California Pulse


  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry marked the beginning of spring with another action-packed week as attorneys took on new roles and firms launched offices across the country. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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    Massumi & Consoli Launches New Office In Orange County

    Massumi & Consoli LLP is expanding its California presence, opening an Orange County office to satisfy growing client demand.

  • Law360 Pulse Spotlight On Mid-Law Work

    Lieff Cabraser's handling of a proposed class action against xAI and Winstead PC's role in establishing a first-of-its-kind infrastructure district lead this edition of Law360 Pulse's Spotlight On Mid-Law Work, recapping the top matters for Mid-Law firms from March 13 to 27.

  • Akin Must Explain Client's 'Self-Indulgent' 9th Circ. Appeal

    Upholding a foreign arbitration award against a wine importer, the Ninth Circuit on Thursday ordered its attorneys at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP to explain why they and their client shouldn't pay their opponent's attorney fees for bringing a "frivolous" and "self-indulgent" appeal.

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    Goodwin Plans To Move Downtown LA Office To Arts District

    Goodwin Procter LLP announced Thursday it will move in early 2027 from its longtime home in downtown Los Angeles to an office in the nearby Arts District, saying the move is designed to bring the firm closer to its clients.

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    In-House Counsel Pick Latham As Top Business Developer

    A new survey in which general counsel and other in-house decision-makers rank law firms according to how well they help with business development placed Latham & Watkins LLP as number one, followed closely by King & Spalding LLP, Jones Day and Ropes & Gray LLP.

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    Outgoing Realty Income CLO Earned $3.8M In 2025

    Realty Income Corp's chief legal officer saw her compensation total $3.88 million in 2025, which will mark her final full year at the firm after the real estate investment trust announced its search for a new CLO earlier in March.

  • Law Firm Real Estate Report

    Several law firms around the country, including Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP, Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP and Winston & Strawn LLP, expanded their footprints this month by either moving into larger offices or entering new markets.

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    O'Melveny Hires Director Of Atty Professional Development

    O'Melveny & Myers LLP has added a director of attorney professional development who previously held similar roles at Debevoise & Plimpton LLP and Morrison and Foerster LLP, according to a Thursday announcement.

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    Akerman Tests 'Moneyball' AI Model For Recruiting Partners

    Akerman LLP is testing its own proprietary artificial intelligence tool designed to help the firm's partner recruitment by evaluating whether lateral hires are likely to succeed there.

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    Calif. Biotech Firm Vera Taps Vaxcyte Ex-GC As New CLO

    Biotechnology firm Vera Therapeutics Inc. is bringing in the former general counsel of Vaxcyte Inc. as its new chief legal officer, the firm announced Wednesday.

  • Ramey, EscapeX Ask Justices To Review Sanctions Challenge

    EscapeX IP and its attorney William Ramey III want the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Federal Circuit's decision backing $255,000 in fees and sanctions for what a California federal judge found to be a frivolous patent suit against Google.

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    How One Small Calif. Firm Replaced An Associate With AI

    After seeing an associate hand in his resignation earlier this year, one small California law firm decided to use an AI program rather than replacing him — and the firm’s leader said it’s led to a big boost in profits. The situation raises a question: If experienced lawyers increasingly use AI to replace low-level associates, how will new lawyers find jobs?

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    Susman Godfrey In No Hurry For 2L Hiring

    Susman Godfrey LLP announced Wednesday that it is bucking the hyperaccelerated summer recruiting model favored by BigLaw.

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    Dropbox's CLO Made $5.9M In 2025, More Than $5M In Stock

    In 2025, the year that William Yoon became Dropbox's chief legal officer, he took home more than $5 million in stock awards, or over 11 times his base salary for that year, the company has disclosed in a securities filing.

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    Reed Smith Hits Over $2M In Profits Per Equity Partner

    Reed Smith LLP has announced that profits per equity partner climbed 11.3% last year to over $2.02 million as global revenue rose to $1.58 billion.

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    How Senior Associates Can Find Time To Grow Their Practice

    By the time senior associates learn how to thrive at their law firms, many realize that to continue to advance in their careers, they need to start building their own books of business.

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    Timekeeping In The Age Of Artificial Intelligence

    The way attorneys track billable hours has changed a lot over the last decade, and the transformation is being turbocharged by artificial intelligence tools. Law360 Pulse talks to lawyers and recruiters about best practices for timekeeping.

  • Ex-Calif. Judge Censured After Guilty Plea For Mail Fraud

    A former California state judge has been censured after agreeing to resign and plead guilty to a felony fraud charge related to an incident that happened before he was on the bench, according to an order released Tuesday.

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    Jones Day Consumer Protect Atty Joins Goodwin's OC Office

    Goodwin Procter LLP is already expanding its newly opened Orange County office, bringing in another Jones Day consumer protection litigator as a partner in the office located in Newport Beach, California.

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    Intel CLO Saw Compensation Soar To Double Digits Last Year

    The chief legal officer at Intel Corp. saw a 2025 compensation package that had increased by more than $3.6 million from the prior year and brought her into double digits, according to a Monday securities filing in which the company highlighted the law department leader's "significant" litigation victories.

