California Pulse


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    Cooley Life Sciences M&A Atty Joins Goodwin In California

    Goodwin Procter LLP expanded its life sciences industry group with a new partner who focuses on public mergers and acquisitions from Cooley LLP.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry kicked off September with a busy week of attorney moves and law firm real estate trends. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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    Quinn Emanuel, McDermott Hit By Data Breaches

    Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP and McDermott Will & Schulte LLP both recently suffered data breaches, adding to the dozens of cybersecurity incidents law firms in the U.S. have suffered in 2026.

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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.

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Expert Analysis

  • How 1Ls Can Plan For Sped-Up Summer Associate Hiring Author Photo

    The ever-earlier recruiting of summer associates sets high stakes before new law students may even realize, but 1Ls can better land a good 2L summer fit if they hit their first semester focused on the hiring timeline and ready to ask important questions about their would-be firms, says Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.

  • How GCs Can Help Build A Geopolitical Command Center Author Photo

    In the face of sustained regulatory and economic uncertainty, general counsel can help businesses move from reactive to proactive management by building a clear, cross-functional geopolitical command center that monitors and coordinates responses to a wide spectrum of issues, says Lars Faeste at FTI Consulting.

  • For Some Lawyers, Building A New Practice Makes Perfect Author Photo

    Leaving an established law firm to start a boutique business of your own requires not only vision and resilience but also a solid business plan to help mitigate risks and increase your chances of unparalleled personal and professional success, says Rebecca Palmer at the Rebecca L. Palmer Law Group.

  • Beyond Billable Hours: The Unseen Labor Of Women In Law Author Photo

    The legal profession has a critical role to play in reducing attrition of women lawyers by addressing the disproportionate burden of the mental load — the often-unseen work of managing tasks and anticipating needs in both personal and professional realms, says Michelle Browning-Coughlin at Northern Kentucky University’s Chase College of Law.

  • 10 Key Strategies For Successful Lateral Partner Integration Author Photo

    To help ensure new partners and practice groups are successfully integrated, firms should embrace specific structured practices that recognize each lateral's distinct value, personalize their integration plans and proactively address transition complexities long after onboarding ends, say Elizabeth Kennedy at NewEdge BD and Erika Steinberg at CMO2Go.

  • How Firms Can Manage DEI Commitments Amid Headwinds Author Photo

    By recalibrating how they structure and communicate their inclusion efforts, law firms can reduce legal exposure and preserve their values, says Angela Vallot at VallotKarp Consulting.

  • Key Ingredients For Effective Law Firm Strategic Planning Author Photo

    As the legal industry faces political turmoil and economic uncertainty, the time is ripe for firms to revisit their strategic plans, ensuring they contain a few essential elements — from accountability systems to broad-based input — to achieve sustainable growth and profitability, says Joe Calve at Calve Communications.

  • AI-Powered Biz Development Can Democratize Rainmaking Author Photo

    As fluency in artificial intelligence becomes a competitive imperative in the legal industry, the next generation of rainmakers likely won’t be defined by their Rolodexes or club memberships, but by their ability to leverage AI business development tools effectively, says Jessica Aries at By Aries.

  • How Law Students Can Effectively Use AI In Their Job Search Author Photo

    Law students can use artificial intelligence tools strategically throughout the job application process to review materials, prepare for interviews and navigate employers’ use of similar tools, but there are several key missteps they should be careful to avoid, says Lauren Wong at University of San Diego School of Law.

  • An After-Placement Plan Maximizes Legal Content's Potential Author Photo

    Before landing a published quote, feature or interview, law firms should articulate the content’s purpose and develop a strategic plan for repurposing it to ensure they’re aligning public relations efforts with measurable business outcomes, says John Hellerman at Hellerman Communications.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Should I Coordinate Pro Bono Projects? Author Photo

    Julie LaEace at Perkins Coie offers tips for attorneys acting as pro bono coordinators, including how to choose appropriate projects, how to encourage participation and why it is important to keep in touch with legal aid partner organizations.

  • 6 Strategies For Navigating Legal Leadership Transitions Author Photo

    Amid uncertainty in the legal job market, attorneys who are considering a transition to a leadership role must fundamentally reimagine their approach to value creation and develop a new set of skills, say Stacy Bratcher at Cottage Health and Michael Watkins at Genesis Advisers.

  • The Augmented Lawyer: Crafting Responsible AI Policies Author Photo

    As the legal industry increasingly looks to impose responsive guardrails for artificial intelligence use, firms and organizations’ internal use policies, outside counsel guidelines and vendor contracts can address confidentiality and data retention concerns in several ways, say attorneys at KXT Law.

  • 6 Ways To Build Pro Bono Culture If You Lack Dedicated Staff Author Photo

    Firms can develop a strong pro bono culture without hiring dedicated professionals through strategies like demonstrating active involvement by leadership, tailoring volunteer tasks to individual professional development needs and building trusted partnerships within the legal aid community, says Stacy Zinken at Paladin.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Extend Your Content's Life Author Photo

    Attorneys often limit the impact of their thought leadership by letting their content languish after initial publication, but through four easy strategies for retooling existing content, they can maximize its reach and further their business development goals, says Jillian McKenna at Verrill Dana.

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