California Pulse


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    Orrick Hires Former Head Of Meta Youth Safety Policy

    Orrick announced Thursday that it hired the former global director of youth safety policy and leader of global youth litigation strategy at Meta Platforms Inc. amid growing U.S. focus on keeping minors safe online.

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    Robinhood CLO Earned $11M In Compensation Last Year

    The top in-house attorney at financial trading platform Robinhood Markets Inc. earned nearly $11 million in total compensation in 2025, increasing his total pay by more than $2.3 million from the previous year, according to new documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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    Morgan & Morgan Taps Seyfarth Atty For Employment Push

    Morgan & Morgan PA has added a Seyfarth Shaw LLP attorney to lead and build a California employment division for the injury law firm.

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    DoorDash Alum Built Streamline AI To Fix Legal Dept. Chaos

    After Kathy Zhu created the legal operations department at DoorDash in 2019, she tested generic tools, contract lifecycle management systems and other legal-specific products. But nothing solved her real pain points: managing the chaos of hundreds of requests while maintaining visibility into her legal team's workload.

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    McGuireWoods Adds Tax Atty As Firm Makes PE 'Top Priority'

    McGuireWoods LLP announced Wednesday it has hired a seasoned tax adviser to private investment funds as a San Francisco partner.

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    Simpson Thacher Adds Another Kirkland Finance Alum In Calif.

    Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP has hired another former Kirkland & Ellis LLP partner to join its recently formed capital structure solutions practice in the San Francisco area, where she'll focus on banking and other finance matters, Simpson Thacher announced Wednesday.

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    Law Firms Saw Double-Digit Lateral Hiring Growth In 2025

    Lateral hiring increased by 16% in 2025 from 2024, with similar growth for both associates and partners, according to a report released Wednesday by the National Association for Law Placement.

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    TPG Legal Chief Gets $14M In First Year In Job

    The top legal officer and general counsel of asset manager TPG Inc. earned more than $14 million in total compensation in 2025, of which more than 80% came from stock awards, according to a recent filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Committee.

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    Wilson Sonsini Gains New COO From Baker McKenzie

    A longtime Baker McKenzie LLP executive has joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC as its new chief operating officer, the firm announced Wednesday.

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    Fewer Law School Grads Found Jobs Last Year

    The portion of 2025 graduates from U.S. law schools employed in full-time roles that made use of their degrees 10 months after graduation fell by 6.4% compared to the previous year, according to data released Wednesday by the American Bar Association.

  • Chancery Sends Masimo Ex-CEO Pay Fight To California

    The Delaware Chancery Court sided with former Masimo Corp. CEO Joe E. Kiani in his fight with the global medical technology company, dismissing the company's lawsuit over a disputed $450 million severance package and ruling that the case must proceed in California, not Delaware.

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    How The 'Immigrant Mentality' Has Shaped This GC's Career

    Robert Gonzalez's parents crossed the border from Mexico on the night he was born — and that decision has influenced most aspects of his life on his journey to becoming general counsel at fintech company Mercury.

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    Morgan Lewis Hires New CIO From Dechert

    Morgan Lewis has hired a new chief information officer with 15 years of leadership experience at major law firms to strengthen its technology and cybersecurity capacities.

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    Arizona's Law Firm Experiment Faces Conflict Question

    Advocates for Arizona’s novel alternative business structure program, which allows for non-attorney ownership of law firms, say that firsthand experience with an ABS can provide critical insight on how best to regulate them. However, a pattern of recusals and a recent lawsuit suggest a much messier story about some committee members’ entanglements with the new ABS market.

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    Ropes & Gray Marks 25 Years In SF With Office Move

    Ropes & Gray LLP has relocated its San Francisco office to the heart of the Financial District ahead of the firm's 25th anniversary in the City by the Bay.

  • Calif. Sex Abuse Boutique Sues Wood LLP For Bad Tax Advice

    A West Hollywood boutique law firm formed to represent victims of sex abuse on UCLA's campus has filed a professional negligence and breach of fiduciary duty suit against Robert W. Wood and Wood LLP, claiming in California state court that their allegedly faulty financial advice caused the loss of $2 million in interest.

  • Former Federal Attys Join Kelley Drye In New York, LA

    Two former federal prosecutors have returned to private practice and recently joined Kelley Drye & Warren LLP's New York and Los Angeles offices.

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    Departing AppLovin GC Is Lovin' Her Doubled Comp In 2025

    The chief administrative and legal officer at AppLovin Corp., who plans to leave the role on Aug. 1 as she seeks a seat on the board of directors, earned total compensation of more than $13 million last year, more than twice what she made in 2024.

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    DoorDash Delivers Nearly $7M In Compensation To GC

    DoorDash Inc.'s general counsel saw her compensation increase to $7 million in 2025 from over $5.3 million the previous year, a recent securities filing shows.

  • Insurer Says Firm Owes $2.2M For Botched Representation

    A Wisconsin-based insurer has sued the law firm it hired to defend an auto policyholder in a crash suit, telling a California federal court that the firm's inadequate representation has cost it more than $2.2 million.

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    Sanford Heisler Lands DOJ Immigration Judge In San Diego

    Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight LLP has added an attorney who formerly worked for the U.S. Department of Justice, including serving as an immigration judge, to co-lead the firm's national trial practice.

  • Quinn Emanuel May Face More Sanctions In Guardant Fight

    Guardant Health Inc. urged a California federal judge on Monday to make Quinn Emanuel pay nearly $1.3 million on top of $3 million in sanctions already imposed over misrepresentations lawyers made representing its rival Natera Inc., prompting the judge to criticize Quinn Emanuel lawyers for making distinctions so fine they veer into misrepresentation.

