California Pulse


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    Ex-McGlinchey Attys Reflect On 'Special' Culture After Closure

    McGlinchey Stafford PLLC shut down earlier this year after more than five decades, but its strong culture left many of the more than 100 former firm attorneys wanting to stick together even after the New Orleans-based firm closed its doors.

  • Prologis' Rookie CLO Earned Nearly $5M In 2025

    The chief legal officer of real estate investment trust Prologis Inc. earned total compensation of nearly $5 million in her first year on the job, according to a March 19 securities filing.

  • UC Berkeley To Bolster Antisemitism Protections In Settlement

    The University of California, Berkeley, agreed to strengthen its policies against antisemitism to resolve claims that the university was "deliberately indifferent" toward Jews on campus, two Jewish advocacy organizations announced Thursday.

  • Judge Digs Into Counsel Over 'Astronomically High' Fee Bid

    Attorneys who represented classes of people who say they received harassing phone calls from real estate agents in violation of federal telemarketing laws are asking for way too much of the $20 million settlement, according to the California federal judge who tore into them Wednesday.

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    Former Calif. Chief Deputy AG Joins Jenner & Block In SF

    Jenner & Block LLP is bringing in the former second-highest-ranking member of the California Department of Justice, announcing Thursday that Venus D. Johnson is joining as special counsel in its San Francisco office.

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    Sitting Judges Take Stand Over Threats Growing 'Ordinary'

    On the heels of an ethics opinion giving them wider latitude to speak publicly, sitting federal judges brought attention Thursday to the increasing threats against them and their family members, warning about the dangers of such threats becoming "ordinary."

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    AI Errors Likely To Persist Despite Escalating Court Sanctions

    Judges have begun issuing sanctions to lawyers, escalating the consequences over artificial intelligence-generated errors, but attorneys say that penalties might not be enough to stop the problem.

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    Longtime Tucker Ellis Atty To Co-Chair Appellate Team

    Tucker Ellis LLP announced on Thursday that it has named one of its longtime Cleveland-based attorneys as co-chair of its appellate and legal issues practice.

  • Cozen O'Connor Promotes 36 Attorneys To Member

    Cozen O'Connor has elevated three dozen of its attorneys to its member level, the largest promotion class for the firm and an increase from the 30 attorneys promoted last year.

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    $4M Bonus Lifts Wells Fargo GC Pay To Over $12M In 2025

    The general counsel and senior executive vice president of Wells Fargo & Co. earned more than $12 million in 2025 with help from a $4 million bonus, the company has disclosed in a securities filing.

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    Ferguson Braswell, Ethikos Launch Cross-Border Partnership

    Ferguson Braswell Fraser & Kubasta LLP has entered into a partnership with Belgium-based law firm Ethikos to offer a cross-border anti-money laundering compliance and enforcement defense platform in response to intensified regulatory scrutiny that can gum up transactions when the parties are international.

  • Nomination For New DOJ Fraud Chief Heads To Senate Floor

    The nomination of Colin McDonald for the new position of assistant attorney general for fraud was sent to the full Senate on Thursday, after the Judiciary Committee voted 12-10 along party lines to advance his nomination.

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    Pillsbury Brings On Latham Insurance Recovery Pro In LA

    Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is growing its insurance recovery team with a Latham & Watkins LLP attorney brought on as a partner in the firm's Los Angeles office, the city announced Wednesday.

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    DOJ Understaffing Takes Toll After 'Unprecedented' Exodus

    Federal criminal and civil cases, like a recently dismissed gun prosecution in Minnesota, are being plagued by delays, extension requests and missed deadlines as a result of the large number of attorneys who have departed the DOJ since President Donald Trump returned to office and the inexperienced lawyers replacing them.

  • Calif. Bills Would Reform Litigation Funding, Client Recruiting

    Two new bills introduced to the California Assembly this week seek to impose reforms on the state's legal industry, including adding mandatory disbarment for attorneys convicted of felony "capping" — or illegally paying for client recruitment — and blocking corporate litigation funders from influencing cases.

