California Pulse


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    Firms' Hiring Strategies Are Evolving In Fight For Top Spot

    Competition for top talent among elite law firms shows no signs of slowing down, even amid economic uncertainty, with financially strong firms deploying aggressive strategies to attract and retain skilled professionals to solidify their market position.

  • Calif. Judge Scolded For Public Fight Over School Renaming

    A California state judge has been publicly disciplined for leading a monthslong crusade against the renaming of his old high school, during which he spoke at rallies and fundraisers, called opponents "morons" on social media and generally "demeaned the judicial office."

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    Procopio Taps Corporate Atty As New Managing Partner

    Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch LLP has named a corporate attorney with 13 years' experience at the firm as its new managing partner, following the death in early September of its previous managing partner.

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    BCLP Adds Ex-Seattle Mayor, US Atty As US White Collar Head

    After a short break focused on pro bono work and chairing a Washington State Bar Association task force on emerging technologies and the practice of law, former Seattle mayor Jenny A. Durkan is returning to private practice at Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP.

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    Barnes & Thornburg Names 19 New Partners In Reduced Class

    Barnes & Thornburg LLP has promoted 19 attorneys to partners in states including Georgia, Texas, California and New York beginning Jan. 1, marking a decrease from its 2024 and 2023 class sizes, though the new partnership class outpaces promotions in preceding years.

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    Gibson Dunn Lands Trump Impeachment Prosecutor, 4 Others

    Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP announced Wednesday that it had hired away former President Donald Trump's impeachment prosecutor from Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP to co-chair its global litigation practice group in New York, as well as four other former federal prosecutors from that firm.

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    E-Discovery Co. Everlaw Appoints VP Of Marketing As CMO

    Investigation and litigation platform Everlaw has appointed its vice president of marketing as chief marketing officer, and announced the launch of its first brand campaign.

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    Lewis Brisbois' Leader On Steering The Firm Forward

    Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP has seen major leadership changes over the past year. Law360 Pulse caught up with managing partner Greg Katz to discuss the firm's vision moving forward, the impact of recent leadership transitions, and the strategies being implemented to navigate the competitive legal landscape.

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    Pervasive Bullying In Law Is Impacting Young Attorneys

    A report released earlier this month cataloging the experiences of more than 6,000 Illinois lawyers found that one quarter say they have experienced bullying within the last year. Among the youngest lawyers, that number jumps to 39%.

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    Lewis Brisbois Assistant GC Joins Nossaman As Legal Chief

    Nossaman LLP has hired the former assistant general counsel of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP as its new general counsel.

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    Patent Partner Moves From King & Spalding To Steptoe

    A former King & Spalding LLP partner has made the jump to Steptoe LLP, filling out the firm's team of California-based litigators who take on patent cases.

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    MoFo Adds Kirkland Capital Markets Ace In San Diego

    Morrison Foerster LLP is boosting its transactions team, announcing Tuesday that it is bringing in a Kirkland & Ellis LLP capital markets pro as a partner in its San Diego office as part of the firm's plan to increase high-level talent on the West Coast.

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    Share Of New Partners Who Are Women Decreased This Year

    More than 80 major law firms had new partner classes in 2024 made up of at least 50% women, according to an analysis released Tuesday by a think tank focused on diversity and workplace flexibility. However, the analysis also found that the proportion of new U.S.-based partners who are women decreased.

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    Experienced Financial Atty Named Wealth Manager's New GC

    Focus Financial Partners Inc. announced that a longtime attorney at LPL Financial was named the New York-based wealth manager's general counsel as part of a series of leadership appointments.

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    Snell & Wilmer Adds Procopio Corporate Atty In San Diego

    Snell & Wilmer LLP has brought in a Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch LLP capital markets expert as a partner in its San Diego office to expand its bench of corporate attorneys in Southern California.

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    Approach The Bench: Judge Rosenthal Praises Zoom Hearings

    While U.S. District Judge Lee Rosenthal calls the pandemic a disaster that "discombobulated" the federal courts, she thinks there was also a silver lining to the experience.

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    How Certifications Became Ubiquitous For Privacy Attorneys

    As privacy has become a more prominent and popular practice area, many attorneys have turned to certifications offered by the International Association of Privacy Professionals to market their skills, with those in the field saying that the popularity is the result of privacy's rapid evolution and the ubiquity is unlikely to diminish.

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    The Psychology Of Top Firms' Growing Partner Pay Spreads

    Dan Binstock, a legal recruiter who works with top law firms, recently said to me about partner pay, "You can never please everybody."

  • Calif. High Court Says Judicial DQ Bids Must Be Timely

    The California Supreme Court on Monday held that an appellate court got it wrong by determining a timeliness requirement doesn't apply when a party alleges that a judge is disqualified due to bias, in a case that resulted in a $43.5 million judgment for hundreds of title company employees.

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    3 Factors Attorneys Should Keep In Mind When Using AI

    Attorneys who hope to leverage new artificial intelligence programs in their legal work should stay mindful of three rules of conduct from the American Bar Association dictating attorney competence, client confidentiality and billing procedures, according to a recently published paper from the International Association of Defense Counsel.

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    Simpson Thacher Taps Atty Duo As 1st Banking Team Leaders

    Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP has named two longtime New York City-based partners, including the co-head of its global banking and credit practice, as the first co-leaders of its global investment banking practice, the firm announced Monday.

  • Maynard Nexsen Creates Business Advisory Services Team

    Maynard Nexsen PC has launched a new business advisory service aimed at privately held and family-owned businesses that will help steer clients through succession planning, mergers, risk management and other needs from both a legal and business perspective, according to a Monday announcement.

