California Pulse


  • Jay-Z Can't Undo Buzbee's Win In Rapper's Defamation Suit

    A California state appeals court has refused to revive claims that Texas attorney Tony Buzbee defamed and extorted music superstar Jay-Z by roping him into a sexual abuse suit against Sean "Diddy" Combs, saying the case was properly thrown out under California's free speech statute.

  • Ex-Immigration Judge Sues For Retaliatory Termination

    A former immigration judge in California has sued Attorney General Todd Blanche, claiming she was fired after raising concerns about a spring 2025 directive ordering her and her colleagues to grant every motion to change venue filed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement trial attorneys.

  • DOJ Urges High Court To Revisit 9th Circ.'s Bar Of Nev. US Atty

    The Justice Department has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to revisit a recent Ninth Circuit ruling disqualifying the Trump administration's top federal prosecutor in Nevada, calling it a decision that imposes "ongoing confusion" in the executive branch.

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    Legal Network TerraLex Names Norton Rose Exec As CEO

    Florida-based legal network TerraLex has tapped a former executive at Norton Rose Fulbright to serve as the company's CEO.

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    Reed Smith Continues Private Capital Growth With Two Hires

    Reed Smith LLP announced two new hires to its private capital team on Wednesday as the firm continues rapidly expanding the platform.

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    Akerman Brings On Troutman Debt Finance Pro In LA

    Akerman LLP announced Thursday it has added an experienced debt finance attorney from Troutman Pepper Locke LLP to its corporate practice group in Los Angeles.

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    ABA Study Shows 20% Of Attys Under Severe Mental Distress

    About one-fifth of attorneys across the country meet moderate-to-extremely severe symptom thresholds for depression, anxiety and stress, according to the largest-ever study of mental health and well-being in the legal profession.

  • The 2026 Women In Law Report: Explore The Data

    Law360 Pulse’s Women in Law Report looks at the representation of women in the ranks at U.S. law firms — from new associates to seasoned equity partners. Explore the data to see a detailed look at the numbers and how they shift at every rung of the ladder.

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    How Women Lead Today's BigLaw

    More women are leading major law firms, but the job they are stepping into looks increasingly different from the one that existed when many began their careers.

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    The 2026 Women In Law Report: By The Numbers

    Women enter law firms in numbers rivaling men, but reaching the top of the law firm hierarchy is another matter. Here’s our data dive into the representation of women at U.S. law firms.

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    How Gen Z Women Are Redefining Success In Legal Careers

    After watching previous generations pour themselves into work no matter the cost, Gen Z women attorneys emphasize flexibility and work-life balance in career planning more than their predecessors, according to several Gen Z women attorneys and legal industry experts who spoke with Law360.

  • DOJ Says Berkeley Law Is Racially Biased In Admissions

    The U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Education said Wednesday that the University of California, Berkeley School of Law discriminated against white and Asian applicants in its 2024 and 2025 admissions cycles by preferring Black applicants because of their race, violating federal civil rights law and recent U.S. Supreme Court precedent.

  • Smith Gambrell Adds 5 Attys In LA Boutique Combo

    Smith Gambrell & Russell LLP has combined with Turner Dhillon LLP, adding five litigation attorneys in what the firm said is a significant expansion of its Los Angeles office.

  • Munger Tolles Adds Paul Hastings IP Pro In San Francisco

    Munger Tolles & Olson LLP has added to its growing San Francisco intellectual property practice with a partner from Paul Hastings LLP, whose high-profile clients include Meta, Google, Comcast and Netflix, the firm announced Tuesday. 

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    Hanson Bridgett Elects Managing Partner To 3rd Term

    California-based Hanson Bridgett LLP announced Wednesday that, as the firm continues to add offices in the state, it has reelected its managing partner to a third consecutive term.

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    Womble Bond Adds 15 Lewis Brisbois Auto Defense Attys

    Womble Bond Dickinson has added a 29-person consumer warranty and product liability litigation group from Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP that specializes in defending automobile manufacturers, the firm announced Wednesday.

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    Akerman Adds AI Development Director From Munck Wilson

    Akerman LLP announced Wednesday that it has rounded out its artificial intelligence leadership team by bringing on a former Munck Wilson Mandala LLP litigator to serve as the firm's first director of AI development.

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    Katten Adds Kasowitz Data Strategy Team Leader In LA

    Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP has bolstered its offerings in Los Angeles with the addition of the chair of Kasowitz LLP's data strategy, privacy and security team and co-chair of its artificial intelligence industry group.

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    What's Next As Law Firms Go Quiet On Diversity Data

    Law firms may be less public about their diversity, but legal industry advisers and diversity experts say much of the underlying work around recruiting, retaining and advancing talent continues.

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    The 2026 Diversity Snapshot: By The Numbers

    Law360 Pulse's latest Diversity Snapshot showed that law firms continued to make incremental gains in diversity, though attorneys of color remained less represented in the partnership ranks. Here's our data dive into representation at law firms in the U.S.

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    The 2026 Diversity Snapshot: Explore The Data

    Law360's Diversity Snapshot report explores firms' demographics across the hierarchy of private practice, and how those numbers compare to the available talent pool. Dig into the data to see a detailed look at every rung of the ladder.

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    Cleary Creates New Role For Ex-Paul Weiss AI Leader

    Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP announced Wednesday that it has brought on the former director of knowledge and innovation at Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP to take on the newly created role of chief innovation officer.