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    How This CLO Uses His Black Belt Mentality At Korn Ferry

    Jonathan Kuai has a black belt — both literally and figuratively. The executive search firm’s chief legal officer admitted that he has forgotten the skills he learned from the milestone that he achieved at a younger age. But the self-described "trusted business leader with a law degree" also said he has a black belt in the "get-it-done" mentality at work.

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    Deals Rebound As Lit Finance Finds Footing After Shakeout

    Litigation finance deal volume rebounded modestly in 2025 after two years of decline following an industrywide shakeout, while BigLaw pulled back from tapping into litigation financing opportunities, according to a new report.

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    King & Spalding Adds Winston & Strawn IP Litigator In SF

    The parade of Winston & Strawn LLP litigators moving to King & Spalding LLP continues with a patent litigator being the latest to make the move, becoming a partner in the San Francisco office.

  • K&L Gates Adds Ex-Protection Law, Littler Labor Atty In LA

    K&L Gates LLP has added a labor and employment partner with experience at Protection Law Group and Littler Mendelson to its Labor, Employment and Workplace Safety practice in Los Angeles, according to an announcement Tuesday.

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    Willkie Adds Ex-O'Melveny Atty As Energy Partner In LA

    Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP continues to beef up its Los Angeles presence, most recently with the addition of an attorney from O'Melveny & Myers LLP who brings a wealth of experience and knowledge in the infrastructure and energy sectors, the firm announced on Tuesday. 

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    Goodwin Launches OC Office With 3 Ex-Jones Day Partners

    Goodwin Procter LLP has launched its first Orange County office with a trio of powerhouse cybersecurity and privacy attorneys from Jones Day, marking yet another expansion of its West Coast footprint, with existing offices in Los Angeles, Santa Monica and the Bay Area, the firm announced Tuesday.

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    Weil Names Private Equity Pro As Next Executive Partner

    A current co-managing partner of Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP and co-head of the U.S. private equity practice will succeed Barry Wolf as executive partner in January 2027 before he has to retire at the end of next year, the firm announced Tuesday.

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    Manatt Adds 3 Entertainment Attys In LA From Nixon Peabody

    Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP has expanded its entertainment group by adding a team of four entertainment attorneys to its Los Angeles office, three of them coming from Nixon Peabody LLP.

  • New Disney CEO Taking Over With Annual Meeting

    The Walt Disney Co.'s annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday is the company's first day with Josh D'Amaro as CEO.

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    Simpson Thacher Adds Kirkland Finance Pros In Houston, LA

    Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP announced Tuesday that it has added partners in Houston and Los Angeles to its recently formed capital structure solutions practice, both of whom previously practiced with Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

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Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Embrace LinkedIn Author Photo

    Attorneys who recognize LinkedIn as a powerful professional platform can gain significant competitive advantages in business development via strategic content creation, meaningful industry discussions and consistent visibility within target markets, says Agatha Mouillet at Horvitz & Levy.

  • Guidance For Attorneys As Tariffs Reshape Legal Hiring Author Photo

    As law firms and in-house legal departments grapple with the uncertainty of evolving tariff policies, attorneys at all career stages should consider how to lean into these shifts to best position themselves for long-term opportunities, says Rena Barnett-Matthews at Attorney Career Coach.

  • How Firms Can Plan For Succession Of Admin Professionals Author Photo

    Many law firms are familiar with the need for attorney succession plans, but it’s also essential to plan for the succession of administrative professionals — from human resources personnel to finance leaders — to ensure continuity of critical day-to-day operations, say Eryn Carter and Travis Armstrong at the Association of Legal Administrators.

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    Expanding The Reach Of A Legal Nonprofit Author Photo

    I co-founded the Legal Mentor Network with the goal of providing free legal mentoring to law students and early career attorneys, and the experience has highlighted how nonprofits can grow with the help of strong sponsorships and volunteers who all operate from a positive place, says Chrystal Mauro at the Legal Mentor Network.

  • 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.

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