California Pulse


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    Thompson Hine Partner Wants To Help You Find True Love

    Heidi B. Friedman, co-chair of Thompson Hine LLP’s environmental, social and governance collaborative, has a side gig playing Cupid. She talked to Law360 Pulse about her new book, "Love Lessons: 104 Dates and the Stories that Led Me to True Love."

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    NY Leads Lateral Associate Pay Growth, Up $100K In 5 Years

    Competition for lateral associates in top U.S. legal markets, including New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., has soared over the past five years, as law firms compete fiercely for top talent, according to a recent report from global legal recruitment firm Major Lindsey & Africa.

  • SoCal Judge Admonished For 'Demeaning' Female Lawyers

    A Southern California judge was publicly reprimanded by the state's judicial discipline agency Thursday for a yearslong "pattern of discourteous, undignified and impatient behavior" toward female attorneys, including the use of profanities and inappropriate gestures meant to convey the act of pumping breast milk. 

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    Willkie Expands Litigation Bench With Mayer Brown Trio

    Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has brought on three former Mayer Brown LLP partners in California and Washington, D.C., including two former federal prosecutors, and named one of the new partners as chair of its Foreign Corrupt Practices Act group, the firm announced Thursday.

  • In-House Legal AI Co. Eudia Raises Up To $105M In Series A

    Eudia, an artificial intelligence platform for in-house legal teams, officially launched on Thursday after 18 months operating in stealth and announced the raising of up to $105 million in a Series A funding round.

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    84% Of Legal Teams Surveyed Plan To Use AI Within 2 Years

    The adoption of artificial intelligence in corporate law departments has nearly doubled since 2023, with 84% of legal teams surveyed planning to use it in the next two years, according to a new report released Wednesday.

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    HPE's Legal Chief Saw Comp Rise To $9.4M In 2024

    The chief operating and legal officer of Hewlett Packard Enterprise Co. saw his compensation rise to $9.4 million in 2024, an increase of more than $300,000 from the previous year, according to documents recently filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

  • Ex-Angels Staffer Says Attys Botched Skaggs Overdose Case

    A former Los Angeles Angels press officer asked a Texas federal judge to undo the 22-year prison sentence he's currently serving after being convicted of giving pitcher Tyler Skaggs fentanyl-laced pills that caused his fatal overdose in 2019.

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    More US Attorneys Out In Three States

    U.S. Attorney Dena J. King of the Western District of North Carolina announced that she is stepping down from her role as the district's top prosecutor, joining her counterparts in California's Southern District and the District of Maryland in the recent parade of U.S. attorneys to leave their posts since President Donald Trump retook the White House.

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    How Lambda Legal GC Is Trying To Stem Anti-DEI 'Hatred'

    Jennifer Pizer, general counsel of the LGBTQ+ rights advocacy group Lambda Legal, went from handling intellectual property cases in private practice in California to leading a national legal team fighting for civil rights amid today's heated anti-diversity backlash.

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    Kirkland Outpaces BigLaw Rivals In Law Grad Hiring

    Kirkland & Ellis LLP has hired the most Class of 2023 law graduates among the top 50 law firms, bringing on 411 new attorneys, almost as many as the second and third-ranking firms combined, according to an analysis released Wednesday by legal data company Firm Prospects LLC.

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    Skarzynski Marick Adds Duane Morris Bankruptcy Team in LA

    Insurance coverage litigation boutique Skarzynski Marick & Black LLP is expanding its services, announcing Wednesday it is bringing over a team of Duane Morris LLP bankruptcy experts in its Los Angeles office.

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    Willkie Partner To Lead Weath.Com's Private Wealth Team

    Wealth.com, an estate planning tool that allows users to create optimized legal documents, has expanded its legal team with the addition of a former Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP partner.

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    A&O Shearman Ups IVF, Adoption Benefits For US Employees

    A&O Shearman has increased the benefits it offers U.S.-based personnel, with unlimited in vitro fertilization treatment and $40,000 in adoption or surrogacy services, the firm said.