  • 9th Circ. Upholds Former Atty's Murder-For-Hire Conviction

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday refused to disturb the conviction of a former New York attorney accused of arranging to pay a hitman to kill the mother of his two young children in the midst of a custody battle, ruling that it doesn't matter that his payment was made to an undercover agent rather than a person who really intended to arrange for murder.

  • With New Tax Partner, Simpson Thacher Boosts Sports Focus

    Jonathan Westreich joined Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP as a tax partner in its Los Angeles office, the firm announced Tuesday, deepening the firm's sports, media and entertainment bench.

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    Legal Talent Co. Latitude Elevates Revenue Chief To President

    Legal industry staffing firm Latitude has named its chief revenue office as its president, elevating an attorney who has supported the company's growth since he joined in 2024, the company announced Tuesday.

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Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Keeping PE Out Of Law Is Job For Courts, Not Capitols Author Photo

    Efforts by lawmakers in California, Colorado and Illinois seeking to bar private equity firms, hedge funds and other nonattorney investors from owning or financing law firms risk intruding on authority that state constitutions and the inherent powers doctrine have traditionally assigned to the judiciary, says attorney Felix Shipkevich.

  • Legal Tech Talks: WordSmith AI's CEO On Shifting Mindsets Author Photo

    Ross McNairn, founder and CEO of Wordsmith AI, discusses how the lawyers who treat legal work like an engineering problem and can deploy legal intelligence at scale will define the next decade.

  • Avoiding The Changing Pitfalls Of Firm Website Redesigns Author Photo

    BigLaw firms about to tackle a website redesign need to understand the fundamental changes to costs, timelines, vendors and technology since their last big update so their leadership teams can steer resource management decisions away from costly potential mistakes, says Stephan Roussan at Vertical Minds.

  • Public AI Disclosures Raise Stakes For AI Agent Oversight Author Photo

    Two recent reports shift the legal posture of every organization deploying artificial intelligence agents because they establish the foreseeability, for negligence liability purposes, of an AI agent becoming weaponized for data exfiltration, says Camilo Artiga-Purcell at Kiteworks.

  • How Firms Can Win Market For Unified Legal Client Services Author Photo

    Firms willing to develop a new operating model, where AI-powered legal tech is paired with deep industry expertise and a different incentive structure, can win over companies looking to consolidate their legal needs with a single provider, says Lana Manganiello at Practice Growth Partner.

  • 7 AI Training Tips For Law Firm Summer Associate Programs Author Photo

    Law firms trying to weave artificial intelligence into summer associate programs should build a program that isn't really about AI but teaches students how to think about using AI, with the goal of building judgment, understanding implications and leveling up in a way that's repeatable, says Zeynep Ersin at Seyfarth.

  • Series

    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Don't Obstruct Knowledge Author Photo

    Lawyers and firms should treat knowledge transfer as a business development function, using the sharing of context and institutional know-how to preserve continuity through change, strengthen relationships and create long-term competitive advantage, says Mark Wraight at Stinson.

  • How Private Equity Priorities Will Test The Law Firm Model Author Photo

    The biggest question about private equity moving into the legal sector is no longer whether it can financially succeed, but how law firms can contend with the unavoidable economic, institutional and ethical tensions introduced by external ownership without compromising their core professional commitments, say Kirsten Vasquez and Allison Rosner at Major Lindsey.

  • AI-Powered Search Demands New Legal Marketing Playbook Author Photo

    As potential clients use artificial intelligence tools instead of search engines when looking for counsel, it is a democratizing moment for specialized midsize firms and a compression threat for generalist big-firm brand positioning, says Ronn Torossian at 5WPR.

  • What Law Firm MSOs Can Learn From Accounting Co. Model Author Photo

    Private equity capital has been flowing into accounting firms for years, with investors developing creative structures to work within that field's specific ownership restrictions, and the framework developed by these transactions offers valuable insights for law firms looking for outside investment, says Russell Shapiro at Levenfeld Pearlstein.

  • Series

    Legal Tech Talks: StrongSuit CEO On The AI Gold Rush Author Photo

    Justin McCallon, CEO of StrongSuit, discusses how the potential for automation and insight generation with artificial intelligence is massive, but that in legal work, especially litigation, the margin for error is essentially zero.

  • How Leaders Can Foster Professional Growth With Feedback Author Photo

    When law firm leaders provide work product feedback by identifying errors instead of offering guiding input, they miss a key opportunity to treat feedback as a professional development and leadership tool, but several practices can help bridge the gap between intent and impact, says Janet Jackson at Well-Law.

  • Why Marketing Teams Are Vital For Law Firm AI Storytelling Author Photo

    Many law firms are using generic decks for multiple client presentations to articulate their artificial intelligence strategy, but in order to differentiate themselves, it's important to bring marketing teams into the fold to identify what's actually distinctive about how a firm uses AI, says Eric Greenberg at Cox Media.

  • Legal Marketing Conference Highlights Pivotal Time For Firms Author Photo

    The Legal Marketing Association's recent annual conference underscored how advances in artificial intelligence and shifting client expectations are causing law firms to evolve into more structured, data-driven businesses that place greater emphasis on strategy, implementation and measurable results, say Maria Aronson and Gina Rubel at Furia Rubel.

  • Series

    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Build Relationship Habits Author Photo

    Meaningful relationships are foundational to business development, and they can be deliberately fostered through a set of habits for authentically, intentionally and consistently connecting with clients and colleagues — starting with people you already know and like, says Matthew Moran at V&E.

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