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California Pulse
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Nixon Peabody Names Entertainment And Sports Team Heads
Nixon Peabody LLP has appointed two new leaders for its growing entertainment and sports practice, to which it also added a pair of Los Angeles-based associates.
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Nossaman Adds Procopio Construction Trio In California
Nossaman LLP has deepened its infrastructure group by adding a pair of partners and an associate to its Orange County roster who joined from Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch LLP.
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Katten's Profits Per Equity Partner Climb To $3.32M
Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP has reached several key financial growth milestones in the less than two years since litigator and former federal prosecutor Gil Soffer became chair of the Chicago-headquartered firm, without jumping into the recent law firm merger frenzy.
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John Eastman Disbarred Over Bid To Overturn 2020 Election
California's highest court on Wednesday ordered the disbarment of California attorney John Charles Eastman, who a state bar court found had helped plan and promote President Donald Trump's strategy to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
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Consumer Cases Drive Class Action Spike, Report Says
Federal class action filings spiked in 2025 after nearly a decade of relative stability, fueled by a surge in consumer protection lawsuits tied to data breaches, digital commerce and online accessibility claims, according to a new report from Lex Machina.
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Ex-DOJ Antitrust Atty On Google Case Joins Wilson Sonsini
A lead attorney on the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division's monopolization cases against Google LLC who left the agency last week joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday as a partner.
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Sotomayor Apologizes For 'Hurtful' Comments About Kavanaugh
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor publicly apologized Wednesday for comments she made at a University of Kansas appearance earlier this month criticizing Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
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DOJ Atty Slapped With $250 Sanction For Missed Deadlines
A California federal judge hit a U.S. Department of Justice attorney with a $250 sanction for repeatedly missing deadlines in a noncitizen's habeas corpus case, rejecting his assertions that his need to juggle tasks under a 300-plus caseload should excuse him.
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Aviation Co. Hermeus Taps Veteran Aerospace Atty As GC
Hermeus, a venture-backed defense aviation company that recently moved its headquarters to Los Angeles from Atlanta, has tapped a former Relativity Space attorney to serve as its new general counsel and executive leadership team member.
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U.S. Legal Support Acquires Calif. Court Reporting Firm
Court reporting and litigation support services provider U.S. Legal Support announced Wednesday that it has struck a deal to purchase Northern California-based court reporting firm American Reporting Services, calling the acquisition a reflection of "continued consolidation within the litigation support industry."
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'That's The Price': Meet The Legal 'Czar' Billing $6,000 An Hour
Want this California lawyer to work with you? Be prepared to pay up — his services cost $3,000 per hour for litigation and $6,000 per hour for compliance work, one of the highest rates of any lawyer in the United States. He spoke with Law360 Pulse about the niche market he occupies, why he charges so much, and why he calls himself “The Czar.”
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Willkie Adds O'Melveny Litigator To Los Angeles Office
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP expanded its Los Angeles office with the recent addition of a litigator who moved her practice after nearly 15 years with O'Melveny & Myers LLP.
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Higher Partner Rate Hikes Are The New Normal For GCs
The largest law firms continued to get the bulk of the work in 2025 despite having the most expensive rates, while mid-tier firms are grabbing a bigger piece of the action, according to a new report by LexisNexis CounselLink.
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Legal AI Giant Legora Opens San Francisco, Toronto Offices
Sweden-based Legora, which offers a legal artificial intelligence platform, further expanded its North American footprint, announcing Wednesday the opening of a San Francisco and Toronto office.
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Mattel Legal Chief's Compensation Dipped To $2.8M Last Year
The legal leader for toymaker Mattel Inc. took a $540,000 hit in non-equity incentive pay, lowering his total compensation in 2025 to $2.8 million, according to a securities filing.
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Pot Co. CFO Says Attys Must Be DQ'd In Embezzling Suit
The former CFO of four related cannabis companies, who is accused of embezzling from those companies, is urging a California state court to disqualify the plaintiffs' attorneys, saying there is a conflict of interest between the company plaintiffs and the individual plaintiffs.
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MoFo Brings On Former Federal Prosecutor In San Francisco
Morrison Foerster LLP announced Wednesday that it has expanded its investigations and white collar defense group with a partner in San Francisco who has served as an assistant U.S. attorney and as a deputy attorney general with the California Attorney General's Office.
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How Nextdoor's CLO Rose From Neighbor To Top Lawyer
It turns out that Sophia Contreras Schwartz lives just a quarter-mile away from John Orta, who in summer 2018 was preparing to start as the first lawyer at the location-based social network that connects neighbors and fosters community interaction. Here, Contreras Schwartz shared with Law360 Pulse how her path to becoming chief legal officer was "very Nextdoor."
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Hogan, Cadwalader Partners Vote To Forge Ahead With Merger
Hogan Lovells and Cadwalader said Wednesday that their partners have voted in favor of their merger ahead of the scheduled launch of the combined law firm on July 1.
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Calif. Federal Judges Weigh Audio Access For Civil Jury Trials
California Northern District federal judges are seeking public comment on modifying local court rules to allow jurists to audio stream civil jury trials in the district, which regularly presides over high-stakes courtroom fights involving tech giants such as Google, Meta, OpenAI and Apple.
