California Pulse

Dickinson Wright Opens San Diego Office

By James Mills

Dickinson Wright PLLC is expanding its West Coast presence, opening an office in San Diego that will largely focus on life sciences, patent and intellectual property matters.
Lathrop GPM-Hopkins Carley Merger Grows Calif. Footprint

By Christine DeRosa

Lathrop GPM LLP and Silicon Valley firm Hopkins Carley have officially joined forces after announcing their planned combination in August, which includes a pair of new West Coast offices, the firm said Tuesday.
Lewis Brisbois Real Estate Co-Chair Joins Procopio In Calif.

By Adrian Cruz

Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch LLP announced that the former managing partner of Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP's Indian Wells, California, office and real estate co-chair joined the firm's San Diego office as a partner.
Gunderson Dettmer Hires DLA Piper Exec As Revenue Officer

By Rose Krebs

Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian LLP has brought on as its first-ever chief revenue officer an experienced executive who worked for more than a decade at DLA Piper in various roles.
Covington Announces 14 New Partners

By Hanna Vioque

Covington & Burling LLP said Tuesday that it promoted 14 lawyers to partner in its Brussels, Los Angeles, London, New York and Washington offices.
Firms Add Nonequity Partners, And Many Aren't Happy

By Brandon Lowrey

Nonequity partners make up one of the fastest-growing tiers of lawyers at major law firms — and that tier is the most discontented, according to Law360 Pulse's 2024 Law Firm Compensation Survey.
Equity Partners At Smaller Firms Are Most Content With Pay

By Alison Knezevich

Lawyers in private practice are generally happy with their compensation, and BigLaw associates are particularly satisfied, thanks to openly competitive rates of pay. But equity partners at smaller firms are happiest, according to a new Law360 Pulse survey.
A Deep Dive Into Law Firm Pay

By Kevin Penton

The legal industry may be known for its relatively high pay, but don't tell that to lawyers: Barely half of all attorneys feel satisfied or very satisfied with what they make, according to a new Law360 Pulse report.
GRSM50 Promotes 'Unprecedented' 51 Attys To Partner

By Tracey Read

Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP, now known as GRSM50, has elevated 51 attorneys to partnership in 21 states across more than 10 practice groups in a broad range of legal areas.
Foley Adds 2 DLA Piper Business Litigators In San Francisco

By James Mills

Foley & Lardner LLP is expanding its business litigation team in Northern California, announcing Monday it has brought in two DLA Piper trade secrets experts as partners in its San Francisco office.
Cyber Insurance Business Promotes Atty To General Counsel

By Rose Krebs

Cyber insurance company Cowbell announced Tuesday that it has promoted to serve as its general counsel an attorney who has served as its vice president of legal for more than two years.
Contract Co. Pramata Teams With Deloitte Transactions Unit

By Matt Perez

Contract management platform Pramata announced Tuesday a new strategic alliance with Deloitte Transactions and Business Analytics LLP, a subsidiary of Deloitte LLP.
Newsom Signs Landmark Intersectionality Anti-Bias Bill

By Hailey Konnath

California Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed into law a bill enshrining intersectionality in the state's anti-discrimination laws, making California the first state in the country to explicitly recognize the concept, the governor's office announced over the weekend.
Google Investors' Attys Snag $66.5M In $350M Privacy Deal

By Bonnie Eslinger

A California federal judge on Monday gave final approval to Alphabet's $350 million deal settling a Google data breach securities suit and awarded $66.5 million for attorney fees amid objections, calling the deal "an excellent result" and noting the 19% cut was below the benchmark for similar cases.
Jones Day, Akin Gump, Latham Alums Tapped For Calif. Bench

By Rachel Scharf

California Gov. Gavin Newsom elevated a former Jones Day partner on Monday to a leadership role on the state's Second District Court of Appeal as part of a slew of judicial picks that also include alums of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP and Latham & Watkins LLP.
Cozen O'Connor Reelects CEO Michael Heller To Fifth Term

By James Boyle

Cozen O'Connor's continuous steady growth over the last 12 years has prompted the firm's leadership to reelect its current chief executive for another three-year term.
Stoel Rives Lands 7-Enviro Atty Team From Downey Brand

By James Mills

Stoel Rives LLP is expanding its environmental practice group, bringing in a team of seven attorneys from Downey Brand LLP to join its Sacramento and San Francisco offices, it announced on Monday.
Covington Adds Longtime DOJ Atty With High Court Chops

By Jack Rodgers

Sarah Harrington has dedicated almost her entire legal career to public service. But on Dec. 1, following 3½ years overseeing the U.S. Department of Justice's appellate staff in the Civil Division as deputy assistant attorney general, she'll return to private practice as the new co-leader of the appellate and Supreme Court practice at Covington & Burling LLP, the firm said Monday.
McDermott Adds Its First Director Of AI Innovation

By Christine DeRosa

McDermott Will & Emery LLP has continued its investment in technology and innovation by creating a new role focused on artificial intelligence, the firm said Monday.
Expert Witness Co. Expert Institute Sold To Levine Leichtman

By Matt Perez

New York-based legal services provider Expert Institute has been sold to private equity firm Levine Leichtman Capital Partners from its previous owner Spectrum Equity, according to a Monday announcement.
Akin Launches New AI Director Role With Bryan Cave Pro

