California Pulse


  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry marked another busy week with a flurry of attorneys taking on new legal roles and law firm practice expansions. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse’s weekly quiz.

  • LegalLions.png

    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Winston & Strawn LLP, Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Jones Day lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after an Illinois federal judge held in a bellwether case in multidistrict litigation that Abbott Laboratories isn't liable for the death of a baby who consumed Similac baby formula.

  • stabe_susan_104233_lr.jpg

    California IP Attorney Joins Kutak Rock From Troutman

    Kutak Rock LLP has announced that an experienced intellectual property who's spent more than 30 years working on a wide range of copyright and trademark matters has joined the firm's Irvine, California, office as a transition partner from Troutman Pepper Locke LLP.

  • Negin.jpg

    Massumi & Consoli Brings On Gibson Dunn M&A Pro In LA

    Massumi & Consoli LLP is expanding its transactions team, bringing in a Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP mergers and acquisitions expert as a partner in its Los Angeles office.

  • iStock-925101084 (1).jpg

    McDermott, Schulte Roth Unveil Plans To Join For $2.8B Firm

    McDermott Will & Emery LLP said Friday that it was wrapping up a deal to join forces with Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP to create a law firm with more than $2.8 billion in global revenue, the latest merger in an increasingly competitive legal landscape.

  • Ramey IP Atty Likely To Get Sanctioned Over Netflix Doc Swap

    A California federal judge indicated Thursday he'll likely grant Netflix's request for monetary sanctions against a prolific patent plaintiff's former counsel William Ramey and the Ramey LLP law firm for giving Netflix's confidential information to nonparty AiPi LLC, but probably won't pursue the streamer's request for a civil contempt finding.

  • Hanson Bridgett Front Desk 1.png

    Office Snapshot: Hanson Bridgett Expands On LA Success

    After starting with just two attorneys in Los Angeles more than a decade ago, Hanson Bridgett LLP recently moved its office there to a larger space in the landmark CalEdison Building to accommodate the firm's growing roster in the city.

  • iStock-1277138857.jpg

    Law Students' Pro Bono Hours Valued At Over $157M

    Law school students in the class of 2024 contributed at least 4.7 million hours of pro bono services valued at roughly $157 million as part of their education, a survey released this week by the Association of American Law Schools says.

  • bloom_2.png

    Wilson Sonsini M&A Ace Moves To Cooley In Silicon Valley

    Cooley LLP is growing its transactions team, announcing Thursday that it is bringing in a Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC mergers and acquisitions pro as a partner in its Silicon Valley office in Palo Alto, California.

  • 2_up_Constangy.png

    Constangy's LA Office Gets New Partner, Practice Co-Leader

    Constangy Brooks Smith & Prophete LLP has announced the hiring of an experienced Los Angeles-based employment attorney as a partner and the appointment of another lawyer from the same office as the new co-chair of its California class actions and complex litigation practice.

  • Harwin.png

    Lewis Brisbois Litigator Jumps To FordHarrison In LA

    Management-side labor and employment firm FordHarrison LLP is growing its West Coast team, bringing in a litigator from Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP as a partner in its Los Angeles office.

  • 3 Ways Troutman Used AI Tools To Streamline Its Firm Merger

    In January, Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP merged with Locke Lord LLP to form Troutman Pepper Locke LLP. Leaders of the new firm spoke with Law360 Pulse about how they used artificial intelligence tools to save time and money while combining the two firms.

  • Girardi Hospitalized Ahead Of Mental Evaluation Hearing

    Disbarred attorney Tom Girardi was hospitalized Wednesday for a liver problem and is unable to attend a scheduled hearing Thursday before a California federal judge who is evaluating his mental health to determine if he should be sent to prison, according to a filing with the court by his attorneys. 

  • Perkins Coie's DQ Applies To MoFo Co-Counsel, IP Judge Told

    FaceTec Inc. told a California federal judge it plans to seek to disqualify Morrison Foerster LLP from representing Jumio Corp. in patent infringement litigation involving facial recognition technology, arguing the law firm previously served as co-counsel with recently disqualified Perkins Coie LLP and therefore can't now replace Perkins Coie.

