California Pulse


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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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    O'Melveny Adds Two CLO Experts From Orrick In NY And LA

    O'Melveny & Myers LLP announced Monday the hire of a pair of former Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP attorneys who have worked together across multiple firms for nearly 15 years to its corporate finance practice, which the firm says has grown from three to 16 partners over the last five years.

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    The Top In-House Hires Of May

    Legal department hires over the past month included high-profile appointments at Adobe, Takeda Pharmaceutical and Duke Energy. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at some of the top in-house announcements from May.

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    Quinn Emanuel Focuses On Building AI-Positive Culture

    While many in the legal industry may be apprehensive about generative artificial intelligence, leaders at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP are working to get the firm's attorneys excited about the technology and willing to experiment with it in their work.

  • Bird Marella's Sanctions Win Upheld In $2.25M Fraud Dispute

    A California appellate panel has affirmed Bird Marella's terminating sanctions win against Frontline Medical Associates, holding that a state judge did not abuse her discretion by finding Frontline committed fraud on the court in its suit alleging the firm tricked it into paying $2.25 million for legal services for one of the firm's clients.

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    More Californians Face Legal Issues, But Get Less Help

    The gap between the need for civil legal services for Californians and the help that is actually available has grown over the past five years, as has the income level of those affected by that gap, according to a new study from the State Bar of California.

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    Akin Adds Federal Export And Security Head As Adviser

    Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is boosting its international trade practice, bringing in an expert in export enforcement with the U.S. Department of Commerce as a senior regulatory adviser.

  • Law360 Pulse Spotlight On Mid-Law Work

    Susman Godfrey's selection as the head of multidistrict litigation against Microsoft and OpenAI and Benesch's work on an $800 million public offering on behalf of a longtime client lead this edition of Law360 Pulse's Spotlight on Mid-Law Work, recapping the top matters for Mid-Law firms from May 16 to 30.

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Clement & Murphy PLLC leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a D.C. federal judge struck down President Donald Trump's executive order targeting WilmerHale.

  • ABA Leader Says Silence 'Not An Alternative' On Trump EOs

    While American Bar Association President Bill Bay says he's seen no shortage of criticism and even threats for publicly opposing the Trump administration's executive orders targeting law firms, he told attendees at an ABA ethics conference that being silent was not a viable alternative.

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    The Path To $2B Merger Of Herbert Smith, Kramer Levin

    Herbert Smith Freehills LLP and Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP on Sunday will go live with their planned merger, which will combine 2,700 lawyers and more than $2 billion in revenue from both firms.

  • Fenwick & West Leases New San Francisco Office Space

    Fenwick & West LLP will move to a new San Francisco office after signing a 50,000-square foot lease for office space in a 38-story Class A office tower owned by real estate investment trust Paramount Group Inc., according to an announcement from JLL.

  • Thompson Hine Brings Ex-Troutman Real Estate Atty To LA

    Thompson Hine LLP hired a former Troutman Pepper Locke LLP real estate transactions partner as a new real estate partner in Los Angeles, the firm announced May 29.

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    Sidley Leaders On Firm's Active Lateral Hiring This Year

    As of the end of May, Sidley Austin LLP has made 45 lateral partner additions so far this year, outpacing the vast majority of large law firms in lateral hiring as its new executive committee chair Brian Fahrney took the reins this spring.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry ended May with another action-packed week as BigLaw firms expanded practices and attorneys took on new roles. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse’s weekly quiz.

  • Calif. Justices Propose Tweaking Rules For Bar Examiners

    The California Supreme Court has proposed changes to the administration of the state's troubled bar exam, circulating a slate of amendments designed to clarify the role of the Committee of Bar Examiners, including spelling out its duty to review and approve all questions used in the exam.

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    9th Circ. Judge Warns Of 'Rule Of Law Recession'

    On Thursday, Beverly Hills trial lawyer Paul Kiesel brought together a panel including a former U.S. Department of Justice senior trial counsel, a state attorney general, and former BigLaw associate Rachel Cohen, to discuss what Senior U.S. Circuit Judge M. Margaret McKeown called a "rule of law recession."

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    'Silent Majority' Of GCs Band Together To Protect Rule Of Law

    A few hundred general counsel have recently joined together in a private, bipartisan group, aiming to rally their collective power, from potentially gathering signatures for future amicus briefs to fielding questions about factors to consider when changing outside counsel, to preserve the rule of law in the wake of the Trump administration's executive orders against law firms.

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    Seyfarth Adds Greenspoon Marder Corporate Atty In LA

    Seyfarth Shaw LLP is expanding its West Coast team, bringing in a former Greenspoon Marder LLP transactional attorney as a partner in its Los Angeles office in Century City.

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Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • What I Learned As A Virtual Summer Associate Author Photo

    It is necessary in a virtual law firm summer program to think twice about asking questions you may be able to answer on your own, but this independence and other aspects of a remote internship may help to instill habits that would be useful for future full-time associates, says law student Kelley Sheehan, who interned at Patterson & Sheridan this summer.

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