California Pulse


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    More K&L Gates Attys Jump To Arnold & Porter In LA, Seattle

    Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP continues to grow its West Coast team, announcing Wednesday two more longtime K&L Gates LLP attorneys have joined as partners — a labor and employment expert in Seattle and a business litigation pro in Los Angeles.

  • Girardi Co-Attys Can't Revive Elder Abuse, Fiduciary Claims

    A California state appeals court has found that claims of financial elder abuse and aiding and abetting a breach of fiduciary duty brought by two of Tom Girardi's co-counsel against his son-in-law were correctly dismissed, as was an aiding and abetting claim against a company run by Girardi's estranged wife.

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    Legal Rates Surge Moderates, But Pressure Remains High

    As legal departments face mounting pressure to manage costs, increases in hourly billing rates from law firms appear to be moderating, with the first few months of 2025 presenting a snapshot of this reality, according to a recent report from Wolters Kluwer's ELM Solutions.

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    The Top In-House Hires Of August

    Legal department hires in the last month included high-profile appointments at the Association of Corporate Counsel, GE Vernova, and a California legal legend joining an AI startup named Anthropic. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at some of the top in-house announcements from the past few weeks.

  • California Powerhouse: Cooley

    Cooley LLP's California-based partners have helped major tech clients like Google, Meta and OpenAI score major privacy and IP litigation wins over the past year, while guiding Harvey AI and other companies in nine-figure offerings and big-ticket transactions, earning the firm a spot on Law360's annual list of Regional Powerhouses.

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    2 Attorneys Return To Weil From Latham, Norton Rose

    Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP announced Tuesday that it has continued its boomerang hiring streak with the addition of two partners who began their legal careers at the firm, including another intellectual property lawyer from Latham & Watkins LLP.

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    Pierson Ferdinand Adds 8 Partners Across 6 Markets

    Fast-growing Pierson Ferdinand LLP announced Tuesday that it has added eight partners across five U.S. markets and in London, enhancing the firm's capabilities in litigation, employment and corporate law.

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    The 2025 Regional Powerhouses

    Law360's annual list of regional powerhouses reflects not only the work of exemplary firms, but also emerging legal trends in each state, from matters involving Colorado's growing life sciences industry, to an uptick in bankruptcies in Delaware, to the continued flurry of intellectual property litigation in California.

  • LA's Acting US Atty Essayli Faces DQ Bid Over Expired Term

    The Federal Public Defender's Office in Los Angeles urged a California federal court Friday to disqualify acting U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli, arguing that his temporary 120-day appointment has expired and his continuing service in the role "circumvented limitations" imposed by Congress.

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    Calif. Commission Admonishes Judge Over Remarks In Court

    A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge was publicly admonished by the California Commission on Judicial Performance after he was found to have made a number of inappropriate remarks from the bench including threatening to "shoot" attorneys and another judge.

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Sullivan & Cromwell LLP leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Fifth Circuit vacated a pair of Biden-era regulations aimed at bolstering transparency in the short-selling market.

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    Thompson Coe Elevates 18 To Partner Across Six Offices

    Thompson Coe Cousins & Irons LLP has elected 18 new partners from rosters in six offices in Texas, Colorado and Louisiana, the largest partner class in the firm's history.

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    Judges Split On Moving Marshals Into Judiciary

    Federal judges disagree about the necessity of a proposal to move the U.S. Marshals Service out from under executive branch control over fears that President Donald Trump may order marshals to stop protecting federal judges who rule against him or not to enforce those judges' orders.

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    Scores On July Bar Exam Rise Amid Dip In Test Takers

    The number of examinees passing the multistate bar exam in July continued to gain momentum, with near record highs seen this summer over the past 12 years, according to an announcement from the National Conference of Bar Examiners.

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    Law360 Names Attys Who Moved Up The Firm Ranks In Q2

    A promotion to partner or election to practice group chair means a slew of new responsibilities and also lots of well-deserved recognition. Law360 reveals the list of attorneys whose commitment to legal excellence earned them highly coveted spots in the law firm leadership ranks. Find out if your old legal friends — or rivals — moved up in the second quarter of the year.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    BigLaw firms announced a slew of new hires this week as the legal industry sees August recede in the rearview mirror. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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    Retired San Mateo County Judge Joins Signature Resolution

    Alternative dispute resolution service Signature Resolution is bringing in a recently retired San Mateo County judge to join its panel of neutrals.

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    Snapshot: Ex-Prindle Goetz Attys Say Firm Had No Contract

    A dispute over the departure of two former Prindle Goetz Barnes & Reinholtz LLP nonequity partners playing out in California state court is putting a spotlight on the validity of partner contracts when a law firm reorganizes and changes its name.

  • Jeffer Mangels Moves To New Offices In San Francisco

    The San Francisco office of Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP has moved to a new location in the city's Financial District.

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    In Their Words: Will AI Kill The Billable Hour?

    The rising use of generative artificial intelligence tools that allow attorneys to get work done faster is creating tension with the traditional model of billable hours. Here, six legal leaders give their take on whether AI will eliminate the billable hour.

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    MoFo Hires Chief Information Officer From Boston Consulting

    Morrison Foerster LLP has hired a longtime Boston Consulting Group executive, who the firm said in a Thursday announcement will implement its digital and artificial intelligence strategies and will be responsible for its digital transformation initiatives.

  • Tucker Ellis Names 2 Cleveland Attorneys As Practice Leaders

    Tucker Ellis LLP announced Thursday that a pair of experienced Cleveland-based attorneys have been named the firm's newest practice leaders.

