California Pulse


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    Disclosing Political Spend Wins Surprising Investor Support

    While most shareholder activists are hitting a brick wall with environmental, social and governance measures at 2025 annual meetings, a proposal asking for increased transparency around corporate political spending has passed at five companies, surprising some experts.

  • Jason Femrite

    Procopio Names M&A Leader To Management Committee

    Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch LLP has tapped one of its longtime corporate partners in California to serve on the firm's management committee.

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    Asian E-Grocery Taps Ex-Skadden Atty As General Counsel

    An attorney with more than 20 years of experience as an in-house counsel for technology companies has recently joined grocery delivery platform Weee! to lead its law department.

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    The Firms That Won Big At The Supreme Court

    The number of law firms juggling three or more arguments before the U.S. Supreme Court this past term nearly doubled from the number of firms that could make that claim last term.

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    Breaking Down The Vote: The High Court Term In Review

    The U.S. Supreme Court once again waited until the term's closing weeks — and even hours — to issue some of its most anticipated and divided decisions.

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    Legal Sector Jobs Continue To Climb, Nearing All-Time High

    The U.S. legal industry added 2,800 jobs in June, marking four months in a row of job growth in the sector, according to preliminary data released Thursday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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    Sidley Adds DLA Piper Private Credit Expert In San Diego

    Sidley Austin LLP is growing its finance team, announcing Wednesday it is bringing in a DLA Piper specialist in private credit as a partner in its San Diego office.

  • Girardi Asks To Remain Free During Fraud Appeal

    Disbarred attorney Tom Girardi asked a California federal judge on Wednesday to remain free on bond while he appeals his wire fraud conviction, saying he's not a flight risk or danger to the community and there are several issues on appeal that could result in reversal or resentencing.

  • Trump Announces 1st And 9th Circ. Nominees

    President Donald Trump announced nominations for judges on the First and Ninth circuit courts on Wednesday evening.

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    Jay-Z Loses Defamation And Extortion Suit Against Buzbee

    A state court judge in California has granted Texas attorney Tony Buzbee's request to toss claims of defamation and extortion brought by Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter over sexual abuse allegations connected to Sean "Diddy" Combs, finding that the state's free speech statute requires dismissal.

  • SEC Says Ex-Calif. Atty, Execs Facilitated $112M Stock Fraud

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has filed suit against a disbarred California attorney and several CEOs of penny stock companies, claiming that they helped an outside party facilitate a $112 million pump-and-dump fraud scheme.

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    Legal Sector Sees Record Leases As Firms Eye Premium Digs

    Law firm office leasing is off to a red-hot start in 2025, signaling "a long-term commitment to high-quality real estate" in the legal sector even as other industries have reduced their office footprints due to technology and pandemic-driven disruptions, according to a new report.

  • Kevin W. Humphries & Alan E. Schabes

    Benesch Elects Partner Duo To Executive Committee

    Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP announced Tuesday that a pair of attorneys, including the co-chair of the firm's corporate practice, have been elected to three-year terms as members of the firm's nine-person executive committee.

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    Norton Rose Hires K&L Gates Real Estate Ace In LA

    Norton Rose Fulbright is building on its California footprint, announcing Wednesday it is bringing in a K&L Gates LLP real estate pro as a partner in its Los Angeles office.

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    A&O Shearman To Require US Attys To Work 4 Days In Office

    Allen Overy Shearman Sterling is the latest firm to increase its in-office requirement for U.S. lawyers from three days a week to four, effective Sept. 2.

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    Kaufman Dolowich Adds Another Litchfield Cavo Atty in Calif.

    Kaufman Dolowich continues growing its California team, announcing Tuesday it is bringing in a Litchfield Cavo LLP litigator as a partner in its office in Torrance, California, near Los Angeles, the third Litchfield Cavo attorney to join the firm in the past two months.

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    Weil Patent Pro Jumps To WilmerHale In Silicon Valley

    WilmerHale is expanding its intellectual property team, announcing Tuesday that it is bringing on a longtime Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP patent expert as a partner in its Silicon Valley office.

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    Solo Lawyers Are Surprisingly Happy, New Survey Says

    A new survey of about 300 solo attorneys by insurance company ALPS Malpractice Insurance concluded that sole practitioners are surprisingly happy with their professional lives, with many citing work-life balance as a key factor, the company said this week.

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    Law Firm Mergers Hit A Near-Record Low In First Half

    The number of law firm mergers and acquisitions involving at least one U.S.-based law firm announced in the first half of 2025 landed at 34, down 42% from last year's first half results and marking a near-decade low.

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    ArentFox Schiff Adds 2 FanDuel Sports In-House Counsel

    ArentFox Schiff LLP is growing its sports industry team, bringing in two in-house counsel from FanDuel Sports Network to its Los Angeles office, one as a partner, the other as an associate.

  • Nicole Howell

    Skadden Corporate Pro Jumps To Munger Tolles In LA

    Munger Tolles & Olson LLP is expanding its corporate team, announcing on Monday that it is bringing in a Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP mergers and acquisitions expert as of counsel in its Los Angeles office.

