of being a practice chair, how sources of stress have changed in the legal industry over the past decade and what law firms can do to protect attorney mental health.

  • Making Legal Cents: Engaging A Remote, Evolving Workforce Author Photo

    In the face of a dispersed and changing workforce with Generation Z entering the scene, law firms should consider some practical strategies to revitalize their cultures, provide meaningful mentorship and safeguard their knowledge bases, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • How Firms Can Effectively Evaluate Their Summer Associates Author Photo

    One of the most effective ways firms can ensure their summer associate programs are a success is by engaging in a timely and meaningful evaluation process and being intentional about when, how and by whom feedback should be provided, say Caroline Cimei and Erica Fine at Shutts & Bowen.

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    Talking Mental Health: Life As A Lawyer With OCD Author Photo

    Kelly Hughes at Ogletree discusses what she’s learned in the 14 years since she was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, recounting how the experience shaped her law practice, what the legal industry and general public get wrong about the disorder, and how law firms can better support employees who have OCD.

  • 3 Innovative Ways AI May Be Used In Legal Practice
    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly be used by outside counsel to better predict the outcomes of litigation — thus informing legal strategy with greater precision — and by clients to scrutinize invoices and evaluate counsel’s performance, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Roundup

    My Nonpracticing Law Job Author Photo

    Not every law degree leads to a law practice. In this Law360 Pulse series, former practicing attorneys share the stories of how they went from practicing corporate law to using their knowledge and background to carve out a nontraditional career path in the legal industry.

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