California Pulse

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    Baker Botts Names IP Leader In Northern California Offices

    Baker Botts LLP has promoted a longtime partner to head of the intellectual property department in its San Francisco and Palo Alto, California, offices.

  • Dentons Accused Of Hacking Laptop, Aiding Vape Co. Usurper

    Dentons helped the founder of vape distributor Next Level sabotage and usurp manufacturer Avid Holdings' brand, including breaking into its founder's laptop to access confidential information, Avid alleged in a sprawling lawsuit filed Tuesday in California federal court.

  • Google Investors' Atty Defends Fees For $350M Privacy Deal

    Counsel for Google LLC shareholders who reached a $350 million settlement with Alphabet Inc. over claims they were deceived about a 2018 data breach urged a California federal judge Tuesday to approve the deal, including about $66.5 million for attorneys, calling the fees more than reasonable.

  • Judge Defends Atty Fees In Failed Law Firm Case

    A California bankruptcy judge on Tuesday pushed back against criticisms of big fees for professionals in the case of defunct debt relief law firm Litigation Practice Group and said he would approve interim professional fees and expenses of $8.1 million.

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    Ex-Google Privacy Chief Joins Gibson Dunn As Practice Head

    Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP has hired a former vice president and chief privacy officer at Google, who for more than 13½ years, has helped lead a team of privacy specialists working to achieve Google's data protection and privacy goals.

  • California Powerhouse: Cooley

    With numerous high-profile litigation wins and transactions this past year — including a California Supreme Court victory for whistleblowers, Instacart's $660M IPO and Horizon Therapeutics' $27.8 billion sale — Cooley LLP has reinforced its reputation as a leading law firm in the Golden State and once again landed on Law360's Regional Powerhouses list.

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    Sheppard Mullin Adds Paul Hastings Employment Leader

    The co-leader of Paul Hastings LLP's wage and hour practice group has jumped to Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP in California, the firm said Tuesday.

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    LA Olympics Committee Lifts Deputy To Chief Legal Officer

    The organizing committee for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles has promoted its senior vice president and deputy general counsel to the post of chief legal officer, general counsel and secretary, following the abrupt departure of its administrative and legal chief.

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    Procopio Practice Leader Joins Snell & Wilmer In San Diego

    Snell & Wilmer LLP has added the former leader of the healthcare, education and government practice at California firm Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch LLP as a partner in its San Diego office.

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    Ropes & Gray Chair To Serve 2nd Term; Firm Picks Vice Chair

    Ropes & Gray LLP announced Tuesday that leading corporate lawyer Julie Jones will begin a second term as the 1,500-attorney firm's first-ever female chair next year while managing committee member Neill Jakobe prepares to assume a vice chair role.

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    General Counsel Pay Has Spiked 25% Since 2019

    Total compensation for general counsel at a sample of the largest U.S. companies has increased by nearly 25%, or from $2.6 million in 2019 to $3.3 million in 2023, according to a report released Tuesday by data analyst Equilar Inc.

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    What Summer Associates Learned From Working At Firms

    We asked this year's cohort about the most valuable lessons they learned during their summer associateship. Here are some tips they have to pass on to the students who have yet to land a coveted spot or are ready to embark on a career in law.

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    What Law Firms Really Look For In Summer Associates

    More and more, law firms are bypassing the traditional schedule for on-campus interviews in their search for summer associates. Firm leaders who oversee recruiting for these programs spoke with Law360 Pulse about where they stand on timing and what law students can do to secure a summer placement that works best for their career.

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    These Firms Were The Top For Their Summer Associates

    BigLaw firms have again set the bar high with their summer associate programs this year, earning high praise from participants who cited the increased opportunities for courtroom experiences, pro bono work, and comprehensive mentorship and networking support.

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    Freshfields Launching New Name, Logo In October

    Magic Circle firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP announced Tuesday that it is rebranding to shorten its name to Freshfields beginning next month.

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    Norton Rose Stresses Regional Chops In New Leadership

    A year after the sudden departure of Norton Rose Fulbright's worldwide CEO, the firm announced a permanent reshuffling of its global management structure, formally putting regional managing partners in charge of coordinating the firm's international business.

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    Law Firm Rates Rise In 2023, But Mixed Outlook Ahead

    Corporate legal departments continue to face rising hourly rates from law firms, but rate changes have varied across industries, and the first four months of 2024 present a snapshot of these varying average rate increases, according to a recent report from Wolters Kluwer's ELM Solutions.

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    EBay Finds New Top Attorney In Former TriNet CLO

    E-commerce giant eBay Inc. said Monday it has hired the former top attorney at human resources services company TriNet to take the reins of the legal department in October.

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    JAMS President Will Become New CEO

    Alternative dispute resolution service JAMS is making changes at the top, announcing Monday that its longtime president will move up to become CEO and its current chief financial officer's duties will expand to include chief operating officer.

  • California Powerhouse: Gibson Dunn

    Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP's California-based partners have helped clients lock in precedent-setting wins before the U.S. Supreme Court over the past year while guiding big-ticket real estate and life sciences transactions, earning the firm a spot on Law360's annual list of Regional Powerhouses.

