California Pulse


  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry began June with another action-packed week as BigLaw firms expanded their presence and offerings. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse’s weekly quiz.

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    Pillsbury Brings On Buchalter IP Co-Leader In San Diego

    Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is boosting its intellectual property team, announcing Thursday it is bringing on the former co-chair of Buchalter PC's intellectual property practice as a partner in its San Diego office.

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    Which GCs Sold Stock In May? Intuit, Microsoft, Loar Holdings

    Microsoft's Brad Smith may not carry the title anymore, but he is still the company's top lawyer, and he cashed in $35.3 million worth of company stock in May. Other big law department winners last month were Intuit's Kerry McLean with $12.18 million and Loar Holdings Inc.'s Michael Manella with $12 million. 

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    Boom In Nonequity Partner Tiers Test Law Firms' 'Discipline'

    As nonequity partnership tiers expand across U.S. law firms, experts warn that the model, while effective for retaining talent and controlling costs, demands disciplined management oversight to avoid becoming a liability.

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    After Strong 2024 Growth, US Firms Face Looming Uncertainty

    Domestic lawyer headcount growth among the 400 largest law firms in the U.S. picked up speed in 2024, rising 3.1% on average and outpacing growth the previous year, but experts say the winds that bolstered that expansion may have shifted as a result of macroeconomic uncertainty.

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    The Law360 400: Tracking The Largest US Law Firms

    Many of the largest law firms in the U.S. had a strong year in 2024. And as demand for their services ticked upward they invested in bench strength, boosting the number of lawyers available to assist clients, our latest ranking of the largest U.S. law firms shows.

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    Davis Wright Adds Coblentz Patch Wine Industry Expert In SF

    Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is expanding its food and beverage team, bringing in a Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP transactional attorney specializing in the wine and hospitality industry as a partner in its San Francisco office.

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    Taylor Duma Chair On Firm's Future After Leaders' Departures

    Following a string of departures from the firm now known as Taylor Duma LLP — most notably a former name partner and a onetime managing partner — founding partner and Chairman Marc A. Taylor said the midsize law firm has a plan to grow in a more efficient and agile manner.

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    Weil Lands DLA Piper Entertainment And Sports Ace In LA

    Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP is expanding its transactional team in California, announcing Wednesday that it is bringing in a DLA Piper entertainment, sports and media dealmaker as a partner in its Los Angeles office.

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    Today's Legal Workplace Is Hybrid, Collaborative, Survey Says

    Even as lawyers have returned to the office in larger numbers than in the years during and immediately following the COVID-19 pandemic, hybrid in-person and remote work remains the norm at law firms today, which have turned their focus to creating flexible, collaborative spaces that "link presence to purpose," according to the results of a survey released this week.

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    MoFo Can't Escape Perkins Coie's 'Taint' In IP Suit, Court Told

    Biometric security company FaceTec told a California federal judge that Morrison & Foerster LLP should be barred from representing identity verification platform Jumio in a patent suit, arguing that its participation is "tainted" by the actions of disqualified co-counsel Perkins Coie LLP.

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    How This Atty Used Her Law Degree To Go From CLO To CEO

    Direct Relief's new CEO Amy Weaver has made various jumps in her career — from Seattle to Hong Kong, online travel to chemical distribution to SaaS, chief legal officer to chief financial officer to chief executive officer. And while the Harvard Law School grad's moves may appear completely different, she sees each role, company, industry and location as a building block.

  • LegalZoom Partners With AI Search Engine Co. Perplexity

    Online legal services provider LegalZoom announced Wednesday a strategic partnership with Perplexity, a search service utilizing large language models to answer user queries.

  • Loeb & Loeb Trusts And Estates Head Jumps To Proskauer

    Proskauer Rose LLP has hired the former chair of Loeb & Loeb LLP's international trusts and estates practice group to represent ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families.

  • Groups Ask California Bar To Discipline Google's Kent Walker

    Four organizations are citing new court developments involving Google Inc. Chief Legal Officer Kent Walker's alleged mishandling of evidence in again asking the State Bar of California to discipline him.

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    Norton Rose Adds K&L Gates Product Liability Litigator In LA

    Norton Rose Fulbright is expanding its product liability team, announcing Tuesday that it is bringing in a K&L Gates LLP trial attorney as a partner in its Los Angeles office.

  • Calyx Law Expands Into AI, Blockchain With New Partnership

    San Francisco intellectual property and psychedelics lawyer Graham Pechenik announced Tuesday that he has transformed his nearly 10-year-old firm Calyx Law into a new partnership with Frank Gerratana, a Boston-based patent law veteran and former Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky & Popeo PC member.

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    Tom Girardi Sentenced To Over 7 Years For $15M Client Fraud

    A California federal judge sentenced Tom Girardi on Tuesday to over seven years in prison for his wire fraud conviction, granting some leniency to the disbarred attorney on his 86th birthday by imposing a sentence below the guidelines in recognition of his age and ailing health. 

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    The Law360 400: A Look At The Top 100 Firms

    A rebound in client work sent the nation’s largest law firms into growth mode last year, driving a wave of hiring, mergers and strategic moves that reshaped the top tier of the Law360 400. Here's a preview of the 100 firms with the largest U.S. attorney headcounts.

