California Pulse

  • OKelly E McWilliams III.png

    New Holland & Knight Diversity Atty Hopes To 'Reimagine' DEI

    Holland & Knight LLP's new diversity partner, O'Kelly E. McWilliams III, never sought out opportunities to serve in the diversity, equity and inclusion space, but the chance to serve in those roles presented themselves throughout the years.

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    Faegre Drinker Adds Litigation Pro From Ellis George In LA

    Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP has strengthened its product liability and mass torts group with a litigator in Los Angeles who came aboard from Ellis George LLP.

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    Ideaya Biosciences Chief Legal Officer To Step Down In July

    The chief legal officer of Ideaya Biosciences Inc., a company that researches and develops cancer drugs, is set to depart on July 11, a Thursday public filing says.

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    Calif. Atty Won't Contest Claim He Stole Up To $282M

    A California lawyer has stopped defending himself against bar discipline charges that accuse him of stealing as much as $282 million from clients, and his posture has forced the cancelation of a trial that was scheduled for this week and makes his disbarment almost certain.

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    Most New Attys Don't See 'Flashy Lawyer Salary'

    While some new attorneys earn top dollar right out of their Juris Doctor program, that isn't actually the norm, according to a new study from Georgetown University, which found that when factoring in student loan debt, the median earnings for all law graduates land at just $72,000 four years after graduation.

  • Docusign Replaces Sales President And CTO

    Digital contract platform Docusign announced Tuesday the hiring of two executives to replace its outgoing president of worldwide field operations and chief technology officer.

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    The Case For BigLaw Being More Transparent About Suicides

    While BigLaw's suicide prevention efforts emphasize open communication around mental health, firms are largely less transparent about how they'd respond to the suicide of an employee.

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    Thompson Hine Adding LA Office With 11 Attys From Boutique

    Ohio-based Thompson Hine LLP announced Wednesday it is expanding to the West Coast, establishing a Los Angeles office by adding 11 lawyers from a Santa Monica litigation boutique, which will cease operations.

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    GM Gears Up For Legal Dept. Changes With New Top Lawyer

    General Motors said late Tuesday it had recruited a former in-house counsel at Boeing to be its next top lawyer, who will begin the job when the company's longtime legal chief takes a job in GM's driverless car unit next month.

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    Kroger Using Annual Meeting To Stress Value Of Merger

    As grocery chain The Kroger Co. prepares to defend its proposed merger with Albertsons Cos. later this summer, it's using its virtual annual meeting on Thursday to trumpet its value to shareholders, to communities and to workers.

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    Small Firms Put Unique Spin On Summer Associate Programs

    As the competition for sought-after BigLaw summer associateships continues to ramp up, some small firms and boutiques are seeing an opportunity to develop their own programs to attract law students looking to gain valuable experience.

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    Legal Office Leasing Stayed Strong In Q1, Cushman Says

    Cushman & Wakefield said in a report Tuesday that the legal sector continued to take on real estate at a strong clip in the first quarter of 2024 after reaching records among office leases in both 2022 and 2023.

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    Approach The Bench: Judge Nazarian Touts Mentorship

    Judge Douglas Nazarian of the Appellate Court of Maryland has given a lot of thought to clerkships since he took the bench more than 11 years ago.

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    A Look At Husch Blackwell's $5M Bet On AI Technology

    Since artificial intelligence developer OpenAI debuted ChatGPT, several legal tech companies and law firms have launched their own tools leveraging generative AI. Here is a look at how Husch Blackwell LLP is using the technology.

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    Litigation Pro Rejoins GRSM50 In Calif. From DeHay & Elliston

    Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP has strengthened its litigation bench with a partner in Walnut Creek, California, who arrived from DeHay & Elliston LLP and who worked for six years earlier in his career as a senior counsel for GRSM50.

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    Winston's Chicago Leader On 'New Era' And Firm's Roots

    Bill O’Neil recently took over as Winston & Strawn’s Chicago office managing partner. He talked to Law360 Pulse about his goals for the 171-year-old office, which include growth.

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    Nixon Peabody Snags IP Litigator From Davis Wright In LA

    Nixon Peabody LLP continues to fortify its intellectual property practice with the addition of a former Davis Wright Tremaine LLP litigator, who joins as counsel in the firm's Los Angeles office.

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    More Law Schools Boosting AI In Curricula

    Law schools are increasingly incorporating artificial intelligence into their curricula, including dedicated AI courses and opportunities for students to use AI tools, signaling a trend that the technology is becoming essential for future lawyers, according to results from an American Bar Association survey released Monday.

  • 9th Circ. Upholds Fine For Fake News In $18B Chevron Case

    The Ninth Circuit has affirmed a $268,000 fine against a Seattle attorney for filing a fake newspaper article as a court exhibit in an attempt to bolster his clients' efforts to enforce a nearly $18 billion arbitral award against Chevron.

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    Michelman & Robinson Hires 1st Chief Growth Officer In NY

    Los Angeles-headquartered Michelman & Robinson LLP is focusing on its expansion goals with the addition of its first-ever chief growth officer, a seasoned law firm leader whose resume includes a stint serving as chief talent officer for Greenberg Traurig LLP, according to a Monday announcement.

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    O'Melveny Adds Katten Credit Finance Trio In California

    An experienced trio of finance attorneys who specialize in private credit transactions has jumped from Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP to O'Melveny & Myers LLP in California, the firm said Monday.

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    Ousted Paramount GC Gets Over $6M In Severance

    When Christa D'Alimonte leaves Paramount Global Inc. as its general counsel Friday amid a major cost-cutting initiative, she will take a severance package worth about $6 million, plus various medical and other benefits, recent security filings showed.

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    Duane Morris Appoints New Immigration Law Chair

    Philadelphia-based Duane Morris LLP announced on Friday the appointment of business immigration partner Ted J. Chiappari as chair of its immigration division, part of its employment, labor, benefits and immigration practice.

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    The Most Surprising Aspect For GCs So Far In 2024? AI

    This month, Law360 Pulse asked general counsel what has surprised them so far in 2024. Artificial intelligence was front of mind for many attorneys heading into the year, with the technology's rapid growth and expanding influence forming a common thread among the responses.

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    New Head Of Winston & Strawn Chicago HQ Started As Intern

    Winston & Strawn LLP announced Monday that it has named Bill O'Neil, a trial attorney and securities litigation partner, as its new Chicago office managing partner.

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Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • 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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