California Pulse


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    Mintz Lands IP Pro From Wilson Sonsini In San Francisco

    Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC. announced Tuesday that it has added a patent litigation attorney who was at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC for more than two decades to bolster its intellectual property division.

  • ABA Mulls Repeal Of Embattled Law School DEI Standards

    The American Bar Association's Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar has voted to move forward with a plan to repeal its diversity and inclusion standards for law schools, which have been suspended since last February amid the White House crackdown on DEI initiatives.

  • Brie, Franco Can't Duck Claims That 'Together' Is a 'Rip-Off'

    A California federal judge has refused to dismiss StudioFest's lawsuit alleging the horror film "Together," starring real-life spouses Alison Brie and Dave Franco, is a "blatant rip-off" of a screenplay the production company pitched to the couple's agents in 2020, saying the complaint plausibly alleges "substantial similarities" between the two works.

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    Stanford Law School Names Executive Director Of AI Initiative

    Stanford Law School announced Monday the appointment of a former artificial intelligence adviser to the California State Senate as executive director of the Stanford Law School AI Initiative, which seeks to advance interdisciplinary research, teaching and engagement with industry leaders and policymakers.

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    Greenberg Glusker Adds Land Use, Corporate Attys In LA

    Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger LLP announced Monday the firm is expanding its ranks with the addition of two new partners to its Los Angeles office: a land use whiz from Jeffer Mangels & Mitchell LLP and a transactional ace from Prospera Law LLP.

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    DAC Beachcroft Expands US Footprint With New Miami Office

    DAC Beachcroft LLP announced Monday that it is opening an office in Miami and has added new insurance coverage teams there and in Los Angeles.

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    Lathrop GPM Absorbs California Construction Boutique

    Lathrop GPM LLP announced Monday that the firm is adding five attorneys from a Northern California construction boutique, marking what the firm said was a substantial expansion of its construction practice group and continued growth in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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    Barnes & Thornburg Head On Firm's Nonmerger Growth Motto

    In an age of BigLaw megamergers, Barnes & Thornburg LLP has opted to expand strategically through steady, organic growth and lateral hiring rather than law firm combinations.

  • Class Attys Allege Lead Counsel Is Hoarding $75M Sutter Fees

    Schneider Wallace Cottrell Kim LLP has urged a California federal magistrate judge to enforce the $75.4 million fee award in Sutter Health's $228.5 million deal resolving a decade-long antitrust fight, arguing lead counsel Constantine Cannon LLP "unilaterally" and "arbitrarily" cut SWCK's fees by nearly $800,000 while boosting its own.

  • Social Media Cases Atty In Hot Water Over Courthouse Filming

    A Los Angeles judge on Friday ripped into an attorney for the plaintiff in a bellwether suit alleging Meta and Google's social media platforms harm childrens' mental health, stripping the attorney of his seat on the plaintiffs' steering committee for violating court rules by twice filming inside the courthouse.

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    FBT Gibbons Adds Trusts & Estates Litigator In SoCal

    Recently formed firm FBT Gibbons LLP is expanding its West Coast team, bringing in a trusts and estates litigator who previously ran his own firm as a partner in its Newport Beach, California, office.  

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Wigdor LLP and Elefterakis Elefterakis & Panek lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a New York federal judge denied the NFL's bid to force a class of National Football League coaches into arbitration.

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    'Scare Tactics Work' But Hope Persists For Legal Industry DEI

    The suspension of Diversity Lab's Mansfield Certification program is the latest indication that political threats against BigLaw are working, as the Trump administration targets DEI programs, observers say. Still, some supporters of legal industry diversity initiatives predict law firms will continue to pursue inclusive hiring practices — even if they don't talk about it publicly.

  • Investors Push Apple For Report On China 'Entanglements'

    An investor group is asking Apple Inc. to do an audit on the risks and costs associated with the company's involvement with China, which it calls an "existential risk" to the value of Apple's stock.

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    What's Costing Legal Marketing Officers Sleep

    Finding the best ways to implement artificial intelligence and maximizing employees' business development are some of the things keeping legal industry professionals up at night, according to a new report by public relations firm Greentarget.

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    Synopsys GC Earns Over $3M In First 6 Months On The Job

    Synopsys Inc.'s general counsel, who took on the role in July after the acquisition of Ansys Inc. was complete, earned just over $3.2 million in 2025, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proxy filing.

  • Former Calif. Judge Seeks To End Sex Assault Case

    A former California Superior Court judge facing five criminal counts alleging he sexually assaulted a court staffer and later lied to investigators in an attempt to cover up the encounter and another alleged assault is pushing for a full dismissal of charges.

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    HSF Kramer Wants To Show BigLaw Can Also Be AI-Native

    On the heels of its recent transatlantic merger, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP is one of the largest law firms seeking to become "AI-native," a term being used by several newly launched smaller law firms that promise to provide cheaper and faster legal services than traditional law firms.

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    Boies Schiller Partner Faces Possible Sanctions For AI Errors

    A Boies Schiller Flexner LLP partner must explain why he should not face monetary sanctions for filing a brief containing artificial intelligence-generated citation errors amid his representation of women who allege the Church of Scientology harassed them for reporting convicted actor Danny Masterson's sexual assaults.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    This was another busy week for the legal industry as law firms hired new talent and named new leaders across the country. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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    Foley & Lardner Brings On 4 IP, Corporate Attys In Calif.

    Foley & Lardner LLP is expanding its California team, announcing Thursday it is adding four partners with technology-related experience — two in San Diego, one in San Francisco and one in Silicon Valley.