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    Munger Tolles Coaxes Corporate Pro Out Of Retirement

    Munger Tolles & Olson LLP announced Wednesday that it has added a mergers and acquisitions specialist with 30 years of experience to its roster at its Los Angeles headquarters, in a role that will have him spearheading the expansion of the firm's corporate practice to meet clients' growing needs.

  • California Judge Chided For Entering Other Jurists' Chambers

    A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has been publicly admonished for entering other jurists' chambers after hours and without permission to access confidential files and computers, in what the state's Commission on Judicial Performance called a "serious breach of the expected trust shared among judicial colleagues."

  • Orion Telescope Partly Revives $4M Fraudulent Transfer Suit

    A California appellate court on Monday partially revived Orion Telescope's suit accusing rival Celestron Acquisition of orchestrating a fraudulent $4.2 million transfer to help another company avoid paying a judgment owed to Orion, ruling that Orion indeed adequately alleged conspiracy or aiding and abetting a fraudulent transfer.

  • Rodney King's Former Atty Gets Prison For $7M Tax Evasion

    A Los Angeles criminal defense and civil rights attorney who once represented Rodney King was sentenced by a California federal court Tuesday to 1½ years in prison for evading $7.2 million worth of taxes on income from his law practice.

  • What Judges Want You To Know: Litigate Smarter

    Federal judges regularly sit on panels at conferences and similar events, sharing their best practices and most valuable pieces of advice with patent lawyers and others in the room. In the second installment of a two-part series, Law360 has pulled together advice from over the last few years that remains as relevant as ever.

  • Eaton Fire Victim Wants Sanctions Against SoCal Edison

    A victim of the recent devastating Eaton Fire in Altadena has told a California state judge that Southern California Edison and its attorneys should face sanctions for allegedly concealing efforts to reenergize electrical transmission lines while the blaze was still burning last month.

  • Insurer May Need To Pay Landlord Row Atty Fees, Panel Says

    A California state appeals court found in a partial reversal that an insurer may not be owed more than $300,000 in disputed attorney fees following a $925,000 settlement it contributed to on behalf of a landlord it insured over a tenant dispute.

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    Beyond Averages: The Under- And Over-Performance Of Firms

    Each quarter, Law360 Pulse reports on U.S. law firms' financial results from Wells Fargo and Citibank, often highlighting industry averages. But I wanted to dive deeper into the 2024 year-end results that just came out to dissect the highs and lows of law firm performance last year.

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    How Sushi Dinner Led Calif. Land Use Firms To Join Forces

    Law360 Pulse caught up with Amrit Kulkarni and Margaret Sohagi to discuss how a conversation that began over sushi ultimately led to the merger of their respective firms in Los Angeles.

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    Bowman And Brooke Names New Firm Chair

    Bowman and Brooke LLP announced a number of changes in firm leadership Tuesday, led by the appointment of a new chair alongside election of a new vice chair.

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    Baker Botts Lands DLA Piper Atty To Head Litigation In SF

    Baker Botts LLP has brought on a former federal prosecutor, most recently with DLA Piper, to serve as chair of litigation for the firm's San Francisco office.

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Expert Analysis

  • How Your Law Firm's Brand Can Convey Prestige Author Photo

    In order to be perceived as prestigious by clients and potential recruits, law firms should take their branding efforts beyond designing visual identities and address six key imperatives to differentiate themselves — from identifying intangible core strengths to delivering on promises at every interaction, says Howard Breindel at DeSantis Breindel.

  • How Dynamic Project Management Can Help Law Firms Author Photo

    Law firms looking to streamline matter management should consider tools that offer both employees and clients real-time access to documents, action items, task assignee information and more, overcoming many of the limitations of project communications via email, says Stephen Weyer at Stites & Harbison.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Successfully Switch Practices? Author Photo

    Associates who pivot into new practice areas may find that along with the excitement of a fresh start comes some apprehension, but certain proactive steps can help tame anxiety and ensure attorneys successfully adapt to unfamiliar subjects, novel internal processes and different client deliverables, say Susan Berson and Hassan Shaikh at Mintz.

