California Pulse

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    The 2024 Diversity Snapshot: Representation in the Ranks

    Attorneys of color now represent 27.6% of nonpartners at law firms, a new high-water mark for the industry. But progress has lagged higher up. Here's a more detailed look at the representation of minority attorneys at the associate and partner levels.

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    The 2024 Diversity Snapshot: How Firms Stack Up

    Data from Law360 Pulse's law firm survey reveals that while firms are continuing to diversify their attorney ranks, progress has slowed. Just 15.6% of firms top the benchmarks for the 2024 Diversity Snapshot ranking — a lower percentage than last year. Here’s the latest look at how diversity in law firms' headcounts compares with what it could be based on the potential marketplace of new hires.

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    These Firms Have The Most Diverse Equity Partnerships

    Law360’s law firm survey shows that firms' efforts to diversify their equity partner ranks are lagging. But some have embraced a broader talent pool at the equity partner level. Here are the ones that stood out.

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    Does Work-Life Balance Apply To BigLaw Partners?

    Have initiatives and programs to address work-life balance reached the equity partnership, or is it still the exception in the legal industry?

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    JD Vance's Wife Leaves Munger Tolles As Campaign Launches

    Usha Chilukuri Vance, the wife of vice presidential candidate J. D. Vance, has resigned as a litigator at Munger Tolles & Olson LLP, her now-former law firm told Law360 on Monday afternoon, presumably to trade her Washington, D.C.- and San Francisco-based litigation career for the campaign trail.

  • 9th Circ. Centers On Atty's Duties In Winery TM Feud

    Ninth Circuit judges appeared skeptical Monday that a Houston lawyer could represent a prominent Napa Valley vintner while also claiming partial ownership rights to the name of its popular cabernet sauvignon, with one judge saying that conflict of interest rules for attorneys operating in California are "very strict."

  • Judge Says Attys Must Hash Out Conflict In Twitter Row

    A California federal judge has rebuked both sides of a suit alleging Twitter violated federal labor laws amid a mass layoff in late 2022, ordering lead attorneys to attend a meet and confer session in August to work through ongoing conflicts that have arisen since the claims were filed in April 2023.

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    Girardi Seeks 2-Month Delay For Client Theft Trial, To October

    Disgraced lawyer Tom Girardi's defense attorneys want to push back his closely watched wire fraud trial to October from its current August start date, claiming they've been "misled" by "sharp-elbowed" federal prosecutors who have unexpectedly sought to expand the scope of their case against Girardi in recent weeks.

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    Longtime GC Joins American Vanguard's CEO-By-Committee

    American Vanguard Corp., a specialty and agricultural products company with operations in 21 countries, has replaced its chief executive officer with a group of executives that includes its top lawyer.

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    Theranos Ex-Exec's Lead Atty Joins Boutique Firm In LA

    A former BigLaw attorney who was lead defense counsel for Theranos' former president Ramesh Balwani has joined Los Angeles boutique Foundation Law Group LLP to lead its white collar practice, the firm announced Monday.

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    Seyfarth Adds 5-Atty Labor Team From Hunton In Calif., Texas

    Seyfarth Shaw LLP announced Monday that it has brought on a five-member team of labor and employment lawyers who previously practiced with Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP.

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    Many Attorneys Of Color Are Feeling Used

    Many lawyers of color say they are included in their law firm's client pitches but are not assigned to the resulting work, pointing to some firms' "window dressing" approach to diversity and inclusion, according to a report reviewed by Law360 Pulse that will be released publicly on Tuesday.

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    Firms Fall Short On Occupancy Goals Amid Downsizing Trend

    U.S. law firms have been working to reduce the amount of office space allocated per attorney. Despite these efforts, a recent report by the real estate services company Savills Inc. found that the average square footage per attorney still remains higher than the occupancy ratios most firms aim for.

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    Litigation Funder Wants Apple's Bid For Docs Moved To Calif.

