California Pulse


  • iStock-910730068.jpg

    2025 Associate Bonus And 2026 Salary Tracker

    UPDATE December 23, 2025 | Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP kicked off 2025's year-end associate bonuses on Nov. 18, with lump sums for associates ranging from $15,000 to $115,000 based on seniority. Shortly after, a number of large law firms followed suit.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry had another action-packed week as BigLaw firms kicked off year-end bonus season and announced partner promotions. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

  • X Corp. Ends $90M Fee Suit Against Wachtell

    X Corp. has ended its California state lawsuit against Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz over $90 million in legal fees tied to the fight over Elon Musk's purchase of Twitter, according to a court filing.

  • Deal To End Twitter Ex-Workers' $500M Severance Suit Falters

    A tentative deal to end a proposed class action against X Corp. and Elon Musk alleging Twitter Inc. ex-workers are owed some $500 million in severance has hit a stumbling block, with attorneys representing individual ex-employees disputing how to proceed in federal court in dueling briefs.

  • iStock-1309733569.jpg

    9th Circ. Says Jury Needs To Review Fired Atty's ADA Suit

    A split Ninth Circuit panel said Thursday that a law firm must face a fired attorney's disability bias suit claiming she was forced to work beyond a lighter schedule that helped her manage medical conditions, ruling a jury should decide whether the business has enough employees to be sued.

  • Williams Mullen Securities Partner Moves To Passco CLO Role

    California-based Passco Cos. announced Thursday that it had tapped a securities pro to step in as the real estate investment firm's new chief legal officer, who will join the firm from a partner role at Williams Mullen.

  • Dana Alden Fox.png

    Lewis Brisbois Liability Group Co-Chair To Join PI Boutique

    Personal injury boutique firm Banafsheh Danesh & Javid PC will add a longtime Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP defense trial attorney, who co-chaired its general liability practice, as a partner at the start of the new year, the firm announced Thursday.

  • iStock-1408596915.jpg

    Willkie Hikes Up Partnership Promotions With 30-Atty Class

    Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has announced that 30 of its attorneys from offices around the globe, who focus on a variety of practice areas, will be promoted to partner Jan. 1, more than its 19-member 2025 partner class.

  • iStock-1284290965.jpg

    Delayed Report Says 1,100 Legal Jobs Added In September

    The number of jobs in the U.S. legal industry ticked up this fall, with the sector adding 1,100 positions in September, according to preliminary data in the long-awaited jobs report released Thursday.

  • 2_up_Kaufman Dolowich.png

    Kaufman Dolowich Grows Conn. Office As Leader Looks West

    Kaufman Dolowich's office in New Haven, Connecticut, is seeing some major changes as its managing partner sets her sights on a new leadership role for the firm in California and it welcomes a new professional liability partner.

  • Businesses_and_Brands_82103.jpg

    Unlockd Is Latest Google Foe To Seek Judge's Recusal

    Unlockd Media has become at least the second Google antitrust foe to seek the recusal of U.S. District Judge Haywood S. Gilliam Jr. over his close relationship with Google's vice president for litigation and discovery.

  • iStock-1330553219.jpg

    In-House v. Associate Life: Who's Really Got It Better?

    Most in-house counsel who responded to Law360 Pulse's survey cited factors such as shaping business strategy and the absence of billable hours as motivations for joining corporate legal departments. Law360 Pulse spoke with in-house counsel and law firm associates about the pros and cons of their respective roles and the facets of their legal peers' positions that are, or are not, appealing.

  • iStock-1358151834.jpg

    A Deep Dive Into In-House Counsel Pay

    Total compensation packages for in-house counsel at different levels of the typical corporate legal department can vary significantly. Find out how corporations are leveraging salaries, bonuses and other incentives to attract top talent. 

  • iStock-1584897033.jpg

    For In-House Attys, Bonuses Come Easy, But Equity Less So

    The vast majority of in-house counsel at all levels received pay bonuses in 2024, while a smaller share — but still a majority — received long-term incentives, according to a new survey.