By Emily Sawicki

Akin is redoubling its commitment to emerging technology and artificial intelligence with a new director of practice technology and AI innovation at its London office who most recently was at Bryan Cave and previously spent more than seven years with Akin.
Davis Wright Makes Litigation Co-Chair New Firmwide Leader

By Aebra Coe

Davis Wright Tremaine LLP partners have voted to select litigation cochair Jaime Drozd as its next firmwide managing partner, filling a role left empty after its former managing partner resigned in March, according to a Monday announcement.
Man Federally Charged In Calif. Courthouse Bombing

By Gina Kim

A California man accused of throwing a bomb into the lobby of a Santa Barbara County courthouse Wednesday that injured at least five people has been federally charged with maliciously damaging a building with the use of an explosive, federal prosecutors announced on Friday.
Pryor Cashman Incoming And Outgoing Heads Talk Transition

By Emma Cueto

After 17 years under the leadership of a single managing partner, Pryor Cashman LLP is in the process of transitioning to a new firm head, with both the outgoing and incoming managing partner saying they want to preserve the midsize firm's character and independence.
Calif. Atty's Fee Bid Against LegalMatch Denied At Appeal

By James Mills

A California state appeals court has affirmed a trial court ruling denying a Torrance-based lawyer's bid for $940,000 in attorney fees in his suit against attorney referral service LegalMatch.

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Expert Analysis

Talking Mental Health: The View From Life After BigLaw
Life coach and author Wendy Tamis Robbins discusses why she left a career in BigLaw to work in the professional well-being space after finding freedom from anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and substance use disorders, and highlights two changes the legal industry should implement to address attorneys' mental health.
6 Essential Skills For Summer Associates To Land An Offer
Excerpt from Practical Guidance

With full-time offer rates at the lowest point since 2012, summer associates must do all they can to distinguish themselves, starting with a few fundamentals — from the importance of asking clarifying questions to being honest about mistakes, says James Argionis at Cozen O'Connor.
Making Legal Cents: How Law Firms Can Innovate Faster
To meet the demands of an evolving legal market and changing client expectations, law firms must not only embrace innovation, but also find ways to accelerate adoption and mitigate risks in an industry historically resistant to change, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
Ask A Mentor: How Should Departing Partners Approach Pay?
Sabina Lippman at CenterPeak discusses steps BigLaw partners can take when considering a move or announcing their departure to help navigate tricky compensation issues and remain on good terms with their current partners.
How 2 Litigators Decided Dad Would Stay Home With The Kids
Jennifer Hoekstra at Aylstock Witkin shares the tough conversations about timing, goals, logistics and values involved in her family's decision that she would build her career as a litigator and law firm partner while her husband stepped back from his own litigation role to stay home with their children.
Series
My Nonpracticing Law Job: Legal Commentary Ghostwriter
Wayne Pollock at Copo Strategies shares how he went from overworked Am Law 50 associate to owner of a legal thought leadership ghostwriting service, and provides four lessons for anyone who might be considering launching a business within the legal industry.
Ask A Mentor: As Trials Grow Rarer, How Do I Hone My Skills?
Gary Parsons at Brooks Pierce offers advice for young lawyers seeking trial experience in an environment where fewer cases make it to trial, including how to build their reputations, set their expectations and pick the right firm.
Talking Mental Health: Managing Depression As A Co. Founder
New Era ADR co-founder Collin Williams discusses his journey navigating a clinical depression diagnosis, how this experience affected his leadership style, and what the legal industry can do to better support attorneys with mental health conditions.
Series
My Nonpracticing Law Job: Career And Wellness Coach
Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea shares how she went from BigLaw partner to legal industry career and wellness coach, and explains how attorneys can use their capabilities, knowledge and professional networks to pursue coaching themselves, or bring refreshed meaning and purpose to their current roles.
Series
Talking Mental Health: Tackling Stress As A Practice Leader
Constance Rhebergen at Bracewell discusses how she handles the stress of being a practice chair, how sources of stress have changed in the legal industry over the past decade and what law firms can do to protect attorney mental health.
Making Legal Cents: Engaging A Remote, Evolving Workforce
In the face of a dispersed and changing workforce with Generation Z entering the scene, law firms should consider some practical strategies to revitalize their cultures, provide meaningful mentorship and safeguard their knowledge bases, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
How Firms Can Effectively Evaluate Their Summer Associates
One of the most effective ways firms can ensure their summer associate programs are a success is by engaging in a timely and meaningful evaluation process and being intentional about when, how and by whom feedback should be provided, say Caroline Cimei and Erica Fine at Shutts & Bowen.
Series
Talking Mental Health: Life As A Lawyer With OCD
Kelly Hughes at Ogletree discusses what she’s learned in the 14 years since she was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, recounting how the experience shaped her law practice, what the legal industry and general public get wrong about the disorder, and how law firms can better support employees who have OCD.
3 Innovative Ways AI May Be Used In Legal Practice
Excerpt from Practical Guidance

Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly be used by outside counsel to better predict the outcomes of litigation — thus informing legal strategy with greater precision — and by clients to scrutinize invoices and evaluate counsel’s performance, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.
Roundup
My Nonpracticing Law Job
Not every law degree leads to a law practice. In this Law360 Pulse series, former practicing attorneys share the stories of how they went from practicing corporate law to using their knowledge and background to carve out a nontraditional career path in the legal industry.