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    Murchison & Cumming Personal Injury Atty To Join Signature

    The alternative dispute resolution service Signature Resolution is bringing in a soon-to-retire Murchison & Cumming LLP personal injury trial attorney to join its panel of neutrals.

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    Crowell & Moring Opens In Boston With Faber Daeufer Tie-Up

    Crowell & Moring LLP and Faber Daeufer & Itrato PC announced Tuesday they have combined, allowing Crowell & Moring to open an office in Boston that builds on Faber Daeufer's strong presence in the city's life sciences community.

  • Girardi's Dropped Pants Don't Sway Judge From Sentencing

    A California federal judge ruled Monday she will sentence Tom Girardi this week for his wire fraud conviction, finding him mentally competent enough to potentially serve prison time following a bizarre hearing where the disbarred attorney made an appearance on the witness stand that culminated in his pants falling down.

  • Third Round Of Fixes Sought In Botched Calif. Bar Exam

    The California state bar's committee of bar examiners has approved two additional remedies in an effort to help applicants who failed the troubled February exam, including asking the state Supreme Court to approve a further scoring adjustment that would bring the passing rate up to about 63%.

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    Ropes & Gray Gets 'Innovative' New Office In Silicon Valley

    Ropes & Gray LLP has moved its Silicon Valley office to a new location in downtown Palo Alto, California, a move to strengthen its presence in the tech region, the firm announced Monday.

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    Susman Godfrey Founder, 'Preeminent' Litigator, Dies

    H. Lee Godfrey, one of the founders of litigation boutique Susman Godfrey LLP, died on Monday, leaving behind a legacy as a thoughtful leader who performed exceptional work as a trial attorney, firm leaders said.

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Expert Analysis

  • Modernizing Legal Education Through Hybrid JD Programs Author Photo

    Amid pandemic-era shifts in education, law schools and other stakeholders should consider the wide geographic and demographic reach of Juris Doctor programs with both online and in-person learning options, and educators should think through the various ways hybrid programs can be structured, says Stephen Burnett at All Campus.

  • How BigLaw Can Mirror Small Firm Attorney Engagement Author Photo

    BigLaw has the unique opportunity to hit refresh post-pandemic and enhance attorney satisfaction by adopting practices that smaller firms naturally employ — including work assignment policies that can provide junior attorneys steady professional development, says Michelle Genet Bernstein at Mark Migdal.

  • Ditch The Annual Review To Boost Attorney Job Satisfaction Author Photo

    In order to attract and retain the rising millennial generation's star talent, law firms should break free of the annual review system and train lawyers of all seniority levels to solicit and share frequent and informal feedback, says Betsy Miller at Cohen Milstein.

  • How Attorneys Can Narrow LGBTQ Gap In The Judiciary Author Photo

    Lawyers can take several steps to redress the lack of adequate LGBTQ representation on the bench and its devastating impact on litigants and counsel in the community, says Janice Grubin, co-chair of the Judiciary Committee at the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York.

  • Employers Must Heed Rising Attorney Stress And Alcohol Use Author Photo

    Krill Strategies’ Patrick Krill, who co-authored a new study that revealed alarming levels of stress, hazardous drinking and associated gender disparities among practicing attorneys, highlights how legal employers can confront the underlying risk factors as both warnings and opportunities in the post-COVID-19 era.

  • Lawyers Can Get Ready For Space Law To Take Flight Author Photo

    While international agreements for space law have remained relatively unchanged since their creation decades ago, the rapid pace of change in U.S. laws and policies is creating opportunities for both new and veteran lawyers looking to break into this exciting realm, in either the private sector or government, says Michael Dodge at the University of North Dakota.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: What Makes A Successful Summer Associate? Author Photo

    Navigating a few densely packed weeks at a law firm can be daunting for summer associates, but those who are prepared to seize opportunities and not afraid to ask questions will be set up for success, says Julie Crisp at Latham.

  • How To Successfully Market Your Summer Associate Program Author Photo

    Law firms can attract the right summer associate candidates and help students see what makes a program unique by using carefully crafted messaging and choosing the best ambassadors to deliver it, says Tamara McClatchey, director of career services at the University of Chicago Law School.

  • Opinion

    Judges Deserve Congress' Commitment To Their Safety Author Photo

    Following the tragic attack on U.S. District Judge Esther Salas' family last summer and amid rising threats against the judiciary, legislation protecting federal judges' personal information and enhancing security measures at courthouses is urgently needed, says U.S. District Judge Roslynn Mauskopf, director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can Recalcitrant Attys Use Social Media? Author Photo

    Social media can be intimidating for reluctant lawyers but it can also be richly rewarding, as long as attorneys remember that professional accounts will always reflect on their firms and colleagues, and follow some best practices to avoid embarrassment, says Sean Marotta at Hogan Lovells.

  • Keys To Digitizing Inefficient Contract Management Processes Author Photo

    Neville Eisenberg and Mark Grayson at BCLP explain how they sped up contract execution for one client by replacing email with a centralized, digital tool for negotiations and review, and how the principles they adhered to can be helpful for other law firms looking to improve poorly managed contract management processes.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can Firms Coach Associates Remotely? Author Photo

    Practicing law through virtual platforms will likely persist even after the pandemic, so law firms and senior lawyers should consider refurbishing their associate mentoring programs to facilitate personal connections, professionalism and effective training in a remote environment, says Carol Goodman at Herrick Feinstein.

  • 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.

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