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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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    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.

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Expert Analysis

  • Series

    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
    Author Photo

    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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    My Nonpracticing Law Job: Librarian Author Photo

    Lisa A. Goodman at Texas A&M University shares how she went from a BigLaw associate who liked to hang out in the firm's law library to director of a law library herself in just over a decade, and provides considerations for anyone interested in pursuing a law librarian career.

  • Legal Briefs Can Benefit From Cleaned Up Case Citations Author Photo

    Federal courts have recently been changing the way they quote decisions to omit insignificant details and string cites, and lawyers should consider adopting this practice to enhance the readability of their briefs — as long as accuracy stays top of mind, says Diana Simon at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law.

  • 5 Best Practices For Firms Designing DEI Programs Author Photo

    Nikki Lewis Simon, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Greenberg Traurig, discusses best practices — and some pitfalls to avoid — for law firms looking to build programs aimed at driving inclusion in the workplace.

  • Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs Author Photo

    Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Do I Juggle Billables And Other Activities? Author Photo

    While involvement in internal firm initiatives can be rewarding both personally and professionally, associates' billable time requirements don’t leave much room for other work, meaning they must develop strategies to ensure they’re meeting all of their commitments while remaining balanced, says Melanie Webber at Fisher Phillips.

  • Making Legal Cents: How To Adapt As Clients Tighten Budgets Author Photo

    Amid a dip in corporate legal spending and client pushback on bills, Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants highlights specific in-house counsel frustrations and explains how firms can provide customized legal advice with costs that are supported by undeniable value.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents Author Photo

    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

  • General Counsel And Legal Ops Must Work Together Author Photo

    It is critical for general counsel to ensure that a legal operations leader is viewed not only as a peer, but as a strategic leader for the organization, and there are several actionable ways general counsel can not only become more involved, but help champion legal operations teams and set them up for success, says Mary O'Carroll at Ironclad.

  • How Generative AI's Growing Memory Affects Lawyers Author Photo

    A new ChatGPT feature that can remember user information across different conversations has broad implications for attorneys, whose most pressing questions for the AI tool are usually based on specific, and large, datasets, says legal tech adviser Eric Wall.

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