California Pulse


  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry marked mid-May with another busy week as attorneys landed new roles and firms expanded their offerings. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

  • Anthropic's Atty Says Client's Own AI Created Error In Filing

    A Latham & Watkins LLP associate representing Anthropic in the artificial intelligence company's copyright fight with music publishers said Thursday that she used Anthropic's own Claude.ai tool to help draft an expert's declaration that included an erroneous citation, but she argued the error was "an honest citation mistake and not a fabrication of authority."

  • Peter Nelson_.png

    Dorsey & Whitney Elects Banking Partner As Next Leader

    Dorsey & Whitney LLP announced a new managing partner Thursday, tapping for the role a banking industry attorney with 17 years of experience at the firm who serves as co-leader of its finance and restructuring practice group.

  • Guillou_Celine.jpg

    Kelley Drye Brings On Data Privacy Pro From Calif. Agency

    Kelley Drye & Warren LLP is expanding its data privacy team, bringing in an attorney from the California Privacy Protection Agency's enforcement division as special counsel in its Los Angeles office.

  • Tara Seracka.jpg

    Ex-Cisco Atty Joins Cloud Software Co. Fastly As CLO

    Fastly Inc., a cloud computing services provider, has named a new chief legal officer with 20 years' experience, including as deputy general counsel at Cisco Systems Inc.

  • iStock-1846318820.jpg

    Ex-LA DA's Atty's AI Use 'Affirmatively Misled' Special Master

    The retired California federal judge serving as special master for former Los Angeles District Attorney Jackie Lacey's insurance coverage suit — stemming from her husband's holding a gun in their home's doorway in 2020 — has ordered litigation sanctions against Lacey's legal team, finding the lawyers submitted "bogus AI-generated research" that initially tricked the judge.

  • iStock-2160267173.jpg

    Nixing 'Loophole' May Keep Judges Accountable Or On Bench

    A new bill intended to ensure that federal judges' alleged misconduct is investigated even after those judges leave the bench is a long-overdue step to ensure accountability, according to the legislation's supporters, but the measure could actually ensure that judges accused of wrongdoing remain on the bench, others say.

  • Josh-Escovedo_web.jpg

    Buchalter Names Sports Agent As Sacramento Office Co-Lead

    Buchalter PC has named Josh Escovedo, co-chair of its sports law industry group, as co-managing shareholder of the firm's Sacramento, California, office.

  • LinkedIn_on_mobile_71721.jpg

    BigLaw Has More LinkedIn Followers, But Less Engagement

    The 30 largest U.S. law firms have more LinkedIn followers, but smaller firms in the top 200 have higher engagement rates despite fewer followers on the platform, according to a report released Thursday by BTI Consulting Group.

  • Louise Pentland.png

    Adobe Hires Former Roku GC As Its New Chief Legal Officer

    Adobe Inc. announced Wednesday it is bringing in a technology industry veteran who most recently was the general counsel of Roku as its new chief legal officer.

  • holtz.png

    Hollywood Attys' New Litigation Boutique Eyes Assault Cases

    Two prominent entertainment litigators announced this week that they've started their own Los Angeles-based boutique focused on sexual assault and harassment litigation.

  • promotion.jpg

    Law360 Names Attys Who Moved Up The Firm Ranks In Q1

    A promotion to partner or election to practice group chair means a slew of new responsibilities and also lots of well-deserved recognition. Law360 reveals the list of attorneys whose commitment to legal excellence earned them highly coveted spots in the law firm leadership ranks. Find out if your old legal friends — or rivals — moved up in the first quarter of the year.

  • ahc.png

    Litchfield Cavo Litigator Joins Kaufman Dolowich In LA

    Kaufman Dolowich announced that an experienced litigator with over a decade spent working on employment, labor and consumer financial services matters has joined the firm's Los Angeles office as a partner.

