California Pulse

  • Calif. Judge Censured For Mid-Trial Text To Prosecutor

    A Los Angeles judge has received a severe public censure for sending a text message to a prosecutor during a murder retrial in order to influence her decision to call a rebuttal witness, then trying to minimize the ex parte communication by making misleading statements after the fact.

  • Josh Anderson.png

    Ex-Sidley Atty To Lead Faegre's West Coast Class Action Team

    Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP is boosting its litigation team, announcing Wednesday it is bringing in a Sidley Austin LLP class action ace as a partner in its Los Angeles office.

  • iStock-1065952684.jpg

    More Law Firms Are Relocating, Signing New Leases In 2024

    More law firms have relocated or renewed their office leases in the first quarter of 2024 than during the same period over the last four years, continuing a post-pandemic trend that began late last year as more firms made moves, according to a recent report by real-estate services company Savills.

  • 9th Circ. Rejects Objections To $23M Monsanto Roundup Deal

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday affirmed a district court's approval of a $23 million MDL settlement to resolve claims that Monsanto failed to warn buyers of the carcinogens in its Roundup weed killer, finding there was no indication of collusion as argued by Missouri-based objectors.

  • iStock-637878666.jpg

    Once A Standard, US News Rankings Now 'Entirely Irrelevant'

    Once "the bellwether of the legal academy," the annual law school rankings published by U.S. News & World Report don't matter to today's prospective law students, a pair of law professors say in a new study.

  • 77.png

    Atkinson Andelson MP Talks Goals For Second Term

    As he prepares for a second term at the helm of California firm Atkinson Andelson Loya Ruud & Romo PLC, James Baca told Law360 Pulse Wednesday that he looks forward to continuing to work to balance the firm's growth, finances and employee needs to best serve its clients.

  • iStock-1034363776.jpg

    Efforts To Improve Diversity On State High Courts Stagnating

    A lack of publicly available data is hampering efforts to make state Supreme Courts more representative of the populations they serve and diversity pushes appear to have stalled out, according to a recent report.

  • Ex-Calif. Atty Cops To Role In $9.5M Crypto Ponzi Scheme

    A disbarred California attorney has pled guilty in federal court to his role in promoting a $9.5 million cryptocurrency Ponzi scheme.

  • Robert Keele.jpg

    Elon Musk AI Startup Taps Legal Chief Who Knows Aerospace

    Elon Musk has hired an aerospace-experienced legal chief for xAI Corp. in San Francisco, his artificial intelligence startup that is competing with OpenAI.

  • Denise_Stevens1.jpg

    Loeb Entertainment And Music Pro Joins Pierson Ferdinand

    Recently founded Pierson Ferdinand LLP is expanding its media team, announcing Wednesday it is bringing in a Loeb & Loeb LLP music and entertainment expert as a partner based in its Nashville and Los Angeles offices.

  • hochman-david.jpg

    Glaser Weil Grows IP Team In LA With Wolf Rifkin Atty

    California law firm Glaser Weil added a lawyer from Wolf Rifkin Shapiro Schulman & Rabkin LLP to its Los Angeles office, strengthening its transactional practice.

  • chrisbolten.jpg

    Greenberg Traurig Adds IP Atty From Eversheds Sutherland

    Greenberg Traurig LLP has bolstered its California bench of attorneys with an Eversheds Sutherland lawyer who has years of experience advising digital health and medical device companies on intellectual property issues.

  • iStock-1652451957.jpg

    4 Ways Young Attys Can Balance Pro Bono And Billable Hours

    Pro Bono work is an ideal way for young associates to learn new skills while helping others. Here, Law360 Pulse asks experts the best practices on how lawyers can commit to meaningful volunteer work while keeping up with their regular responsibilities.

  • John-Bostic.jpg

    Theranos, Elizabeth Holmes Prosecutor Joins Cooley In Calif.

    Cooley LLP announced Wednesday it has brought in as a partner in its Silicon Valley office a former assistant U.S. attorney who successfully prosecuted biotechnology entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes in the Theranos trial.

  • Immigration Programs' Survival Justifies $3.7M Fee, Attys Say

    The attorneys who challenged Trump-era orders ending immigration protections for people from countries in crisis are seeking a $3.7 million fee award, telling a California federal judge that the Biden administration's rescission of the orders showed their lawsuit was successful.

  • Calif. Judge Cops To Ethics Charges, Agrees To Step Down

    A California judge censured and barred for multiple ethics violations, including drug use, inappropriate personal relationships with attorneys and making inappropriate comments, including antisemitic remarks, about litigants and attorneys, has resigned as of Monday.

  • Jackson Abbeduto.jpg

    Reed Smith Gets Digital Music Pro From Calif. Boutique Firm

    Reed Smith LLP announced Tuesday it has hired a music and entertainment attorney in Los Angeles who worked at boutique entertainment law firm Granderson Des Rochers LLP, Universal Music Publishing Group and Google.

  • Justices Won't Hear Avenatti Appeal Of Nike Conviction

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to hear an appeal from Michael Avenatti challenging his conviction for trying to extort millions from Nike, with the high court's rejection ending the disbarred attorney's chances at overturning one of his three criminal convictions.

  • iStock-1497792544.jpg

    Law Firms Split On Tech Offerings For Business Dissolution

    While some law firms refer clients to new tools that help founders wind down their companies, other law firms remain steadfast in their traditional approach to handling business dissolution services.

