California Pulse

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    SunPower CLO Moves To Top Legal Spot At Infinera

    Telecom equipment company Infinera Corp. announced a new legal chief on Monday whose resume includes close to 25 years of in-house experience, including most recently as executive vice president and chief legal officer of SunPower Corp.

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    Girardi Wants To Probe Jurors' 'Real Housewives' Exposure

    Public defenders for Tom Girardi want to ask prospective jurors in his upcoming fraud trial whether they have seen his wife's reality television show and news reporting about his law firm's massive scandal, according to a recent motion in Los Angeles federal court.

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    Retired Santa Cruz County, California, Judge Moves To JAMS

    The alternative dispute resolution service JAMS has expanded its mediation team, announcing last week it added a former California state judge as a mediator.

  • Calif. OKs Rule For Judges To Work Remotely In Civil Cases

    California's Judicial Council on Friday approved a new rule of court to allow judges to preside remotely under limited circumstances over civil proceedings from a location other than a courtroom.

  • Calif.'s Top Judge Launches Task Force To Probe AI Uses

    California Supreme Court Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero has created a new task force to look into how generative artificial intelligence could benefit the court system and its users, while also evaluating its potential risks, the court announced Friday.

  • Co-Lead Counsel Named In Baby Food Toxins MDL

    A California federal judge has tapped attorneys from Wisner Baum LLP and the Wagstaff Law Firm PC to lead multidistrict litigation alleging products from baby food manufacturers and distributors, including Walmart Inc. and Gerber Products Co., contain toxic metals and caused children to develop autism spectrum disorder and other conditions.

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    Nestle Assistant GC Joins Mayer Brown's IP Practice In LA

    Mayer Brown LLP has hired Nestle's U.S. head of brand intellectual property as counsel for its global IP practice in Los Angeles.

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    Ex-Berkeley Law Dean Remembered As 'Transformational'

    Former Harvard and Berkeley law professor and onetime Berkeley Law Dean Christopher Edley Jr. is being remembered as a "transformational" academic leader and influential civil rights activist.

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    Dykema Names New CFO, Practice And Office Leaders

    Dykema Gossett PLLC has tapped multiple new leaders across the firm, including bringing on a new chief financial officer who was previously controller at Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP.

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    Lewis Brisbois Taps Attys To Help Lead Asbestos Litigation

    Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP named two new vice chairs of its asbestos litigation practice group this week, looking to experienced litigators from its Philadelphia and Atlanta offices to fill the roles.

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    Gen Z Women Are Shunning BigLaw Partnership. Here's Why.

    A recent survey of Generation Z lawyers at large law firms found that significantly more men than women say their ultimate career goal is to make partner, while far more women than men say their goal is to transition in-house.

  • Calif. Bar Approves Plan To Expunge Nondisbarment Records

    The State Bar of California approved a plan to automatically expunge records of attorney disciplinary actions after eight years, so long as there was no disbarment and the lawyer stayed out of trouble — a move designed to bring greater fairness to the state's attorney disciplinary system.

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Haynes and Boone LLP and Lubin & Enoch PC lead this week's edition of Law360's Legal Lions, after the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously determined that federal courts do not have discretion to toss a case once it's decided that the claims belong in arbitration.

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    McDermott Adds Dechert Blockchain Ace In Calif. Offices

    McDermott Will & Emery LLP is growing its transactions team, announcing Friday it is bringing in a Dechert LLP blockchain and digital assets expert as a partner in its Orange County and Silicon Valley offices.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The middle of May marked another action-packed week for the legal industry as former President Donald Trump's hush money trial continued and BigLaw firms expanded their reach in the U.S. and abroad. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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    Trial Firm Ellis George Adds Former LA Prosecutor, Ex-Mayor

    Ellis George LLP is expanding its team, announcing Thursday it is bringing in a litigator who is a former deputy district attorney, a former mayor and former legal counsel to litigation finance company Omni Bridgeway as a partner in its Los Angeles office in Century City.

  • $2B Default Recommended For Making Fair Trial 'Impossible'

    Years of lies should put a pair of Chinese electronics companies on the hook for over $2 billion in default judgment, a special master told a California federal judge, adding that their yearslong no-show and disregard of U.S. counsel advice to retain documents have rendered a fair trial "impossible."

  • Judge OKs Plan For Those Hit By Rescinded Trump Travel Ban

    Immigration advocates who sued the federal government said they were celebrating "a glimmer of hope" this week after a federal judge OK'd a plan that would require immigration officials to reconsider visa applications for people denied entry into the U.S. because of a Trump-era travel ban affecting individuals from Muslim-majority countries.