  • lhamon.jpg

    Berkeley Law Names First Leader Of New Democracy Center

    The University of California, Berkeley School of Law announced Tuesday the hiring of Catherine E. Lhamon, former chair of the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, as executive director of the school's Edley Center on Law & Democracy, a research center focused on protecting American democracy that launched last year.

  • Alison Cohen.png

    'Anora' Studio Neon Hires FilmNation's Legal Leader As GC

    Neon, an American independent film production and distribution company known for films "Anora" and "Parasite," has found a new legal leader in a film industry veteran.

  • jessica-nall.jpg

    Withers Brings On Baker McKenzie Tech Litigator In SF

    Withers is expanding its West Coast team, bringing in a Baker McKenzie technology litigator as a partner in its San Francisco office.

  • MoFo DQ Sought In IP Case After Perkins Coie Ouster

    A software developer pursuing intellectual property claims against another technology company in San Francisco federal court has followed through with its threat to seek removal of Morrison & Foerster LLP after it succeeded in disqualifying Perkins Coie LLP, arguing the firms worked closely together and new counsel is necessary to avoid prejudice.

  • 2_up_Arista Networks.png

    GC Moves From One Calif. Computer-Related Co. To Another

    General counsel Marc Taxay wasted no time when he left computer networking company Arista Networks for the same job at computer tool designer Cadence Design Systems. Taxay left Arista on May 7, and then he reported in a regulatory filing for his new company's annual meeting held the next day.

  • iStock-179423702.jpg

    Faster Pace, More Stress, On Path To A Summer Associate Gig

    The path to securing a summer associate position at a law firm has changed significantly over the past few years, adding new pressures for students reaching for those coveted positions and new challenges for law firms trying to find top talent, according to Law360 Pulse's 2025 Summer Associate Survey.

  • iStock-1481370371.jpg

    What Do Summer Associates Want? These Firms

    As the competition to recruit future lawyers heats up, law firms are making summer associate offers earlier than ever. But even as the timeline shifts, law students' favorites have stayed largely the same, according to Law360 Pulse's 2025 Summer Associate Survey.

  • iStock-2172286459.jpg

    AI Is Uncharted Territory In Summer Associate Job Hunt

    About 20% of law students used artificial intelligence to assist them with their summer associate job hunt, leaning on the new technology to help navigate new challenges and shifting timelines, according to Law360 Pulse's 2025 Summer Associates Survey.

  • 18931.jpeg

    Stinson Expands New LA Office With Litigator From Dykema

    Stinson LLP has added to the team in its six-week-old Los Angeles office, announcing Monday it has brought in a Dykema Gossett PLLC commercial litigator as a partner.

  • Attys Face Sanctions Motion Over Combs Assault Suit

    Comedian Drew "Druski" Desbordes wants a California federal court to sanction the attorneys who've accused him of participating in a violent Bay Area gang rape alongside embattled rapper Sean "Diddy" Combs, claiming they willfully ignored a mountain of exonerating evidence.

  • Ex-California Court Commissioner Scolded For Texting Parties

    A former California state court commissioner has been publicly reprimanded for engaging in unsolicited communications with several of the litigants who appeared before him, both in person and by text, according to an order Friday.

  • IMG_1241.jpeg

    Frost Brown Adds Keesal Young Commercial Litigator In SF

    Frost Brown Todd LLP is expanding its West Coast team by bringing in a Keesal Young & Logan LLP commercial litigator as a partner in its San Francisco office, it announced Monday.

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

Expert Analysis

  • Ditch The Frills And Start Writing Legal Letters In Plain English Author Photo

    To become more effective advocates, lawyers need to rethink the ridiculous, convoluted language they use in correspondence and write letters in a clear, concise and direct manner, says legal writing instructor Stuart Teicher.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Negotiate My Separation Agreement? Author Photo

    Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey discusses how a law firm associate can navigate being laid off, what to look for in a separation agreement and why to be upfront about it with prospective employers.

