California Pulse


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    Fennemore Craig Eminent Domain Ace Joins Nossaman In SF

    Nossaman LLP is boosting its eminent domain practice, bringing in a Fennemore Craig PC real estate litigator as a partner in its San Francisco office.

  • Class Action Atty Sanctioned For 'Egregious' Bogus Citations

    A California federal judge has sanctioned a California class action attorney for filing a motion riddled with "egregious" erroneous citations, finding that the citations "bear the hallmarks" of cases hallucinated by artificial intelligence despite the lawyer's insistence that she'd never even heard of AI until opposing counsel made the accusation.

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    Jones Day Adds Ex Fed. Prosecutor To SF Healthcare Team

    Jones Day is expanding its health care team, bringing in a former assistant U.S. attorney as of counsel in its San Francisco office.

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    SEC Taps Gibson Atty To Head Corporation Finance Division

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Wednesday named the co-chair of Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP's securities regulation practice as the new leader of its Division of Corporation Finance, which is responsible for writing rules and providing guidance to publicly traded companies on shareholder disclosure matters, among other things.

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    ABA Task Force Calls On Lawyers To 'Defend Democracy'

    Lawyers must do more to promote and protect the democratic process in the United States, the American Bar Association Task Force for American Democracy said in a new report released Wednesday.

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    Golden State Warriors Co. Hires Chegg CLO As Legal Chief

    Golden State Group, a company encompassing the Golden State Warriors, Golden State Valkyries, Santa Cruz Warriors, Chase Center, Golden State Entertainment and Thrive City, has found its new top attorney in Chegg Inc.'s chief legal officer.

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    Womble Bond Bolsters TM Practice With Leader In Chinese IP

    Womble Bond Dickinson has added a partner to its trademark, copyright, privacy and IP transactions group in Los Angeles who was the sole U.S.-based partner at one of China's top intellectual property firms.

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    Cleary Taps 31-Year Firm Veteran As New Managing Partner

    Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP announced Wednesday that a corporate capital markets attorney who has spent his entire 31-year career at the firm has been elected managing partner.

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    Tech M&A Pro Joins Baker McKenzie In Silicon Valley

    Baker McKenzie is strengthening its transactional team, bringing in a technology mergers and acquisitions expert, most recently with Tech Law Partners LLP, as a partner in its Palo Alto, California, office.

  • Calif. Bar Seeks Justices' Clarity In Eastman Disbarment Case

    The State Bar of California asked the state's justices to affirm recommendations to disbar Donald Trump's onetime attorney John Eastman, who helped plan and promote the then-presidential candidate's strategy to overturn the 2020 election, but also review what it says are two legal errors that could "significantly impact future cases."

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    PE Firms Leap Into MSO 'Frontier' For Slice Of Legal Industry

    Managed services organizations are quietly gaining ground in the U.S. legal industry as private equity companies eye the use of MSOs to overcome rules against fee sharing and nonlawyer ownership of firms, but critics warn that such a shift could open up an ethical Pandora's Box.

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    WilmerHale Litigation Duo Jumps To Mayer Brown In SF

    Mayer Brown LLP is expanding its litigation team, announcing Tuesday the firm is bringing in a pair of WilmerHale trial attorneys as partners in its San Francisco office.

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    Duane Morris Names New Employment, Insurance Leaders

    Duane Morris LLP's Silicon Valley Managing Partner Brian L. Johnsrud will become vice chair of the firm's employment, labor, benefits and immigration practice group next year, the firm has announced.

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    Finnegan Opens AI Practice With Dedicated IP Teams

    Intellectual property law firm Finnegan has launched an artificial intelligence practice group structured into four teams with dedicated leads handling niche matters in patents, copyrights, privacy and trade, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • Lewis Brisbois Labor Atty Joins Epstein Becker In LA

    Epstein Becker Green announced Tuesday that it hired an experienced employment litigator from Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP as a member based out of Los Angeles.

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    The Diversity Snapshot: By The Numbers

    Law firms have steadily but slowly increased the share of attorneys of color over more than a decade, but recently the increases have come at a slower pace. Here's our data dive into representation and inclusion at law firms in the U.S.

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    The Diversity Snapshot: Representation In The Ranks

    Law360 Pulse's Diversity Snapshot evaluates how firms hire, promote, and retain talent in line with available pipelines, providing a detailed demographic analysis. Here's a more detailed look at the representation of attorneys at the associate and partner levels.

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    Equity Partnerships: A Diversity Snapshot Ranking

    Diversity at the top ranks of law firms in the U.S. has shifted only incrementally over recent years. But some firms are outpacing their peers and taking demonstrable steps to tap into a wider talent pool.

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    The Diversity Snapshot: Benchmarking Law Firms

    Law360’s latest Diversity Snapshot ranking suggests that a modest number of firms are keeping up with the potential talent pool. Here's the latest look at how law firms match up against their peers.

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    How Lawyers Can Navigate Today's Shifting DEI Landscape

    Attorneys looking for firms committed to diversity, equity and inclusion are increasingly relying on informal channels to vet firms, including word-of-mouth, alumni networks, off-the-record conversations and social media, recruiters say.

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    Davis Wright Adds Polsinelli Exec As New CFO

    Polsinelli PC's director of finance and accounting has joined Davis Wright Tremaine LLP as chief financial officer based in Seattle, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • Calif. Judge Convicted Of Murdering Wife Seeks Trial Do-Over

    A California judge convicted of murdering his wife earlier this year moved for a new trial, arguing the court's denial of his request to postpone the retrial was a "miscarriage of justice" because it limited his expert witness testimony and violated his right to present his defense that the shooting was accidental.