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    Uber's Tony West Saw Slight Dip In Comp Last Year

    Ride-hailing company Uber Technologies Inc.'s legal chief saw his compensation dip to about $10.7 million last year, compared to almost $12.7 million in 2024.

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    White Males Continue To Dominate Partnership Ranks

    Women and people of color remained significantly underrepresented within the legal partnership ranks in 2025, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Association for Law Placement.

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    Skadden Adds Mayer Brown Class Action Trio In DC, Palo Alto

    Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP announced Tuesday that it has added three partners from Mayer Brown LLP to strengthen its capacity to handle class actions, multidistrict litigation, appellate and other matters.

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    5 Takeaways From California's 2026 State Of The Judiciary

    California Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero highlighted positive collaboration among the state's judicial, legislative and executive branches, which she called "sister branches," in this year's State of the Judiciary Address, which otherwise focused on the court system's ongoing challenges including an ongoing need to fill judgeships and concerns over federal immigration enforcement in state courthouses. 

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Expert Analysis

  • Goldilocks Solution: Why The 4-Day Office Week Is Just Right Author Photo

    As law firms continue to wrestle with return-to-office policies, many are being pulled toward one or the other of two extremes: the rigidity of a five-day in-office schedule and the laissez-faire approach of a flexible three-day hybrid model — but a four-day in-office workweek may be the sweet spot, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • As Attys Adopt Generative AI, 3 Elements Should Be Cardinal Author Photo

    As the legal world increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence, lawyers and firms must develop and utilize strong prompting skills, keep a pulse on forthcoming tech evolutions, and remain steadfast to ethical obligations, say Michele Carney at Carney & Marchi and Marty Robles-Avila at BAL.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises Author Photo

    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Series

    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Prioritize Connections Author Photo

    One reason business development in the legal industry seems so mysterious is because human relationships are so complex, but lawyers can reorient their thinking in two important ways to drive the process of connecting with new colleagues and contacts, say Jamie Lawless and Angela Quinn at Husch Blackwell.

  • Roundup

    Biz Development Tip Of The Month Author Photo

    This year, experts shared 12 actionable strategies on building business in today's competitive legal market, from prioritizing human connections to maximizing the impact of thought leadership.

  • Overcoming US Law Firms' Hesitancy To Enter Indian Market Author Photo

    Successful private equity exits with strong returns have solidified India's buyout market as an increasingly attractive destination for future investments, offering compelling reasons for the U.S. legal community to overcome its caution on the country's markets, says Vaishali Movva at Eimer Stahl.

  • Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Make A Plan For The Year Author Photo

    While firms are busy allocating resources and assessing client demand, individual attorneys should use the start of the year to slow down and create a personal business plan, which can be accomplished with a few steps, say Elizabeth Gooch, Teri Robshaw and Chris Newman at McDermott.

  • Series

    Talking Mental Health: Caring For Everyone As A Firm Leader Author Photo

    Reid Phillips at Brooks Pierce discusses how he manages the pressure of running a law firm, how sources of stress in the legal industry have changed over the past decade, and what firm leaders should do to help manage burnout and mental health issues among employees.

  • How Firms Can Use LinkedIn To Aid Marketing Efforts In 2025 Author Photo

    LinkedIn has several features law firms can use to showcase their capabilities and thought leadership to reach prospective and existing clients, including the Event and Live features, says Sofia Millar at Reputation Ink.

  • Talking Mental Health: Managing Emotions In Trauma Cases Author Photo

    Nikki Hurtado at The Ferraro Law Firm discusses what motivates her to represent victims of catastrophic injuries, how she copes with the emotional toll of such cases, and what other attorneys taking on similar cases can do to protect their mental well-being.

  • Strategies For Successful Law Firm Mergers In 2025 Author Photo

    Law firms are expected to continue consolidating in the year to come, and because these mergers require a different kind of playbook, firm leaders must carefully consider office culture nuances, professional services economics and talent retention strategy before any merger, say directors at FTI Consulting.

  • Making Legal Cents: Winning More Work In A Crowded Market Author Photo

    In a market where clients have more options, tighter budgets and higher expectations, firms must figure out how to differentiate themselves without discounting their rates, and several practical strategies for pitching, pricing and early-engagement communication can help, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • Best Practices For Implementing Firm Revenue Cycle Roles Author Photo

    Law firm revenue cycles are becoming more complex and time-consuming, but hiring dedicated revenue cycle personnel can help streamline the process and reduce the burden on attorneys, says Christine Indiano at Harbor Global.

  • Tips For Constructing Your Small-Law Exit Strategy Author Photo

    By initiating planning and processes to evaluate personal retirement goals and firm value early, longtime solo practitioners and small-firm owners can unlock a range of possibilities and potential buyers, setting up for a profitable exit and a rewarding transition, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.

  • Tips For Persuasive Briefs Beyond The Argument Section Author Photo

    When crafting an appellate brief, the focus for most lawyers is the argument section, but other sections also offer strategic opportunities to shape the court's perception of the case and favorably frame the issues, say attorneys at Frost Brown.

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