  • A Road Map For Creating Law Firm Sustainability Programs Author Photo

    Amid demands from clients and prospective hires for greater sustainability efforts, law firms should think beyond reusable mugs and create programs that incorporate clear leadership structures, emission tracking and reduction goals, and frameworks for reporting results, says Gayatri Joshi at the Law Firm Sustainability Network.

  • Why Firms Should Help Associates Do More Pro Bono Work Author Photo

    Associates may hesitate to take on the added commitment of pro bono matters, but such work has tangible skill-building benefits, so firms should consider compensation and leadership strategies to encourage participation, says Rasmeet Chahil at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Confronting The Stigma Of Alcohol Abuse In Legal Industry Author Photo

    The pandemic has likely exacerbated the prevalence of problem drinking in the legal profession, making it critical for lawyers and educators to address alcohol abuse and the associated stigma through issue-specific education, supportive assistance and alcohol-free professional events, says Erica Grigg at the Texas Lawyers' Assistance Program.

  • Opinion

    Lawyers Have Duty To Push For Immigration Court Reform Author Photo

    Attorneys must use their collective voice to urge federal lawmakers to create an Article I immigration court outside executive branch control, helping address the conflicts of interest, political influence and lack of adjudication consistency that prevent migrants from achieving true justice, say Elia Diaz-Yaeger and Carlos Bollar at the Hispanic National Bar Association.

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    ​​​​​​​Ask A Mentor: How Can 1st-Year Attys Manage Remote Work? Author Photo

    First-year associates can have a hard time building relationships with colleagues, setting boundaries and prioritizing work-life balance in a remote work environment, so they must be sure to lean on their firms' support systems and practice good time management, say Jenny Lee and Christopher Fernandez at Kirkland.

  • 5 Ways To Lead Lawyer Teams Toward Better Mental Health Author Photo

    Attorney team leaders have a duty to attend to the mental well-being of their subordinates with intention, thought and candor — starting with ensuring their own mental health is in order, says Liam Montgomery at Williams & Connolly.

  • How Your Summer Associate Events Can Convey Inclusivity Author Photo

    As law firms begin planning next year's summer associate events, they should carefully examine how choice of venue, activity, theme, attendees and formality can create feelings of exclusion for minority associates, and consider changing the status quo to create multiculturally inclusive events, says Sharon Jones at Jones Diversity.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Do I Negotiate Long-Term Flex Work? Author Photo

    Though the pandemic has shown the value of remote work, many firms are still reluctant to embrace flexible working arrangements when offices reopen, so attorneys should use several negotiating tactics to secure a long-term remote or hybrid work setup that also protects their potential for career advancement, says Elaine Spector at Harrity & Harrity.

  • What I Wish Law Schools Taught Women About Legal Careers Author Photo

    Instead of spending an entire semester on 19th century hunting rights, I wish law schools would facilitate honest discussions about what it’s like to navigate life as an attorney, woman and mother, and offer lessons on business marketing that transcend golf outings and social mixers, says Daphne Delvaux at Gruenberg Law.

  • 4 Ways To Break Down Barriers For Women Of Color In Law Author Photo

    Female lawyers belonging to minority groups continue to be paid less and promoted less than their male counterparts, so law firms and corporate legal departments must stop treating women as a monolithic group and create initiatives that address the unique barriers women of color face, say Daphne Turpin Forbes at Microsoft and Linda Chanow at the Institute for Inclusion in the Legal Profession.

  • Opinion

    We Need More Professional Diversity In The Federal Judiciary Author Photo

    With the current overrepresentation of former corporate lawyers on the federal bench, the Biden administration must prioritize professional diversity in judicial nominations and consider lawyers who have represented workers, consumers and patients, says Navan Ward, president of the American Association for Justice.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Do I Retire Without Creating Chaos? Author Photo

    Retired attorney Vernon Winters explains how lawyers can thoughtfully transition into retirement while protecting their firms’ interests and allaying clients' fears, with varying approaches that turn on the nature of one's practice, client relationships and law firm management.

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