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Apple Users Slam 'Distorted' Antitrust Depo Sanctions Bid
Phone users who accuse Google of suppressing rival search engines with anticompetitive deals slammed Apple's bid for sanctions over their counsel's allegedly "unrelenting and increasingly egregious" subpoena efforts, telling a California federal judge that the tech company's motion is based on a "distorted account of the discovery record."
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Mayer Brown Focuses On Increasing AI Adoption In 2026
Mayer Brown LLP is focused on increasing artificial intelligence adoption among its attorneys and staff this year and has launched an AI literacy program to help achieve that goal.
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Willkie Latest Firm Certified Under International AI Standards
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP announced Tuesday that it has achieved certification for its artificial intelligence management system under standards established by two Switzerland-based international bodies.
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Constangy Appoints 5 New Members To Executive Committee
Constangy Brooks Smith & Prophete LLP has appointed five new members to its executive committee as its former members wrapped up their terms.
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Calif. Bar Touts Crackdown On Alleged Atty AI Misuse
The State Bar of California has suspended one attorney and is pursuing disciplinary charges against two others over allegations they filed documents that included nonexistent citations, sharing the news in an announcement highlighting the need for thorough citation checks amid the adoption of new technology.
Expert Analysis
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Ask A Mentor: How Can I Handle Unproductive Feedback?
Maggie Potter at Segal McCambridge offers advice for associates who receive unproductive criticism from superiors and tips for gently pushing back with an eye to growth and efficiency.
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How To Prep As Private Equity Starts Investing In Law Firms
Law firms eyeing legal services organization models, which allow outside capital to support nonlegal business functions while preserving lawyer ownership, can prepare for the expansion of private equity investment in the area by balancing commercial objectives and compliance imperatives, say attorneys at Rivkin Radler.
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What Legal Leaders Can Learn From Marine Corps Principles
The small-unit leadership principles that are foundational to the U.S. Marine Corps experience — from tight feedback loops to top-down tactfulness — offer a blueprint for addressing leadership gaps that persist in the legal profession, says Edet Nsemo at Tucker Ellis.
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Venture Capital Practices Can Improve Law Firm Lateral Hiring
As law firms pursue increasingly ambitious growth goals in a competitive market for talent, they should consider supplementing traditional lateral hiring due diligence with practices inspired by the venture capitalist framework, says Henry O’Connor at Jones Walker.
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5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2026
After a pivotal year for the legal industry, lawyers and their clients face an evolving litigation finance landscape in 2026 that will be shaped by developments ranging from new policies governing patent lawsuits to the reemergence of appellate monetization funding, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.
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Series
Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Think Like A Waiter
To convert casually interested restaurant patrons into satisfied, repeat customers, a good waiter relies on four service-oriented habits that proactive attorneys can borrow to cultivate lasting client relationships, say attorneys at Maynard Nexsen.
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6 Strategies To Set Up New CCOs For Success
As demand for chief compliance officers rises among a growing range of complex issues, organizations looking to hire and retain top-notch CCOs can adopt a series of strategies including defining success metrics and allowing the CCO to build a team, says Cara Bain at Major Lindsey.
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Making Legal Cents: How Firms Can Navigate 2026 Trends
From the adoption of artificial intelligence infrastructure to increasing client attrition, a number of trends will likely define the legal industry in 2026, and law firms will need to strategically lean into these shifts to gain a competitive advantage, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
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Series
Notes From A Partner-In-Charge On Integrating Lateral Talent
When done thoughtfully through three strategies, bringing laterals into the fold can propel growth and create significant business opportunities that enhance the law firm's cultural fabric, says James Sullivan, leader of Alston & Bird's New York office.
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The Augmented Lawyer: Drafting As AI Alters Admin Of Law
As generative artificial intelligence tools become embedded in mainstream legal practice, they are reshaping the administration of law itself, from how experts document and validate their work to how joint defense teams operate, demanding a new level of contractual clarity and operational discipline, says Karineh Khachatourian at KXT Law.
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How Attorneys Can Plan Now For Biz Dev Success In 2026
As the year winds down and the pace of work slows, attorneys should reflect on what did and didn’t work to generate business in 2025, and start mapping out their 2026 business development plan now to set themselves up for success, says Ezra Crawford at Crowell.
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How Firms Can Retain Rainmakers, Now And All Year Long
Though firm leaders feel the most urgency about retaining rainmakers now, during compensation season, effective retention strategies are preemptive and year-round efforts anchored in meaningful support, tactical execution and credible follow-through, says Tom Orewyler at TO Comms.
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What GCs Value Most: 7 Ways To Earn Clients' Trust
Trust is the foundation of any great client relationship, but it isn’t built overnight or maintained passively — rather, counsel must consistently show up in small but important ways to become the trusted partner clients rely on when judgment matters most, says Andrew Dick at The L Suite.
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Series
Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Make An Onboarding Plan
The investment required for a personalized client onboarding plan is minimal, but the return on investment — measured in client satisfaction, relationship strength and longevity, client referrals, and other business development opportunities — can be extraordinary, says John Reed at Rain BDM.
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Law Firm Content Strategies To Stay Competitive In 2026
A number of trends will continue to reshape how people search, consume and trust information next year, and law firms will need to adopt forward-thinking content strategies — from generative engine optimization to interactive legal tools — to stand out, says Elizabeth Lampert at Elizabeth Lampert PR and Nancy Myrland at Myrland Marketing and Social Media.