  • Roku's GC Steps Down After Less Than A Year In The Role

    Roku Inc.'s general counsel Louise Pentland is leaving the company to "pursue another opportunity," a move that comes less than a year after Pentland joined the company, according to a disclosure filed Wednesday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

  • Girardi Keese Ex-CFO Will Cop To Client Theft In Chicago

    Girardi Keese's former chief financial officer will plead guilty in federal prosecutors' Chicago case alleging he and a relative of now-disbarred Tom Girardi helped the disgraced former legal titan steal millions from clients, according to his Wednesday request that the judge handling the case accept his anticipated plea remotely.

  • robert-l-nelson.jpg

    Polsinelli Lands Energy Vet From Pillsbury In San Francisco

    Polsinelli PC said Wednesday it is boosting its new project finance group by bringing in a Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP energy and infrastructure project expert as a principal in its San Francisco office.

  • Ex-Lyft CLO Joins Driverless Truck Co.'s Board Ahead Of IPO

    Kodiak Robotics Inc., which provides AI-powered autonomous vehicle technology, said on Wednesday it had appointed the former general counsel and president of Lyft as one of two new members on its board of directors.

  • iStock-1494570707.jpg

    LA Firm Sues Fisher Phillips Over 'Ridiculous' SLAPP Suit

    A Los Angeles employment lawyer has sued Fisher Phillips for malicious prosecution, alleging the international labor firm targeted him with a "frivolous Rube Goldberg-esque legal argument" in an attempt to block him from representing workers at a Southern California diner chain in claims against their employer.

  • epstein-becker.png

    Healthcare Duo Joins Epstein Becker In California, DC

    Epstein Becker Green announced Wednesday that the firm hired a pair of experienced healthcare regulatory attorneys based in California and Washington, D.C. who came aboard following longtime stints with Crowell & Moring LLP and Reed Smith LLP.

  • Feds Seek 13 Years In Avenatti's California Resentencing

    California federal prosecutors asked a judge Wednesday to sentence Michael Avenatti to 160 months in prison for tax fraud and stealing from clients, to be served atop the five-year term imposed in a pair of New York cases where Avenatti was convicted of trying to extort Nike Inc. and defrauding former client Stormy Daniels.

  • iStock-1480614466.jpg

    The Law School Legal Industry Job Tracker: Class Of 2024

    Want to know which schools are sending the highest percentage of graduates to BigLaw? How big a slice are landing those prized clerkships in federal or state courts? Explore the ins and outs of law school graduate placement in our interactive graphic.

  • iStock-1098035846.jpg

    BigLaw Dreams? These Schools Can Make Them Real

    More law school students are finding that a position at a law firm is their preferred landing place after graduation. Here's a look at the choices students are making and the schools that are sending the highest percentage of their students directly to BigLaw.

  • iStock-458106849.jpg

    The Top Law Schools For Legal Industry Jobs: A Data Review

    A law degree opens up a range of job opportunities, in private law firms, government, business and beyond, the ABA's data shows. Find out which schools came out on top for job placements in BigLaw, federal and state court clerkships, public interest and more.

  • Timothy S. Teter.jpg

    Nvidia GC's Pay Rises To $19.2M Through Stock Gains

    Silicon Valley-based tech company Nvidia's general counsel saw his compensation top $19.2 million last year, an increase of more than $8 million based largely on stock awards and increases to the company's share price.

Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the California Pulse archive.

Expert Analysis

  • 9 Writing Tips From The Justices' Opinions Last Term Author Photo

    Hidden in the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinions from the last term are each justice’s talents for crafting choice turns of phrase, highlighting best practices for attorneys to jump-start their own writing, says Ross Guberman at BriefCatch.

  • What Web3 Means For Lawyers' Ethical Duties Author Photo

    As law firms embrace Web3 technologies by accepting cryptocurrency as payment for legal fees, investing in metaverse departments and more, lawyers should remember their ethical duties to warn clients of the benefits and risks of technology in a murky regulatory environment, says Heidi Frostestad Kuehl at Northern Illinois University College of Law.