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    Dunn Isaacson Now In NY, Calif. With Latest Paul Weiss Hires

    Two more litigators from Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP who have represented top technology companies and other clients in court battles have joined Dunn Isaacson Rhee LLP.

  • Calif. Panel Chides Attys Who Hid Opponent's Inactive Status

    In a precedential ruling, a California appellate panel found a party whose counsel's license was made inactive should have been treated as though the attorney had died or been suspended, overturning a $70,000 fee award levied against a woman who was not informed that her lawyer was inactive.

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    Kahana & Feld Expands In Texas, Calif. With Firm Tie-Up

    Kahana & Feld LLP announced Monday that Tarle Law PC's team of lawyers and other professionals, including its leader, are joining the firm, increasing the firm's offerings in California and Texas.

  • Baker McKenzie

    M&A Tops Baker McKenzie's 59-Strong Partner Class For 2025

    Baker McKenzie announced that 59 attorneys will be promoted to partner by the start of July, with the number of internal hires decreasing from last year while lateral recruitment remained the same, at 48, over the past 12 months.

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Expert Analysis

  • How Law Firms Can Keep Nonequity Partners Happy Author Photo

    Law firms that successfully manage two-tiered partnership do so by creating a culture that treats everyone with respect and by establishing financial incentives outside their base compensation to reward performance, says Carol Morganstern at Major Lindsey.

  • Series

    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Leverage Your Atty Bio Author Photo

    If maintained properly, your firm bio can help attract potential clients and create authentic connections, so it's crucial to take steps to write an updated attorney profile that goes beyond a list of credentials, says Raychel Lean at Reputation Ink.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Can I Promote Thoughtful Use Of AI? Author Photo

    Eran Kahana at Maslon discusses how partners can encourage responsible use of artificial intelligence tools within their firms by learning to spot pitfalls common to AI-generated work product and championing firmwide procedures and trainings that address the risks of uncritically relying on this powerful but imperfect technology.

  • Making Legal Cents: Firm Culture Is The New Game Plan Author Photo

    Law firm culture is often dismissed as a soft factor — merely platitudes on a website that seem disconnected from the bottom line — but by intentionally embedding a strong culture into day-to-day operations, law firms can achieve sustainable success, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • 5 Questions Firms Must Ask For Successful Lateral Integration Author Photo

    To ensure that lateral partners effectively integrate their books of business, firms should design a structured transition plan based on a few fundamentals, from tracking the right data to implementing meaningful incentives, says Lana Manganiello at Practice Growth Partner.

  • Goldilocks Solution: Why The 4-Day Office Week Is Just Right Author Photo

    As law firms continue to wrestle with return-to-office policies, many are being pulled toward one or the other of two extremes: the rigidity of a five-day in-office schedule and the laissez-faire approach of a flexible three-day hybrid model — but a four-day in-office workweek may be the sweet spot, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • As Attys Adopt Generative AI, 3 Elements Should Be Cardinal Author Photo

    As the legal world increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence, lawyers and firms must develop and utilize strong prompting skills, keep a pulse on forthcoming tech evolutions, and remain steadfast to ethical obligations, say Michele Carney at Carney & Marchi and Marty Robles-Avila at BAL.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises Author Photo

    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Prioritize Connections Author Photo

    One reason business development in the legal industry seems so mysterious is because human relationships are so complex, but lawyers can reorient their thinking in two important ways to drive the process of connecting with new colleagues and contacts, say Jamie Lawless and Angela Quinn at Husch Blackwell.

  • Overcoming US Law Firms' Hesitancy To Enter Indian Market Author Photo

    Successful private equity exits with strong returns have solidified India's buyout market as an increasingly attractive destination for future investments, offering compelling reasons for the U.S. legal community to overcome its caution on the country's markets, says Vaishali Movva at Eimer Stahl.

  • Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Make A Plan For The Year Author Photo

    While firms are busy allocating resources and assessing client demand, individual attorneys should use the start of the year to slow down and create a personal business plan, which can be accomplished with a few steps, say Elizabeth Gooch, Teri Robshaw and Chris Newman at McDermott.

  • Series

    Talking Mental Health: Caring For Everyone As A Firm Leader Author Photo

    Reid Phillips at Brooks Pierce discusses how he manages the pressure of running a law firm, how sources of stress in the legal industry have changed over the past decade, and what firm leaders should do to help manage burnout and mental health issues among employees.

  • How Firms Can Use LinkedIn To Aid Marketing Efforts In 2025 Author Photo

    LinkedIn has several features law firms can use to showcase their capabilities and thought leadership to reach prospective and existing clients, including the Event and Live features, says Sofia Millar at Reputation Ink.

  • Talking Mental Health: Managing Emotions In Trauma Cases Author Photo

    Nikki Hurtado at The Ferraro Law Firm discusses what motivates her to represent victims of catastrophic injuries, how she copes with the emotional toll of such cases, and what other attorneys taking on similar cases can do to protect their mental well-being.

  • Strategies For Successful Law Firm Mergers In 2025 Author Photo

    Law firms are expected to continue consolidating in the year to come, and because these mergers require a different kind of playbook, firm leaders must carefully consider office culture nuances, professional services economics and talent retention strategy before any merger, say directors at FTI Consulting.

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