California Pulse


  • Judge Won't Recuse Over Past Work With DraftKings Counsel

    A California federal judge presiding over a proposed class action against DraftKings regarding its fantasy sports games offerings rejected a request from the plaintiffs to recuse himself over concerns that an attorney for the defense has ties to the court.

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    Billables AI Hires Ex-Clio, Consolio Executives

    Professional services software company Billables AI, which has an AI platform for timekeeping, announced Monday the hiring of two former leaders at Clio and Consilio LLC to serve as its director of customer success and head of sales.

  • Pot Drink Co.'s Case Belongs In Arbitration, Stoel Rives Says

    Stoel Rives LLP and a group of its clients are urging a California federal court to send a fraud suit brought by a maker of nonalcoholic cannabis drinks back to arbitration, arguing all the claims are subject to a valid arbitration agreement.

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    Judges' AI Orders Keep Trickling In As Fake Citations Persist

    A handful of federal judges have issued orders or guidelines this year on the use of generative artificial intelligence in court filings as attorneys continue to get in trouble for submitting legal documents with fake case citations, according to a Law360 Pulse analysis.

  • Law360 Names 2025's Top Attorneys Under 40

    Law360 is pleased to announce the Rising Stars of 2025, our list of more than 150 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age.

  • Geragos Owes $100K For Role In Nike Extortion, Jury Says

    Celebrity attorney Mark Geragos was ordered to pay $100,000 to a youth basketball coach by a Los Angeles jury that found he aided and abetted disbarred lawyer Michael Avenatti in a failed attempt to extort Nike that landed Avenatti with a 2½ year prison sentence.

  • California Courts Set AI Rules Allowing Flexibility For Judges

    The Judicial Council of California approved a policy Friday for rules and standards on the use of generative artificial intelligence for judges and court staff, with the chair of the council's AI task force saying the policy provides flexibility by allowing courts to either adopt the technology or ban it.

  • Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Shapiro Arato Bach LLP leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Second Circuit overturned the conviction of a former HSBC executive accused of defrauding a Scottish oil and gas company in a $3.5 billion currency exchange deal.

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    Poaching Suit Shows Contentious Nature Of Lateral Market

    California firm Keesal Young & Logan's suit against Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP for allegedly unfairly poaching a group of its attorneys is not on firm footing, recruiters and consultants say, but still speaks to the importance of trying to leave a firm on good terms when moving jobs.

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    Ex-Toys 'R' Us GC Joins Cousteau-Founded Climate Tech Co.

    The former general counsel for Toys 'R' Us is part of the recent additions to the leadership team at Voyacy Regen, a blue technology company co-founded by Philippe Cousteau, grandson of famed oceanographer and filmmaker Jacques Cousteau.

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    Buchalter Pops Open Wine, Beer And Spirits Group

    Buchalter PC has launched a wine, beer and spirits industry group to help suppliers and wholesalers in the alcoholic beverage space navigate rapidly changing state and federal regulations.

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    Brownstein Hyatt Managing Partner Reelected To A 3rd Term

    Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP shareholders elected Rich Benenson as managing partner for a third time and named new members of the executive committee as the mid-law firm continues to expand across the country.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    This was another action-packed week for the legal industry as attorneys took on new roles and law firms expanded their reach. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

  • LA Ex-Judge Admonished For 'Discourteous,' 'Demeaning' Talk

    California's Commission on Judicial Performance has publicly admonished a retired Los Angeles state judge for a pattern of "discourteous, undignified and impatient" behavior that also involved "demeaning" remarks toward women, findings that the judge said don't reflect "the full complexity of the circumstances."

  • Judge Won't Grant Fees In Temporary Protected Status Suit

    A California federal judge rejected a bid by immigrant rights advocates for $3.6 million in attorney fees, saying their preliminary injunction blocking temporary protected status terminations during Trump's first term did not make them the prevailing party because the case ended without a final judgment.

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    5 Things To Know As California Courts Decide On AI Rule

    Fourteen months after California Supreme Court Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero first convened a task force to study potential benefits and risks of using artificial intelligence in the court system, the Judicial Council of California is poised Friday to consider the proposed rules and standards the task force developed.

  • Ex-Burning Man, MAPS GC Joins Psychedelics Boutique

    The former general counsel to both the organization behind the annual Burning Man festival and to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies has joined the recently launched psychedelics firm Antithesis Law as of counsel, the firm announced Thursday.

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    Amazon Attys Jump To Crowell & Moring In San Francisco

    Crowell & Moring LLP has expanded its litigation resources in its San Francisco office with the addition of two former in-house attorneys for Amazon, who bring more than 30 years of combined experience to advise clients on product liability claims.

  • Synopsys Brings On Ansys GC As Tech Merger Takes Effect

    The general counsel for Ansys Inc. has been tapped to take over as the top attorney and corporate secretary for Synopsys Inc. after Synopsys' acquisition of Ansys took effect this week.

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    Former Microsoft GC Remembered As Rule Of Law Champion

    Former American Bar Association President William H. "Bill" Neukom, the first head lawyer for Microsoft and a longtime partner at a predecessor firm to K&L Gates LLP, has died at age 83, the bar said Wednesday.

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    Meet Fox Attys Fighting Newsom's Del. Suit Over Trump Call

    Fox News has retained attorneys from DLA Piper who have represented Tesla and President Donald Trump's social media company, and from former Attorney General William Barr's firm Torridon Law PLLC to defend it in a defamation suit brought in Delaware's Superior Court by California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

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    Why An Associate Move Is Most Likely In The 3rd Quarter

    The third quarter is the most likely time for associates to leave law firms, experts said at a recent webinar hosted by The Managing Partner Forum.