  • Tesla Atty Faces Sanctions Bid Over Mediation Appearance

    Tesla and an in-house attorney are facing a sanctions bid in California federal court for reportedly appearing at a mediation in a wrongful death case despite lacking settlement authority, causing "delay and unnecessary expense" to the widow of a man who died when his Tesla allegedly ran off the road, crashed and ignited.

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    Telesis Bio's Chief Legal Officer To Leave Post This Week

    Telesis Bio Inc.'s chief legal officer is exiting his role on Thursday and will be receiving a severance payment of $307,500 under a separation agreement, according to a public filing.

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    Cleary Adds Northern Calif. Deputy Criminal Chief As Partner

    The deputy chief of the criminal division of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of California has joined Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP's Bay Area office as a partner in the Americas litigation practice, the firm said Monday.

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Expert Analysis

  • BigLaw Vs. Mid-Law Summer Programs: The Pros And Cons Author Photo

    There are major differences between BigLaw and Mid-Law summer associate programs, and each approach can learn something from the other in terms of structure and scheduling, the on-the-job learning opportunities provided, and the social experiences offered, says Anna Tison at Brooks Pierce.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Do I Take Time Off? Author Photo

    David Kouba at Arnold & Porter discusses how attorneys can prioritize mental health leave and vacation despite work-related barriers to taking time off.

  • Law Firms Must Prioritize Mental Health In Internal Comms Author Photo

    The traditional structure of law firms, with their compartmentalization into silos, is an inherent challenge to mental wellness, so partners and senior lawyers should take steps to construct and disseminate internal action plans and encourage open dialogue, says Elizabeth Ortega at ECO Strategic Communications.

  • Our Current Approach To Trial Advocacy Training Is Lacking Author Photo

    The key to trial advocacy is persuasion, but current training programs focus almost entirely on technique, making it imperative that lawyers are taught to be effective storytellers and to connect with their audiences, says Chris Arledge at Ellis George.

  • How Women In Law Can Advance Toward Leadership Roles Author Photo

    Female attorneys in leadership roles inspire other women to pursue similar opportunities in a male-dominated field, and for those who aspire to lead, prioritizing collaboration, inclusivity and integrity is key, says Kim Yelkin at Foley & Lardner.

  • The Case That Took Me From Prosecutor To Defense Attorney Author Photo

    Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Moira Penza, now at Wilkinson Stekloff, recalls the challenges of her first case as a civil defense attorney — a multibillion-dollar multidistrict class action against Allergan — and the lessons she learned about building rapport in the courtroom and with co-counsel.

  • The Importance Of Legal Macroeconomics Education For Attys Author Photo

    Most legal professionals lack understanding of the macroeconomic trends unique to the legal industry, like the rising cost of law school and legal services, which contributes to an unfair and inaccessible justice system, so law school courses and continuing legal education requirements in this area are essential, says Bob Glaves at the Chicago Bar Foundation.

  • What ABA Student Well-Being Standards Mean For Law Firms Author Photo

    While the American Bar Association's recent amendments to its law school accreditation standards around student well-being could have gone further, legal industry employers have much to learn from the ABA's move and the well-being movement that continues to gain traction in law schools, says David Jaffe at the American University Washington College of Law.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Do I Build Rapport In New In-House Role? Author Photo

    Tim Parilla at LinkSquares explains how new in-house lawyers can start developing relationships with colleagues both within and outside their legal departments in order to expand their networks, build their brands and carve their paths to leadership positions.

  • What Attys Should Consider Before Taking On Pro Bono Work
    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
    Author Photo

    Piper Hoffman and Will Lowrey at Animal Outlook lay out suggestions for attorneys to maximize the value of their pro bono efforts, from crafting engagement letters to balancing workloads — and they explain how these principles can foster a more rewarding engagement for both lawyers and nonprofits.

  • 7 Ways Attys Can Improve Their LinkedIn Summaries Author Photo

    Lawyers can use LinkedIn to strengthen their thought leadership position, generate new business, explore career opportunities, and better position themselves and their firms in search results by writing a well-composed, optimized summary that demonstrates their knowledge and experience, says Guy Alvarez at Good2bSocial.

  • How Law Firms And Attys Can Combat Imposter Syndrome Author Photo

    Imposter syndrome is rampant in the legal profession, especially among lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds, leading to missed opportunities and mental health issues — but firms can provide support in numerous ways, and attorneys can use therapeutic strategies to quiet their inner critic, says Helen Pamely at Rosling King.

  • The Law Firm Qualities Partners Seek In Lateral Moves Author Photo

    In 2022, partners considering lateral moves have new priorities, and firms that hope to recruit top talent will need to communicate their strategy for growth, engage on hot issues like origination credit and diversity initiatives, and tailor their integration plans toward expanding partners’ client base, says Gloria Sandrino at Lateral Link.

  • Small Steps Can Help Employers Beat Attorney Burnout Author Photo

    Lawyers are experiencing burnout on a massive, unprecedented scale due to the pandemic, but law firms and institutional players can and should make a difference by focusing on small, practical solutions that protect their attorneys’ most precious personal resource and professional commodity — time, says Chad Sarchio, president of the District of Columbia Bar.

  • The Evolving Role Of The Law Firm Legal Secretary Author Photo

    Technological shifts during the pandemic and beyond should force firms to rethink how legal secretaries can not only better support timekeepers but also participate in elevating client service, bifurcating the role into an administrative support position and a more elevated practice support role, says Lauren Chung at HBR Consulting.

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