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    4 Things To Know About Calif. Bar Exam Uncertainty

    The California State Bar planned to administer a new bar exam in February 2025 that would allow test takers to tackle the test either remotely or at test centers, but last week, the state's Supreme Court denied without prejudice a petition to go forward with the modifications. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at what led to the order, and next steps for the bar.

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    Dentons Launches Generative AI Contract Automation Tool

    International law firm Dentons has attorneys in Europe testing a generative artificial intelligence tool for contract automation, the firm said Monday.

  • Feds To Pay $893K Fee Award To Travel Ban Challengers

    A California federal judge has signed off on the Biden administration's agreement to cover $893,000 worth of legal fees that thousands of visa applicants racked up while contesting a Trump-era travel ban that prevented them from immigrating to the U.S.

  • Cozen O'Connor Elevates 8 New Shareholders In 7 Offices

    Cozen O'Connor announced Monday the promotions of eight new shareholders in seven different cities to the law firm and its public affairs and lobbying arm.

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    Labor Attorney Who Leveled MLB Playing Field Dies At 93

    Richard M. Moss, an attorney-turned-sports-agent who won free agency for baseball players and made star pitcher Nolan Ryan the first-ever professional athlete to score a $1 million contract for a single season, died over the weekend at age 93.

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Expert Analysis

  • Legal Briefs Can Benefit From Cleaned Up Case Citations Author Photo

    Federal courts have recently been changing the way they quote decisions to omit insignificant details and string cites, and lawyers should consider adopting this practice to enhance the readability of their briefs — as long as accuracy stays top of mind, says Diana Simon at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law.

  • 5 Best Practices For Firms Designing DEI Programs Author Photo

    Nikki Lewis Simon, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Greenberg Traurig, discusses best practices — and some pitfalls to avoid — for law firms looking to build programs aimed at driving inclusion in the workplace.

  • Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs Author Photo

    Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Do I Juggle Billables And Other Activities? Author Photo

    While involvement in internal firm initiatives can be rewarding both personally and professionally, associates' billable time requirements don’t leave much room for other work, meaning they must develop strategies to ensure they’re meeting all of their commitments while remaining balanced, says Melanie Webber at Fisher Phillips.

  • Making Legal Cents: How To Adapt As Clients Tighten Budgets Author Photo

    Amid a dip in corporate legal spending and client pushback on bills, Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants highlights specific in-house counsel frustrations and explains how firms can provide customized legal advice with costs that are supported by undeniable value.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents Author Photo

    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

  • General Counsel And Legal Ops Must Work Together Author Photo

    It is critical for general counsel to ensure that a legal operations leader is viewed not only as a peer, but as a strategic leader for the organization, and there are several actionable ways general counsel can not only become more involved, but help champion legal operations teams and set them up for success, says Mary O'Carroll at Ironclad.

  • How Generative AI's Growing Memory Affects Lawyers Author Photo

    A new ChatGPT feature that can remember user information across different conversations has broad implications for attorneys, whose most pressing questions for the AI tool are usually based on specific, and large, datasets, says legal tech adviser Eric Wall.

  • A Model For Optimal Legal Tech Investment Strategy Author Photo

    Legal organizations struggling to work out the right technology investment strategy may benefit from using a matrix for legal department efficiency that is based on an understanding of where workloads belong, according to the basic functions and priorities of a corporate legal team, says Sylvain Magdinier at Integreon.

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    My Nonpracticing Law Job: Recruiter Author Photo

    Self-proclaimed "Lawyer Doula" Danielle Thompson at Major Lindsey shares how she went from Columbia Law School graduate and BigLaw employment associate to a career in legal recruiting — and discovered a passion for advocacy along the way.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Do I Balance Social Activism With My Job? Author Photo

    Corporate attorneys pursuing social justice causes outside of work should consider eight guidelines for finding equilibrium between their beliefs and their professional duties and reputation, say Diedrick Graham, Debra Friedman and Simeon Brier at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Personality Tests And Machine Learning Applications In Law Author Photo

    Mateusz Kulesza at McDonnell Boehnen looks at potential applications of personality testing based on machine learning techniques for law firms, and the implications this shift could have for lawyers, firms and judges, including how it could make the work of judges and other legal decision-makers much more difficult.

  • AI Is Reshaping Lawyering: What To Expect In 2024 Author Photo

    The future of lawyering is not about the wholesale replacement of attorneys by artificial intelligence, but as AI handles more of the routine legal work, the role of lawyers will evolve to be more strategic, requiring the development of competencies beyond traditional legal skills, says Colin Levy at Malbek.

  • Embrace Active Voice In Legal Writing — In Most Cases Author Photo

    Legal writers should strive to craft sentences in the active voice to promote brevity and avoid ambiguities that can spark litigation, but writing in the passive voice is sometimes appropriate — when it's a moral choice and not a grammatical failure, says Diana Simon at the University of Arizona's James E. Rogers College of Law.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Help Associates Turn Down Work? Author Photo

    Marina Portnova at Lowenstein Sandler discusses what partners can do to aid their associates in setting work-life boundaries, especially around after-hours assignment availability.

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