    A litigation funding company is urging a Delaware federal judge to transfer Apple Inc.'s bid for documents related to a patent dispute with Finnish company MPH Technologies Oy. to California federal court, saying the motion to compel should be adjudicated in the Golden State.

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    Quinn Emanuel Barred From Repping X In Scraping Case

    Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP can no longer represent social media giant X Corp. in the company's lawsuit against Bright Data Ltd., with a California federal judge finding the law firm violated its duty of loyalty to Bright Data after previously representing it in a "substantially related" case.

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    Troutman Pepper, Locke Lord Eye Year-End Merger Closure

    Merger talks between Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP and Locke Lord LLP are progressing, with the deal on track for a late summer partner vote and a hoped-for year-end closure, according to sources close to the deal who spoke to Law360 Pulse on the condition of anonymity.

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    Dentons Adds LA Real Estate Atty As Partner From Pillsbury

    A longtime real estate attorney from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP has moved her practice to Dentons' Los Angeles office, where she'll work on transactional and tax-focused matters as a partner, Dentons announced Monday.

  • Law360 Names 2024's Top Attorneys Under 40

    Law360 is pleased to announce the Rising Stars of 2024, our list of 158 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age.

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    Firms See Stable Lateral Hiring, Corporate Rises In Q2

    After a slower first quarter, lateral recruitment at law firms appeared to find more solid footing in the second quarter, with both associate and counsel hires showing signs of recovery from the previous quarter, according to recent data provided by legal data company Firm Prospects LLC.

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    LA Judge Rebuked For Scolding Litigants, Calling Some 'Pigs'

    A Los Angeles Superior Court judge received public admonishment by the Commission on Judicial Performance on Thursday for making insulting and gratuitous remarks to litigants, which included likening two of them to "pigs in the trough, fighting," comparing a dispute to a "Jerry Springer case" and warning another, "You're lucky you weren't shot."

  • Paul Weiss Hopes To Stem Exits With New Partner Structure

    Brad Karp, chairman of Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison, shared in a podcast published Thursday that the firm has followed a new two-track partnership compensation model as a means to combat retention issues plaguing similar firms.

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    Hopkins & Carley Real Estate Duo Joins Spencer Fane In Calif.

    Spencer Fane LLP announced Friday that a pair of experienced real estate attorneys from Silicon Valley firm Hopkins & Carley have been added to Spencer Fane's San Jose, California, office as partners.

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    Saul Ewing Adds Entertainment, Real Estate Litigator In LA

    Saul Ewing LLP has added as a partner in its Los Angeles office a trial attorney with a nearly 30-year track record of representing public and private companies, along with executives and investors in entertainment and real estate disputes.

  • Law360 Pulse Spotlight On Mid-Law Work

    Parsons Behle's work on a Salt Lake City renewable energy project and Schwabe Williamson's challenge to a federal mining permit lead this edition of Law360 Pulse's Spotlight On Mid-Law Work, recapping the top matters for Mid-Law firms from June 22 to July 12.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry had another action-packed week as attorneys took on new roles and law firms reshaped practices following the holiday. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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Expert Analysis

  • What Web3 Means For Lawyers' Ethical Duties Author Photo

    As law firms embrace Web3 technologies by accepting cryptocurrency as payment for legal fees, investing in metaverse departments and more, lawyers should remember their ethical duties to warn clients of the benefits and risks of technology in a murky regulatory environment, says Heidi Frostestad Kuehl at Northern Illinois University College of Law.

  • NY's Cybersecurity CLE Rule Is A Sign Of Changing Times Author Photo

    New York's recently announced requirement that lawyers complete cybersecurity training as part of their continuing legal education is a reminder that securing client information is more complicated in an increasingly digital world, and that expectations around attorneys' technology competence are changing, says Jason Schwent at Clark Hill.