  • NY's Cybersecurity CLE Rule Is A Sign Of Changing Times Author Photo

    New York's recently announced requirement that lawyers complete cybersecurity training as part of their continuing legal education is a reminder that securing client information is more complicated in an increasingly digital world, and that expectations around attorneys' technology competence are changing, says Jason Schwent at Clark Hill.

  • Opinion

    Law Firms Stressing Work-Life Balance Are Missing The Mark Author Photo

    Law firms struggling to attract and retain lawyers are institutionalizing work-life balance through hybrid work models, but such balance is elusive in a client services and tech-dependent world, underscoring the need for firms to instead aim for attorney empowerment and true balance within — not outside — the workplace, says Joe Pack at Pack Law.

  • A Law Student's Guide To Thriving As A Summer Associate Author Photo

    Summer associates are expected to establish a favorable reputation and develop genuine relationships in a few short weeks, but several time management, attitude and communication principles can help them make the most of their time and secure an offer for a full-time position, says Joseph Marciano, who was a 2022 summer associate at Reed Smith.

  • Burnout Prevention Requires Effort From Attys And Firms Author Photo

    To avoid physical and emotional exhaustion, attorneys must respect their own and their colleagues' personal and professional boundaries, but law firms must also play a role in discouraging burnout culture — especially if they are struggling with attorney retention, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • How I Owned My Power As An Asian American Woman In Law Author Photo

    Gibson Dunn's Debra Yang shares the bumps in her journey to becoming the first female Asian American U.S. attorney, a state judge and a senior partner in BigLaw, and how other women can face their self-doubts and blaze their own trails to success amid systemic obstacles.

  • Successful In-House Alt Legal Services Start With 4 Questions Author Photo

    Law firms that are considering creating an in-house alternative legal service provider should focus not on recapturing revenue otherwise lost to outside vendors, but instead consider how a captive ALSP will better fulfill the needs of their clients and partners, say Beatrice Seravello and Brad Blickstein at Baretz & Brunelle.

  • 3 Reasons To Embrace Jargon In Legal Marketing Content Author Photo

    Ignore what you've been told about jargon — adding insider industry terms to your firm's marketing and business development content can persuade potential clients that you have the specialized knowledge they can trust, says Wayne Pollock at Law Firm Editorial Service.

  • Future Lawyers Expect DEI Commitments Beyond Recruiting Author Photo

    To attract future lawyers from diverse backgrounds, firms must think beyond recruiting efforts, because law students are looking for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that invest in employee professional development and engage with students year-round, says Lauren Jackson at Howard University School of Law.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Can Law Students Build Real-World Skills? Author Photo

    Allison Coffin at Akin Gump discusses how summer associates going back to school can continue to develop real-world lawyering skills by leveraging the numerous law school resources that support professional development both inside and outside the classroom.

  • How Firm Leaders Can Build And Sustain Culture Author Photo

    In uncertain and challenging times, law firm leaders can build and sustain culture by focusing attention on mission, values and leadership development, and applying a growth mindset across their firms, says Scott Westfahl at Harvard Law.

  • The Case That Showed Me The Value Of E-Discovery Plans Author Photo

    Robert Keeling at Sidley reflects on leading discovery in the litigation that followed the historic $85 billion AT&T-Time Warner merger and how the case highlighted the importance of having a strategic e-discovery plan in place.

  • Opinion

    CLE Accreditation Should Be Tied To Learning Outcomes Author Photo

    Given the substantial time and money lawyers put toward mandatory continuing legal education, CLE regulators and providers should be held to accreditation standards that assess learning outcomes, similar to those imposed on law schools and continuing medical education providers, says Rima Sirota at Georgetown Law.

  • Why You Should Leverage AI For Privilege Review Author Photo

    While many lawyers still believe that a manual, document-by-document review is the best approach to privilege logging, certain artificial intelligence tools can bolster the traditional review process and make this aspect of electronic document review more efficient, more accurate and less costly, say Laura Riff and Michelle Six at Kirkland.

×

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