  • Ex-LA Atty Faces Possible Suspension Over Billing Scandal

    A California Bar Court said that former Los Angeles chief deputy city attorney James Patrick Clark should be suspended from practicing law for at least two years due to his role in a high-profile customer billing scandal.

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    Ethics Guidance Lags Private Equity's Interest In Legal Field

    More lawyers are expected to seek guidance on the ethical issues surrounding the growing interest in using managed services organizations to allow private equity investment in law firms, but thus far any input on the model from state ethics committees is in short supply.

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    Barnes & Thornburg Adds 35 Ballard Spahr Attys, 3 Offices

    Barnes & Thornburg LLP announced Thursday that it has added all 35 public finance lawyers from Ballard Spahr LLP to its government services and finance department in multiple locations around the country, including three new markets in Baltimore, Denver and Phoenix.

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    Ballard Spahr Adds Litigator From Benesch In New SF Shop

    Ballard Spahr LLP's brand new San Francisco office is already growing, as another Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP litigator has joined the office as a partner.

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Expert Analysis

  • Why Writing CLE Should Be Mandatory For Lawyers Author Photo

    Though effective writing is foundational to law, no state requires attorneys to take continuing legal education in this skill — something that must change if today's attorneys are to have the communication abilities they need to fulfill their professional and ethical duties to their clients, colleagues and courts, says Diana Simon at the University of Arizona.

  • How To Find Your Inner Calm When Client Obligations Pile Up Author Photo

    In the most stressful times for attorneys, when several transactions for different partners and clients peak at the same time and the phone won’t stop buzzing, incremental lifestyle changes can truly make a difference, says Lindsey Hughes at Haynes Boone.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Support Gen Z Attorneys? Author Photo

    Meredith Beuchaw at Lowenstein Sandler discusses how senior attorneys can assist the newest generation of attorneys by championing their pursuit of a healthy work-life balance and providing the hands-on mentorship opportunities they missed out on during the pandemic.

  • Law Firm Cybersecurity Should Not Get Lost In The Cloud Author Photo

    A recent data leak at Proskauer via a cloud data storage platform demonstrates key reasons why law firms must pay attention to data safeguarding, including the increasing frequency of cloud-based data breaches and the consequences of breaking client confidentiality, says Robert Kraczek at One Identity.

  • Advice For Summer Associates Uneasy About Offer Prospects Author Photo

    There are a few communication tips that law students in summer associate programs should consider to put themselves in the best possible position to receive an offer, and firms can also take steps to support those to whom they are unable to make an offer, says Amy Mattock at Georgetown University Law Center.

  • How Law Firms Can Cautiously Wield AI To Streamline Tasks Author Photo

    Many attorneys are going to use artificial intelligence tools whether law firms like it or not, so firms should educate them on AI's benefits, limits and practical uses, such as drafting legal documents, to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving legal market, say Thomas Schultz and Eden Bernstein at Kellogg Hansen.

  • Keys To Managing The Stresses Of Law School Author Photo

    Dealing with the pressures associated with law school can prove difficult for many future lawyers, but there are steps students can take to manage stress — and schools can help too, say Ryan Zajic and Dr. Janani Krishnaswami at UWorld.

  • Can Mandatory CLE Mitigate Implicit Bias's Negative Impacts? Author Photo

    Amid ongoing disagreements on whether states should mandate implicit bias training as part of attorneys' continuing legal education requirements, Stephanie Wilson at Reed Smith looks at how unconscious attitudes or stereotypes adversely affect legal practice, and whether mandatory training programs can help.

  • Ditch The Frills And Start Writing Legal Letters In Plain English Author Photo

    To become more effective advocates, lawyers need to rethink the ridiculous, convoluted language they use in correspondence and write letters in a clear, concise and direct manner, says legal writing instructor Stuart Teicher.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Negotiate My Separation Agreement? Author Photo

    Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey discusses how a law firm associate can navigate being laid off, what to look for in a separation agreement and why to be upfront about it with prospective employers.

  • DoNotPay Cases Underscore Hurdles For AI-Fueled Legal Help Author Photo

    Recent legal challenges against DoNotPay’s "robot lawyer” application highlight pressing questions about the degree to which artificial intelligence can be used for legal tasks while remaining on the right side of both consumer protection laws and prohibitions against the unauthorized practice of law, says Kristen Niven at Frankfurt Kurnit.

  • For The Future Of Legal Practice, Let's Learn From The Past Author Photo

    At some level, every practicing lawyer is experiencing the ever-increasing speed of change — and while some practice management processes have gotten more efficient, other things about the legal profession were better before supposed improvements were made, says Jay Silberblatt, president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

  • Why All Law Firms Should Foster Psychological Capital Author Photo

    Law firms will be able to reap great long-term benefits if they adopt strategies to nurture four critical components of their employees' psychological wellness and performance — hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism, says Dennis Stolle at the American Psychological Association.

  • A GC's Guide To Litigation, Inspired By Sun Tzu's 'Art Of War' Author Photo

    With caseloads and spending increasing, in-house counsel might find themselves called to opine on the risks and benefits of litigation more often, and they should look at five Sun Tzu maxims from the ancient Chinese classic "The Art of War" to inform their approach to any suit, says Jeff Golimowski at Womble Bond.

  • Mentorship Is Key To Diversity In The Legal Industry Author Photo

    Not only can effective mentorship have a profound impact on women and people of color entering the legal field, but it also benefits mentors and the legal profession as a whole, creating a true win-win situation for all involved, says Natasha Cortes at Grossman Roth.

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