  • DoNotPay Cases Underscore Hurdles For AI-Fueled Legal Help Author Photo

    Recent legal challenges against DoNotPay’s "robot lawyer” application highlight pressing questions about the degree to which artificial intelligence can be used for legal tasks while remaining on the right side of both consumer protection laws and prohibitions against the unauthorized practice of law, says Kristen Niven at Frankfurt Kurnit.

  • For The Future Of Legal Practice, Let's Learn From The Past Author Photo

    At some level, every practicing lawyer is experiencing the ever-increasing speed of change — and while some practice management processes have gotten more efficient, other things about the legal profession were better before supposed improvements were made, says Jay Silberblatt, president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

  • Why All Law Firms Should Foster Psychological Capital Author Photo

    Law firms will be able to reap great long-term benefits if they adopt strategies to nurture four critical components of their employees' psychological wellness and performance — hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism, says Dennis Stolle at the American Psychological Association.

  • A GC's Guide To Litigation, Inspired By Sun Tzu's 'Art Of War' Author Photo

    With caseloads and spending increasing, in-house counsel might find themselves called to opine on the risks and benefits of litigation more often, and they should look at five Sun Tzu maxims from the ancient Chinese classic "The Art of War" to inform their approach to any suit, says Jeff Golimowski at Womble Bond.

  • Mentorship Is Key To Diversity In The Legal Industry Author Photo

    Not only can effective mentorship have a profound impact on women and people of color entering the legal field, but it also benefits mentors and the legal profession as a whole, creating a true win-win situation for all involved, says Natasha Cortes at Grossman Roth.

  • ChatGPT Is A Cool Trick, But AI Won't Replace Lawyers Author Photo

    Generative AI applications like ChatGPT are unlikely to ever replace attorneys for a variety of practical reasons — but given their practice-enhancing capabilities, lawyers who fail to leverage these tools may be rendered obsolete, says Eran Kahana at Maslon.

  • Pro Bono Work Is Valuable In IP And Continued Learning Author Photo

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's recent elimination of a rule that partially counted pro bono work toward continuing legal education highlights the importance of volunteer work in intellectual property practice and its ties to CLE, and puts a valuable tool for hands-on attorney education in the hands of the states, say Lisa Holubar and Ariel Katz at Irwin.

  • Increasing Public Access To Legal Services: A Practical Plan Author Photo

    Recommendations recently issued by a special committee of the Florida Bar represent a realistic, pragmatic approach to increasing the accessibility and affordability of legal services, at a time when the disconnect between the legal profession and the public at large has widened considerably, says Gary Lesser, president of the Florida Bar.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Do I Relay Shortcomings To Associates? Author Photo

    Michael Cohen at Duane Morris discusses the best ways to articulate how an associate is not meeting expectations, and why documentation of performance management is crucial for their growth and protecting the firm from discrimination suits.

  • 10 Principles For Effective Partner Reward Systems Author Photo

    Several forces are reshaping partners’ expectations about profit-sharing, and as compensation structures evolve in response, firms should keep certain fundamentals in mind to build a successful partner reward system, say Michael Roch at MHPR Advisors and Ray D'Cruz at Performance Leader.

  • Why Interdisciplinarity Is Key To Designing The Future Of Law Author Photo

    The legal profession faces challenges that urgently demand new solutions, and lawyers and firms can address this by leaning on other industries that have more experience practicing, teaching and incorporating innovation into their core business and service models, says Jennifer Leonard at the University of Pennsylvania.

  • Incorporating ADA Guidance Into Lawyer Wellness Movement Author Photo

    The Americans with Disabilities Act and rules of professional conduct may help the legal profession promote lawyer well-being by focusing on mental conditions' actual impact, rather than on associated stereotypes, says Alex Long at the University of Tennessee College of Law.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Can New Partners Generate Business? Author Photo

    Christine Wong at MoFo discusses how newly elected partners can prioritize business development by creating a strategic plan with the firm's marketing team and strengthening relationships with professional and personal networks.

×

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