  • Brian Maxwell Kahana Feld.png

    Kahana Feld Names First Chief People Officer

    Irvine, California-based Kahana Feld LLP continues expanding its executive leadership team, bringing in as its new human resources head a former Deloitte HR managing director who most recently was the chief human resources officer of Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch LLP.

  • iStock-1305964678.jpg

    Law Firms Begin Upping The Ante For Associate Bonuses

    Trial boutique Wilkinson Stekloff LLP is exceeding the year-end associate bonus scale set by Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP, announcing bonuses late Wednesday that are 150% of market.

  • Law Firms' Share Of US Office Leasing Grows To 10.5%

    The legal sector's presence in the broader U.S. office leasing market grew to 10.5% in the third quarter — over double what it was about seven years ago — with Moore & Van Allen PLLC and Latham & Watkins LLP signing three of the biggest deals, according to a Wednesday report from Savills.

  • imgi_6_Andrew-Radisch-Headshot_720x473.png

    Munger Tolles Picks Up Ropes & Gray IP Ace In San Francisco

    Munger Tolles & Olson LLP announced Wednesday it is expanding its litigation team, bringing in a Ropes & Gray LLP intellectual property trial attorney as a partner in its San Francisco office.

  • Grant S. Palmer.png

    Blank Rome Reelects Firm Chair To New Term

    Blank Rome LLP's top leader will hold on to his position for another four years, after the firm recently reelected him to serve as chair and managing partner.

  • Deborah H. Telman.png

    Gilead Sciences' GC Will Leave Co. Next Month

    Gilead Sciences Inc. announced Wednesday that Deborah H. Telman will no longer serve as its executive vice president for corporate affairs and general counsel as of Dec. 5, 2025.

  • bonus.jpg

    BigLaw Begins To Fall In Line With Cravath Bonuses

    Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson, McDermott Will & Schulte LLP and Dechert LLP are among the law firms following the lead of Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP on year-end associate bonuses this week, with at least five large firms matching the market leader within a day of Cravath's Tuesday announcement.

  • iStock-848840496.jpg

    Compensation Report: A Deep Dive Into GC Pay

    Law360 Pulse went beyond the numbers to examine how industry, law firm experience and education shape the pay of top-earning S&P 500 general counsel. Here's what we found.

  • iStock-1362191954.jpg

    These Are The Legal Chiefs Who Command Top Dollar

    While the pay packages for most legal leaders in the corporate space remains strong — especially because of hefty stock awards and bonuses — there are large gaps in compensation even among the top 10 earners in the U.S.

  • iStock-1092112282.jpg

    Everything You Need To Know About GC Pay

    Find out which S&P 500 general counsel earns the most and how pay differs across industries. Explore every detail in our interactive compensation graphic.

  • iStock-1401003075.jpg

    Law Firms Struggle To Keep Partners Amid Lateral Boom

    The number of lateral moves for associates, counsel and partners seeking greener pastures is outpacing last year, which is both good and bad news for legal employers, according to law firm leaders and search firms.

Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the California Pulse archive.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    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.

×

Law360

Law360 Law360 UK Law360 Tax Authority Law360 Employment Authority Law360 Insurance Authority Law360 Real Estate Authority Law360 Healthcare Authority Law360 Bankruptcy Authority

Rankings

Leaderboard Analytics Social Impact Leaders Prestige Leaders Pulse Leaderboard Women in Law Report Law360 400 Diversity Snapshot Rising Stars Summer Associates

National Sections

Modern Lawyer Courts Daily Litigation In-House Mid-Law Legal Tech & AI Small Law Insights

Regional Sections

California Pulse Connecticut Pulse DC Pulse Delaware Pulse Florida Pulse Georgia Pulse New Jersey Pulse New York Pulse Pennsylvania Pulse Texas Pulse

Site Menu

Subscribe Advanced Search About Contact