  • Black McDermott Atty Says White Men Favored For Partner

    A Black female McDermott Will & Schulte attorney accused the firm of gender, race and pregnancy discrimination in a lawsuit lodged in California state court, saying she has been consistently bypassed for promotion by less-experienced white attorneys and was yanked off casework after taking medical leave following a life-threatening illness during pregnancy.

  • Netflix Eyes $3M In Fees In Suit Where Ramey Drew $95K Fine

    Netflix's attorneys at Baker Botts and Perkins Coie are asking a California federal court to order a Finnish national and his former attorney at Ramey LLP to pay $3 million in fees the streaming giant incurred in defending a patent suit.

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    Spencer West's US, UK Heads On American Expansion

    United Kingdom-based distributed law firm Spencer West announced earlier this spring that it has officially launched a practice based in the United States with nearly 20 partners working in a wide range of major markets including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.

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Expert Analysis

  • 3 Forces Reshaping The Legal Buyer-Seller Relationship Author Photo

    This year's Buying Legal Council Conference highlighted three emerging forces in how buyers and sellers operate in the legal ecosystem — artificial intelligence, data and preferred panels — and organizations would be well advised to combine them into an integrated framework for transparency, performance and collaboration, says Matthew Prinn at RFP Advisory Group.

  • 5 Steps For GCs To Drive Generative AI Experimentation Author Photo

    As legal departments face mounting pressure to do more with less, general counsel should lead a structured process for adopting generative artificial intelligence tools to transform productivity, manage risk and align with enterprise priorities, says Maesea McCalpin at Gartner.

  • How Attys Can DIY Their Own System For Professional Growth Author Photo

    Amid law firm layoffs of business development staff, lawyers cannot depend solely on their firms to foster their professional growth, and must instead create their own initiatives for building community, says Lana Manganiello at Practice Growth Partner.

  • The Augmented Lawyer: In-House, Outside Counsel AI Collabs Author Photo

    As artificial intelligence changes the dynamic between in-house and outside counsel, both internal and external legal teams must thoughtfully reimagine how to mutually leverage AI tools to collaborate and deliver successful outcomes, say Karineh Khachatourian at KXT Law and Diane Honda at Redis.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Do I Adjust To In-House After BigLaw? Author Photo

    Sirisha Gummaregula at QuisLex offers advice on navigating the challenges that come with taking on an in-house counsel role after leaving law firm life, including learning your company's business goals and leading with empathy and collaboration.

  • Adapting Legal Thought Leadership To An AI World Author Photo

    As potential clients with legal questions increasingly rely on summaries generated by artificial intelligence, attorneys must rethink their content strategy to make sure AI chatbots and search overviews cite their thought leadership, say Ioana Good and Adrien Maines at Promova and Nancy Myrland at Myrland Marketing.

  • 10 Practical Tips For Attorneys Navigating High-Profile Cases Author Photo

    Complex corporate litigation now often unfolds under the glare of a parallel trial in the court of public opinion, requiring attorneys to adopt a cohesive strategy for legal filings, leadership communications and narrative control, says Monica Smith at Integer PR.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Tailor Your Personal Style Author Photo

    In an industry where competition for clients is fierce, a thoughtful approach to personal style can give you the confidence to walk into any room and own it, the magnetism to make connections that matter, and the tools to highlight your deeper professional values, says Leslie Berkoff at Moritt Hock.

  • What GCs Value Most: 7 Tips For Landing The Client Pitch Author Photo

    In today’s competitive legal market, successful attorneys treat the pitch process with general counsel like the beginning of a relationship, not a one-off sale — showing up with curiosity, commercial awareness and the ability to engage in a meaningful way from the start, says Andrew Dick at The L Suite.

  • Making Legal Cents: Strategy That Stays In Motion Author Photo

    Instead of lurching between year-end strategic planning season and springtime panic mode, firms need a framework that helps them identify what clients and the market need throughout the year, and then actually adjust course, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • Roundup

    Legal Tech Talks Author Photo

    Company founders, attorneys and other professionals working in the legal tech space share their journeys into the industry, challenges they face when working with law firms and legal departments, and common misconceptions about technology.

  • 4 Tips For Attys To Turn An Interim Job Into A Long-Term Role Author Photo

    As some attorneys seek interim roles amid economic uncertainty, big-picture thinking and a few proactive steps can help to turn those short-term assignments into long-term positions, says Amy Vanderhoof at Major Lindsey.

  • The Augmented Lawyer: AI Exercises For Junior Attorneys Author Photo

    As artificial intelligence tools become increasingly adept at handling entry-level legal tasks, firms and organizations must consider new ways to train and mentor junior attorneys to prepare them for leadership in an AI-integrated profession, say attorneys at KXT Law.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Embrace LinkedIn Author Photo

    Attorneys who recognize LinkedIn as a powerful professional platform can gain significant competitive advantages in business development via strategic content creation, meaningful industry discussions and consistent visibility within target markets, says Agatha Mouillet at Horvitz & Levy.

  • Guidance For Attorneys As Tariffs Reshape Legal Hiring Author Photo

    As law firms and in-house legal departments grapple with the uncertainty of evolving tariff policies, attorneys at all career stages should consider how to lean into these shifts to best position themselves for long-term opportunities, says Rena Barnett-Matthews at Attorney Career Coach.

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