  • Diane Humetewa.jpg

    Approach The Bench: Judge Humetewa Talks Tribal Relations

    Before she joined the federal bench in Arizona, Judge Diane Humetewa worked as a jurist on a relatively young court, where she regularly set new legal precedent.

  • santa-barbara.jpg

    Fennemore Craig Continues Growth With Santa Barbara Office

    Fennemore Craig PC has continued its year of growth and expansion with the addition of a new office in Santa Barbara, California, marking its 10th location in the Golden State.

  • iStock-1363973075.jpg

    Calif. Judge Gets 2nd Reprimand After Calling Atty 'Snake Oil'

    For the second time in his judicial career, a California state judge has been publicly admonished for misconduct on the bench, most recently for referring to a public defender as "snake oil" in a criminal case and for "usurping the role of prosecutor" in another trial that was later overturned because of the judge's conduct.

  • Law360 Pulse Spotlight On Mid-Law Work

    Berger Montague's work on a suit over fallout from a $1.8 billion SPAC transaction and Benesch's representation of a North American joint venture with ABB lead this edition of Law360 Pulse's Spotlight On Mid-Law Work, recapping the top matters for Mid-Law firms from May 10 to 24.

  • Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    It was a week of mammoth wins for petite law firms, with two intellectual property boutiques — Lex Lumina PLLC and Irwin IP LLP — leading off this week's Law360 Legal Lions list with an explosive win at the Federal Circuit throwing out "rigid" tests for design patents.

  • 2_up_nixon.png

    Nixon Peabody Adds Littler Duo As OSHA Practice Chairs

    Nixon Peabody LLP has brought on a pair of Littler Mendelson PC attorneys who previously worked in California's Occupational Safety & Health division as practice co-chairs.

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

Expert Analysis

  • How Law Firms Can Welcome And Celebrate Autistic Lawyers Author Photo

    As the U.S. observes Autism Acceptance Month, autistic attorney Haley Moss describes the societal barriers and stereotypes that keep neurodivergent lawyers from disclosing their disabilities, and how law firms can better accommodate and level the playing field for attorneys whose minds work outside of the prescribed norm.

  • Law Firm Tips For Evaluating AI And Machine Learning Tools Author Photo

    Many legal technology vendors now sell artificial intelligence and machine learning tools at a premium price tag, but law firms must take the time to properly evaluate them as not all offerings generate process efficiencies or even use the technologies advertised, says Steven Magnuson at Ballard Spahr.

  • A Call For Personal Accountability On Diversity And Inclusion Author Photo

    While chief legal officers are increasingly involved in creating corporate diversity, inclusion and anti-bigotry policies, all lawyers have a responsibility to be discrimination busters and bias interrupters regardless of the title they hold, says Veta T. Richardson at the Association of Corporate Counsel.

  • Learning How To Code Can Unleash New Potential In Lawyers Author Photo

    Every lawyer can begin incorporating aspects of software development in their day-to-day practice with little to no changes in their existing tools or workflow, and legal organizations that take steps to encourage this exploration of programming can transform into tech incubators, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Supporting Associates Amid Pandemic's Mental Health Toll Author Photo

    As junior associates increasingly report burnout, work-life conflict and loneliness during the pandemic, law firms should take tangible actions to reduce the stigma around seeking help, and to model desired well-being behaviors from the top down, say Stacey Whiteley at the New York State Bar Association and Robin Belleau at Kirkland.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: Should My Law Firm Take On An Apprentice? Author Photo

    Mentoring a law student who is preparing for the bar exam without attending law school is an arduous process that is not for everyone, but there are also several benefits for law firms hosting apprenticeship programs, says Jessica Jackson, the lawyer guiding Kim Kardashian West's legal education.

  • The Importance Of Client Engagement In Law Firm Innovation Author Photo

    As clients increasingly want law firms to serve as innovation platforms, firms must understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach — the key is a nimble innovation function focused on listening and knowledge sharing, says Mark Brennan at Hogan Lovells.

  • The Unique Challenges Facing Women-Owned Law Firms Author Photo

    In addition to establishing their brand from scratch, women who start their own law firms must overcome inherent bias against female lawyers and convince prospective clients to put aside big-firm preferences, says Joel Stern at the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms.

  • The Pursuit Of Wellness In BigLaw: Lessons From My Journey Author Photo

    Jane Jeong at Cooley shares how grueling BigLaw schedules and her own perfectionism emotionally bankrupted her, and why attorneys struggling with burnout should consider making small changes to everyday habits.

  • Why We Must Recruit And Advance More Black Prosecutors Author Photo

    Black Americans make up a disproportionate percentage of the incarcerated population but are underrepresented among elected prosecutors, so the legal community — from law schools to prosecutor offices — must commit to addressing these disappointing demographics, says Erika Gilliam-Booker at the National Black Prosecutors Association.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Can Associates Deal With Overload? Author Photo

    Young lawyers overwhelmed with a crushing workload must tackle the problem on two fronts — learning how to say no, and understanding how to break down projects into manageable parts, says Jay Harrington at Harrington Communications.

  • A Scientific Path For Improving Diversity At Law Firms Author Photo

    Law firms could combine industrial organizational psychology and machine learning to study prospective hires' analytical thinking, stress response and similar attributes — which could lead to recruiting from a more diverse candidate pool, say Ali Shahidi and Bess Sully at Sheppard Mullin.

  • 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.

×

Law360

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

Rankings

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 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