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    Law Firm Real Estate Report

    Several law firms in the Mid-Atlantic region experienced a busy month of office moves in August, with New Jersey in particular seeing a number of relocations.

  • Clark Hill Adds Tafapolsky & Smith Immigration Team In SF

    Clark Hill PLC is growing its immigration team, bringing in three Tafapolsky & Smith LLP immigration attorneys in its San Francisco office — two as members, one as a senior attorney — and adding a completely new immigration practice area in the process.

  • IP Atty Beats Temu's Claims He Lied To Bag Settlements

    A Massachusetts federal judge has dismissed Chinese e-commerce platform Temu's lawsuit accusing a California intellectual property attorney of lying to secure settlements for his clients, but the judge refused Wednesday to sanction Temu and its counsel at WilmerHale and Keker Van Nest & Peters LLP for filing a frivolous suit.

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Expert Analysis

  • 5 Emerging Themes Shaping Lateral Partner Moves This Year Author Photo

    A few key trends have arisen in partners’ lateral movements in the first half of 2025, reflecting a legal market defined by macroeconomic uncertainty, shifts in firm structures and rising scrutiny of firm affiliations, say legal recruiters at Macrae.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Be A Mentor Or Mentee Author Photo

    Mentorship is a powerful tool for business development when both mentors and mentees approach their relationships with strategic purpose, ensuring professional success while supporting broader business goals, say Angela Liu at Dechert and Jessica Lewis at WilmerHale.

  • 4 Biz Dev Steps For Attys Who Don't Know What They Want Author Photo

    Junior attorneys are increasingly expected to start building books of business while they are still figuring out their long-term career goals, but a few pointers can help young lawyers develop business even when they’re uncertain about their future direction, says Lana Manganiello at Practice Growth Partner.

  • Protecting Client Funds From Cyberattacks Author Photo

    As cyberattacks on law firms continue to escalate, bar associations, law firms and individual lawyers must all take steps to protect client funds in attorney trust accounts — from imposing cyber hygiene mandates to reimagining malpractice coverage — because once that money is gone, it’s generally gone for good, says Michael Epstein at The Epstein Law Firm.

  • Making Legal Cents: For Billing, Think Value, Not Time Author Photo

    Pricing strategy is one of the most consistently discussed but underleveraged tools in a firm's arsenal, and rather than keeping hourly billing because it's easy, firms should consider their differentiators when structuring more effective fee models, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants.

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    Achieving Organic Growth For A Legal Nonprofit Author Photo

    We started Law Rocks to promote music education for underprivileged youth and raise funds for local nonprofits, and our 15-year journey has shown that enthusiasm, persistence and a great network can lead to a surprising amount of organic growth, say Nick Child and Ted Scott at Secretariat.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Engage With The Media Author Photo

    Business development is all about awareness — and by taking existing skills and adapting them to build media relationships and thereby address today's audiences, lawyers can expand their outreach and use thought leadership to build a more complete, compelling personal brand, says Michael Goodwin at Stanton PR.

  • What GCs Value Most: 7 Habits Of Great Relationship Partners Author Photo

    When seeking outside legal advisers, general counsel want commercially savvy lawyers who cultivate relationships of trust with their in-house counterparts, back up the GC's authority and focus on actionable advice instead of abstract legal analysis, say Andrew Dick at The L Suite and Rob Morvillo at Olo.

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    Generating Confidence In A Legal Nonprofit Author Photo

    I started LawWithoutWalls to change the way legal professionals see and think about their world, and it taught me the importance of giving people a reason to believe in your nonprofit mission, as well as how to achieve work-life integration, says Michele DeStefano at the University of Miami.

  • Nonequity Partner Frustrations Reflect Erosion Of Opportunity Author Photo

    Nonequity partners report the lowest satisfaction, highest stress and poorest financial outlook of any group of lawyers, highlighting a growing structural disconnect that leaves attorneys at many firms feeling like the ladder has been pulled up behind those who already ascended, says Jake Carroll at Nelson Mullins.

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    Building Brand Awareness For A Legal Nonprofit Author Photo

    I co-founded the Bridging the Gap Scholarship as a way to increase minority representation in BigLaw, and my advice for other legal professionals starting a nonprofit is to focus on building brand awareness early on, and to get comfortable delegating work to a dedicated team, says Imani Maatuka at Sidley.

  • Learn Your Colleagues To Cross-Sell Their Services Fearlessly Author Photo

    Understanding where colleagues in other practice areas shine can help attorneys confidently cross-sell each other's services and bring in business to keep the firm afloat in hard times, says Joe Calve at Calve Communications.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Advertise Ethically Author Photo

    Business development in the legal industry is about building authentic connections and showcasing expertise in a way that reflects reality, and, when done right, it can elevate a practice, establish credibility and bring in clients without risking an ethics violation, says Melody Jackson at Robinhood.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Do I Help After Mental Health Leave? Author Photo

    Molly Ranns at the State Bar of Michigan suggests five ways to smooth a colleague's return to practice after short-term mental health leave, while creating a firm culture that protects employees’ emotional health.

  • Tips For Attracting Stellar CLOs In A Competitive Landscape Author Photo

    Amid a rapidly changing regulatory environment and a fierce market for talent, companies hoping to attract the best chief legal officers must have a strong grasp of their roles’ biggest selling points, and any roadblocks that may prevent them from recruiting the strongest choice, says Heather Fine at Major Lindsey.

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