California Pulse

  • Smollett Atty Says Attackers' Defamation Suit Must Fail

    An attorney who represented "Empire" actor Jussie Smollett asked an Illinois federal judge Wednesday to end claims that she defamed two brothers accused of attacking Smollett by suggesting they wore "whiteface," arguing it was an unimportant detail that meshed with their own descriptions.

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    Lowenstein Sandler Pro Bono Head Leaves Legacy Of Service

    As she winds down her tenure leading Lowenstein Sandler LLP's Center for Public Interest this month, Catherine Weiss is leaving behind a legacy as a fierce public advocate for immigrants and reproductive rights at a time when public interest law as a whole faces new challenges.

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    Calif. Bar Halts Plans To Develop New Bar Exam

    The State Bar of California has shelved a plan to develop its own online bar exam, a shift that could save the cash-strapped organization up to $4 million per year, but drew opposition from law school deans concerned about its ambitious rollout timeline.

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    Deepfake Rule Proposals Navigate 'Perfect Evidentiary Storm'

    As federal judiciary officials explore how to handle evidence faked by artificial intelligence, attorneys are divided over the need to change evidence rules, with some worried that current rules are not up to the challenges posed by deepfakes, and others fearful that altering them might do more harm than good.

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    Nelson Mullins Adds 6 London Fischer Attys, Plans LA Office

    Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP announced Thursday it has brought on six litigators from London Fischer LLP on both coasts, with four of them set to join a new downtown Los Angeles office and the other two coming aboard in New York.

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    Baker Botts Grows IP Group With Perkins Coie Atty In Calif.

    Baker Botts has welcomed a Perkins Coie LLP partner to its Palo Alto, California, office, strengthening its intellectual property department with a litigator whose clients include Chinese and Taiwanese technology companies, the international law firm announced Thursday.

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    From 'Deadhead' To Womble Bond's Next Chair And CEO-Elect

    Merrick Benn, a global finance partner at Womble Bond Dickinson and a member of the firm's global board, is preparing to take over as U.S. chair and CEO. Here, Benn talks to Law360 Pulse about his goals for the new position and how the Grateful Dead influenced his career trajectory.

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    Norton Rose Taps Texas Atty As Co-Head Of Regulatory Group

    Norton Rose Fulbright has selected the former leader of its Austin, Texas, shop to fill the role of co-head of the firm's U.S. regulation, investigations, securities and compliance practice.

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    Mayer Brown Recruits Akin Gump Public Policy Pro In LA

    Mayer Brown LLP has brought back a public policy and regulatory expert from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP, where he spent over a decade leading its California public law and policy practice.

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    Haynes Boone Adds Sheppard Mullin RE Finance Pro In Calif.

    Haynes and Boone LLP continues to grow its Orange County office, announcing Wednesday that a Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP real estate finance ace is joining the office in Costa Mesa, California, as a partner.

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    Brown Rudnick Taps Kasowitz Vet As Biz Development Leader

    Brown Rudnick LLP has hired the former chief marketing and business development officer at Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP, who joins the firm to continue helping elevate its attorneys' work and the firm's overall business operations.

  • 'Not Enough Money': Atty. Objects To Plan For Dead Law Firm

    An attorney representing a small group of creditors of failed California debt relief law firm Litigation Practice Group raised concerns at a hearing Wednesday that once the bankruptcy estate pays professional fees and administrative claims, little money will be left.

  • 'Excellent' Altria MDL Deal Earns Attys Fees Above Benchmark

    A California federal judge on Wednesday awarded $13.65 million in plaintiffs' attorney fees as part of tobacco giant Altria's $45.5 million deal resolving consumer claims in multidistrict litigation alleging the company helped fuel a youth vaping crisis created by e-cigarette maker Juul, saying the "excellent result" merited fees above the normal 25% benchmark.

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    Airbnb CLO Ron Klain To Help Biden Prepare For June Debate

    Ron Klain, former White House chief of staff to President Joe Biden who now leads the legal department at Airbnb, told Law360 Pulse on Wednesday that he plans to help his former boss prepare for his upcoming debate in June.

  • Monsanto's $23M False Ad Deal Challenged At 9th Circ.

    Counsel representing a certified class of Missouri consumers urged the Ninth Circuit on Wednesday to reverse Monsanto's nationwide $23 million settlement resolving consumer false ad claims over risks associated with its Roundup weedkiller, arguing that Monsanto hid the settlement from the Missouri plaintiffs and that the class is effectively "getting absolutely nothing."

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    BCLP Taps Slew Of New Office, Sector Leaders

    Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP on Wednesday elevated three longtime partners into leadership roles in its Chicago, Denver and Los Angeles offices, the firm said in an announcement that also named a spate of new sector leaders and a new co-head of its Seattle outpost.

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    Womble Bond Names 'Fearless Leader' As Chair, CEO-Elect

    Womble Bond Dickinson announced Wednesday that global finance partner Merrick Benn has been elected U.S. chair and CEO, for a three-year term effective Jan. 1.

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    Reed Smith Launches Emerging Technologies Practice

    Reed Smith LLP announced the launch of a practice group focused on helping clients with the legal complexities posed by emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and fintech.

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    Buchalter Starts Fintech And AI Practice With New Seattle Hire

    Buchalter PC announced that it hired the former chief legal officer at mortgage-focused fintech company Sagent as a Seattle-based shareholder and chair of its newly launched fintech and artificial intelligence practice group.

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    Women In GC Roles Are Closing In On The Gender Pay Gap

    Though the gender pay gap persists, the difference in compensation between women and men at the general counsel level is narrowing — from 4.9% in 2023 to 4.3% in 2024 — according to a report out Wednesday.

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    Top Calif. Dealmakers Join Sullivan & Cromwell From Skadden

    Sullivan & Cromwell LLP said Wednesday it is bringing two "top Silicon Valley dealmakers" from Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP to the firm, touting the pair's history with multibillion-dollar technology-related mergers and acquisitions.

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    Paul Weiss Establishes Center To Combat Hate

    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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    Nvidia GC's Comp Climbed Past $11M Last Fiscal Year

    Silicon Valley-based tech company Nvidia's general counsel earned more than $11 million in compensation during the last fiscal year, which marks a nearly $2 million increase from the previous one, according to a recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

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    Winston & Strawn Adds Buchalter IP Atty As Trademarks Lead

    Global firm Winston & Strawn LLP has hired a Buchalter PC attorney to bolster its intellectual property practice and lead its global trademark prosecution and counseling efforts.

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    Spencer Fane Adds Another Hopkins & Carley Atty In Calif.

    Spencer Fane LLP has hired another attorney from Hopkins & Carley who has spent nearly the entirety of her more than 30-year career with her former firm, and most recently helped lead its litigation department, according to a recent announcement.

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Expert Analysis

  • What I Learned As A Virtual Summer Associate Author Photo

    It is necessary in a virtual law firm summer program to think twice about asking questions you may be able to answer on your own, but this independence and other aspects of a remote internship may help to instill habits that would be useful for future full-time associates, says law student Kelley Sheehan, who interned at Patterson & Sheridan this summer.

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