  • FDIC Bests Farella Braun In Dispute Over SVB Legal Fees

    A California federal judge has sided with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. in a dispute over $48,800 in unpaid legal bills that Farella Braun & Martel LLP sought for work it did before Silicon Valley Bank's collapse, finding the firm's invoices lacked key details like hours and billing rates.

  • FisherBroyles Can't Nix Stem Cell Patent Malpractice Claim

    A California judge on Monday denied FisherBroyles LLP's motion to toss a claim in a $10 million malpractice suit brought against it by a stem cell treatment center, ruling the firm missed a deadline to file the motion. 

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    Morgan Lewis Brings On 3 More Knobbe Martens IP Attys

    Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP has continued expanding its intellectual property team, announcing Monday it is bringing in another team of IP litigators from Knobbe Martens as partners in its West Coast offices in Seattle and Orange County, California.

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Expert Analysis

  • What GCs Value Most: 7 Habits Of Great Relationship Partners Author Photo

    When seeking outside legal advisers, general counsel want commercially savvy lawyers who cultivate relationships of trust with their in-house counterparts, back up the GC's authority and focus on actionable advice instead of abstract legal analysis, say Andrew Dick at The L Suite and Rob Morvillo at Olo.

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    Generating Confidence In A Legal Nonprofit Author Photo

    I started LawWithoutWalls to change the way legal professionals see and think about their world, and it taught me the importance of giving people a reason to believe in your nonprofit mission, as well as how to achieve work-life integration, says Michele DeStefano at the University of Miami.

  • Nonequity Partner Frustrations Reflect Erosion Of Opportunity Author Photo

    Nonequity partners report the lowest satisfaction, highest stress and poorest financial outlook of any group of lawyers, highlighting a growing structural disconnect that leaves attorneys at many firms feeling like the ladder has been pulled up behind those who already ascended, says Jake Carroll at Nelson Mullins.

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    Building Brand Awareness For A Legal Nonprofit Author Photo

    I co-founded the Bridging the Gap Scholarship as a way to increase minority representation in BigLaw, and my advice for other legal professionals starting a nonprofit is to focus on building brand awareness early on, and to get comfortable delegating work to a dedicated team, says Imani Maatuka at Sidley.

  • Learn Your Colleagues To Cross-Sell Their Services Fearlessly Author Photo

    Understanding where colleagues in other practice areas shine can help attorneys confidently cross-sell each other's services and bring in business to keep the firm afloat in hard times, says Joe Calve at Calve Communications.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Advertise Ethically Author Photo

    Business development in the legal industry is about building authentic connections and showcasing expertise in a way that reflects reality, and, when done right, it can elevate a practice, establish credibility and bring in clients without risking an ethics violation, says Melody Jackson at Robinhood.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Do I Help After Mental Health Leave? Author Photo

    Molly Ranns at the State Bar of Michigan suggests five ways to smooth a colleague's return to practice after short-term mental health leave, while creating a firm culture that protects employees’ emotional health.

  • Tips For Attracting Stellar CLOs In A Competitive Landscape Author Photo

    Amid a rapidly changing regulatory environment and a fierce market for talent, companies hoping to attract the best chief legal officers must have a strong grasp of their roles’ biggest selling points, and any roadblocks that may prevent them from recruiting the strongest choice, says Heather Fine at Major Lindsey.

  • 'Golden Handcuffs' May Be A Double-Edge Sword For Firms Author Photo

    As law firms increasingly use certain financial incentives to retain partners in a fierce lateral market, managing partners should consider the pros and cons of various deferred compensation schemes, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.

  • The 10-Min. Rule For Building A Business Development Habit Author Photo

    Many lawyers assume that becoming a rainmaker requires a significant investment of time and effort, but the truth is that building a consistent habit of business development can start with just 10 minutes of strategic outreach a day, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • 5 Pointers For Firm Leaders Communicating Tough Decisions Author Photo

    Certain law firm decisions — such as whether to challenge an executive order — cannot be crowdsourced, but leadership can collaboratively communicate these choices using strategies that build trust, reinforce values and preserve cohesion, says John Hellerman at Hellerman Communications.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Create A Succession Plan Author Photo

    ​​​​​​​Conversations around retirement and succession can be understandably difficult, but when attorneys make a plan for the transition early and effectively, they have the opportunity to not only keep work but also increase it, says Jillian McKenna at Verrill Dana.

  • Looking Under The Hood Of The $3,000 Billable Hour Author Photo

    In recent years, top-tier law firms have pushed hourly rates to unprecedented heights, with some partners commanding $3,000 per hour — but this eye-popping number doesn’t tell the full story, as there are numerous caveats and rigorous winnowing along the way, says Christopher Seck at Squire Patton.

  • How Law Firms Can Keep Nonequity Partners Happy Author Photo

    Law firms that successfully manage two-tiered partnership do so by creating a culture that treats everyone with respect and by establishing financial incentives outside their base compensation to reward performance, says Carol Morganstern at Major Lindsey.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Leverage Your Atty Bio Author Photo

    If maintained properly, your firm bio can help attract potential clients and create authentic connections, so it's crucial to take steps to write an updated attorney profile that goes beyond a list of credentials, says Raychel Lean at Reputation Ink.

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