  • Watchdog Raises Concerns On 9th Circ. Nominee's Crypto Work

    President Donald Trump's nominee for the Ninth Circuit has a long record of representing cryptocurrency companies, which a watchdog group fears could aid what it calls the president's "self-enrichment" with digital currency.

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    Judges' Lack Of STEM Skills Scrutinized Post-Loper Bright

    The lack of scientific educational backgrounds among federal judges is raising concerns among some experts about the courts' ability to handle technically complex questions in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court's Loper Bright ruling, though others argue that judges are meant to be and should remain generalists.

  • Sheppard Mullin Adds Holland & Knight, Mayer Brown Attys

    Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP announced Wednesday that it has bolstered its energy offerings with a partner in Los Angeles who joins from Holland & Knight LLP and a partner in Houston joining from Mayer Brown LLP.

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Expert Analysis

  • Keys To Managing The Stresses Of Law School Author Photo

    Dealing with the pressures associated with law school can prove difficult for many future lawyers, but there are steps students can take to manage stress — and schools can help too, say Ryan Zajic and Dr. Janani Krishnaswami at UWorld.

  • Can Mandatory CLE Mitigate Implicit Bias's Negative Impacts? Author Photo

    Amid ongoing disagreements on whether states should mandate implicit bias training as part of attorneys' continuing legal education requirements, Stephanie Wilson at Reed Smith looks at how unconscious attitudes or stereotypes adversely affect legal practice, and whether mandatory training programs can help.

  • Ditch The Frills And Start Writing Legal Letters In Plain English Author Photo

    To become more effective advocates, lawyers need to rethink the ridiculous, convoluted language they use in correspondence and write letters in a clear, concise and direct manner, says legal writing instructor Stuart Teicher.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Negotiate My Separation Agreement? Author Photo

    Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey discusses how a law firm associate can navigate being laid off, what to look for in a separation agreement and why to be upfront about it with prospective employers.

  • DoNotPay Cases Underscore Hurdles For AI-Fueled Legal Help Author Photo

    Recent legal challenges against DoNotPay’s "robot lawyer” application highlight pressing questions about the degree to which artificial intelligence can be used for legal tasks while remaining on the right side of both consumer protection laws and prohibitions against the unauthorized practice of law, says Kristen Niven at Frankfurt Kurnit.

  • For The Future Of Legal Practice, Let's Learn From The Past Author Photo

    At some level, every practicing lawyer is experiencing the ever-increasing speed of change — and while some practice management processes have gotten more efficient, other things about the legal profession were better before supposed improvements were made, says Jay Silberblatt, president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

  • Why All Law Firms Should Foster Psychological Capital Author Photo

    Law firms will be able to reap great long-term benefits if they adopt strategies to nurture four critical components of their employees' psychological wellness and performance — hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism, says Dennis Stolle at the American Psychological Association.

  • A GC's Guide To Litigation, Inspired By Sun Tzu's 'Art Of War' Author Photo

    With caseloads and spending increasing, in-house counsel might find themselves called to opine on the risks and benefits of litigation more often, and they should look at five Sun Tzu maxims from the ancient Chinese classic "The Art of War" to inform their approach to any suit, says Jeff Golimowski at Womble Bond.

  • Mentorship Is Key To Diversity In The Legal Industry Author Photo

    Not only can effective mentorship have a profound impact on women and people of color entering the legal field, but it also benefits mentors and the legal profession as a whole, creating a true win-win situation for all involved, says Natasha Cortes at Grossman Roth.

  • ChatGPT Is A Cool Trick, But AI Won't Replace Lawyers Author Photo

    Generative AI applications like ChatGPT are unlikely to ever replace attorneys for a variety of practical reasons — but given their practice-enhancing capabilities, lawyers who fail to leverage these tools may be rendered obsolete, says Eran Kahana at Maslon.

  • Pro Bono Work Is Valuable In IP And Continued Learning Author Photo

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's recent elimination of a rule that partially counted pro bono work toward continuing legal education highlights the importance of volunteer work in intellectual property practice and its ties to CLE, and puts a valuable tool for hands-on attorney education in the hands of the states, say Lisa Holubar and Ariel Katz at Irwin.

  • Increasing Public Access To Legal Services: A Practical Plan Author Photo

    Recommendations recently issued by a special committee of the Florida Bar represent a realistic, pragmatic approach to increasing the accessibility and affordability of legal services, at a time when the disconnect between the legal profession and the public at large has widened considerably, says Gary Lesser, president of the Florida Bar.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Do I Relay Shortcomings To Associates? Author Photo

    Michael Cohen at Duane Morris discusses the best ways to articulate how an associate is not meeting expectations, and why documentation of performance management is crucial for their growth and protecting the firm from discrimination suits.

  • 10 Principles For Effective Partner Reward Systems Author Photo

    Several forces are reshaping partners’ expectations about profit-sharing, and as compensation structures evolve in response, firms should keep certain fundamentals in mind to build a successful partner reward system, say Michael Roch at MHPR Advisors and Ray D'Cruz at Performance Leader.

  • Why Interdisciplinarity Is Key To Designing The Future Of Law Author Photo

    The legal profession faces challenges that urgently demand new solutions, and lawyers and firms can address this by leaning on other industries that have more experience practicing, teaching and incorporating innovation into their core business and service models, says Jennifer Leonard at the University of Pennsylvania.

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