  • Opinion

    Law Firms Stressing Work-Life Balance Are Missing The Mark Author Photo

    Law firms struggling to attract and retain lawyers are institutionalizing work-life balance through hybrid work models, but such balance is elusive in a client services and tech-dependent world, underscoring the need for firms to instead aim for attorney empowerment and true balance within — not outside — the workplace, says Joe Pack at Pack Law.

  • A Law Student's Guide To Thriving As A Summer Associate Author Photo

    Summer associates are expected to establish a favorable reputation and develop genuine relationships in a few short weeks, but several time management, attitude and communication principles can help them make the most of their time and secure an offer for a full-time position, says Joseph Marciano, who was a 2022 summer associate at Reed Smith.

  • Burnout Prevention Requires Effort From Attys And Firms Author Photo

    To avoid physical and emotional exhaustion, attorneys must respect their own and their colleagues' personal and professional boundaries, but law firms must also play a role in discouraging burnout culture — especially if they are struggling with attorney retention, say attorneys at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • How I Owned My Power As An Asian American Woman In Law Author Photo

    Gibson Dunn's Debra Yang shares the bumps in her journey to becoming the first female Asian American U.S. attorney, a state judge and a senior partner in BigLaw, and how other women can face their self-doubts and blaze their own trails to success amid systemic obstacles.

  • Successful In-House Alt Legal Services Start With 4 Questions Author Photo

    Law firms that are considering creating an in-house alternative legal service provider should focus not on recapturing revenue otherwise lost to outside vendors, but instead consider how a captive ALSP will better fulfill the needs of their clients and partners, say Beatrice Seravello and Brad Blickstein at Baretz & Brunelle.

  • 3 Reasons To Embrace Jargon In Legal Marketing Content Author Photo

    Ignore what you've been told about jargon — adding insider industry terms to your firm's marketing and business development content can persuade potential clients that you have the specialized knowledge they can trust, says Wayne Pollock at Law Firm Editorial Service.

  • Future Lawyers Expect DEI Commitments Beyond Recruiting Author Photo

    To attract future lawyers from diverse backgrounds, firms must think beyond recruiting efforts, because law students are looking for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives that invest in employee professional development and engage with students year-round, says Lauren Jackson at Howard University School of Law.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Can Law Students Build Real-World Skills? Author Photo

    Allison Coffin at Akin Gump discusses how summer associates going back to school can continue to develop real-world lawyering skills by leveraging the numerous law school resources that support professional development both inside and outside the classroom.

  • How Firm Leaders Can Build And Sustain Culture Author Photo

    In uncertain and challenging times, law firm leaders can build and sustain culture by focusing attention on mission, values and leadership development, and applying a growth mindset across their firms, says Scott Westfahl at Harvard Law.

  • The Case That Showed Me The Value Of E-Discovery Plans Author Photo

    Robert Keeling at Sidley reflects on leading discovery in the litigation that followed the historic $85 billion AT&T-Time Warner merger and how the case highlighted the importance of having a strategic e-discovery plan in place.

  • Opinion

    CLE Accreditation Should Be Tied To Learning Outcomes Author Photo

    Given the substantial time and money lawyers put toward mandatory continuing legal education, CLE regulators and providers should be held to accreditation standards that assess learning outcomes, similar to those imposed on law schools and continuing medical education providers, says Rima Sirota at Georgetown Law.

  • Why You Should Leverage AI For Privilege Review Author Photo

    While many lawyers still believe that a manual, document-by-document review is the best approach to privilege logging, certain artificial intelligence tools can bolster the traditional review process and make this aspect of electronic document review more efficient, more accurate and less costly, say Laura Riff and Michelle Six at Kirkland.

  • Persuading The Court With Visual Aids In Written Argument Author Photo

    Robert Dubose at Alexander Dubose describes several categories of visuals attorneys can use to make written arguments easier to understand or more persuasive, and provides tips for lawyers unused to working with anything but text.

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