  • 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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Expert Analysis

  • How Law Firms Can Welcome And Celebrate Autistic Lawyers Author Photo

    As the U.S. observes Autism Acceptance Month, autistic attorney Haley Moss describes the societal barriers and stereotypes that keep neurodivergent lawyers from disclosing their disabilities, and how law firms can better accommodate and level the playing field for attorneys whose minds work outside of the prescribed norm.

  • Law Firm Tips For Evaluating AI And Machine Learning Tools Author Photo

    Many legal technology vendors now sell artificial intelligence and machine learning tools at a premium price tag, but law firms must take the time to properly evaluate them as not all offerings generate process efficiencies or even use the technologies advertised, says Steven Magnuson at Ballard Spahr.

  • A Call For Personal Accountability On Diversity And Inclusion Author Photo

    While chief legal officers are increasingly involved in creating corporate diversity, inclusion and anti-bigotry policies, all lawyers have a responsibility to be discrimination busters and bias interrupters regardless of the title they hold, says Veta T. Richardson at the Association of Corporate Counsel.

  • Learning How To Code Can Unleash New Potential In Lawyers Author Photo

    Every lawyer can begin incorporating aspects of software development in their day-to-day practice with little to no changes in their existing tools or workflow, and legal organizations that take steps to encourage this exploration of programming can transform into tech incubators, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Supporting Associates Amid Pandemic's Mental Health Toll Author Photo

    As junior associates increasingly report burnout, work-life conflict and loneliness during the pandemic, law firms should take tangible actions to reduce the stigma around seeking help, and to model desired well-being behaviors from the top down, say Stacey Whiteley at the New York State Bar Association and Robin Belleau at Kirkland.

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    Ask A Mentor: Should My Law Firm Take On An Apprentice? Author Photo

    Mentoring a law student who is preparing for the bar exam without attending law school is an arduous process that is not for everyone, but there are also several benefits for law firms hosting apprenticeship programs, says Jessica Jackson, the lawyer guiding Kim Kardashian West's legal education.

  • The Importance Of Client Engagement In Law Firm Innovation Author Photo

    As clients increasingly want law firms to serve as innovation platforms, firms must understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach — the key is a nimble innovation function focused on listening and knowledge sharing, says Mark Brennan at Hogan Lovells.

  • The Unique Challenges Facing Women-Owned Law Firms Author Photo

    In addition to establishing their brand from scratch, women who start their own law firms must overcome inherent bias against female lawyers and convince prospective clients to put aside big-firm preferences, says Joel Stern at the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms.

  • The Pursuit Of Wellness In BigLaw: Lessons From My Journey Author Photo

    Jane Jeong at Cooley shares how grueling BigLaw schedules and her own perfectionism emotionally bankrupted her, and why attorneys struggling with burnout should consider making small changes to everyday habits.

  • Why We Must Recruit And Advance More Black Prosecutors Author Photo

    Black Americans make up a disproportionate percentage of the incarcerated population but are underrepresented among elected prosecutors, so the legal community — from law schools to prosecutor offices — must commit to addressing these disappointing demographics, says Erika Gilliam-Booker at the National Black Prosecutors Association.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can Associates Deal With Overload? Author Photo

    Young lawyers overwhelmed with a crushing workload must tackle the problem on two fronts — learning how to say no, and understanding how to break down projects into manageable parts, says Jay Harrington at Harrington Communications.

  • A Scientific Path For Improving Diversity At Law Firms Author Photo

    Law firms could combine industrial organizational psychology and machine learning to study prospective hires' analytical thinking, stress response and similar attributes — which could lead to recruiting from a more diverse candidate pool, say Ali Shahidi and Bess Sully at Sheppard Mullin.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can Associates Seek More Assignments? Author Photo

    In the first installment of Law360 Pulse's career advice guest column, Meela Gill at Weil offers insights on how associates can ask for meaningful work opportunities at their firms without sounding like they are begging. 

  • Legal Sector Regulatory Reform Is Key To Closing Justice Gap Author Photo

    In order to improve access to justice for those who cannot afford a lawyer, states should consider regulatory innovations, such as allowing new forms of law firm ownership and permitting nonlawyers to provide certain legal services, says Patricia Lee Refo, president of the American Bar Association.

  • How Attys Can Guard Against Rising Settle-And-Sue Claims Author Photo

    Certain precautions can help lawyers avoid post-settlement malpractice claims and create a solid evidentiary defense, as settle-and-sue lawsuits rise amid pandemic-induced dispute settlements, say Bethany Kristovich and Jeremy Beecher at Munger Tolles.

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