California Pulse

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    LA Olympics Committee Lifts Deputy To Chief Legal Officer

    The organizing committee for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles has promoted its senior vice president and deputy general counsel to the post of chief legal officer, general counsel and secretary, following the abrupt departure of its administrative and legal chief.

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    Procopio Practice Leader Joins Snell & Wilmer In San Diego

    Snell & Wilmer LLP has added the former leader of the healthcare, education and government practice at California firm Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch LLP as a partner in its San Diego office.

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    Ropes & Gray Chair To Serve 2nd Term; Firm Picks Vice Chair

    Ropes & Gray LLP announced Tuesday that leading corporate lawyer Julie Jones will begin a second term as the 1,500-attorney firm's first-ever female chair next year while managing committee member Neill Jakobe prepares to assume a vice chair role.

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    General Counsel Pay Has Spiked 25% Since 2019

    Total compensation for general counsel at a sample of the largest U.S. companies has increased by nearly 25%, or from $2.6 million in 2019 to $3.3 million in 2023, according to a report released Tuesday by data analyst Equilar Inc.

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    What Summer Associates Learned From Working At Firms

    We asked this year's cohort about the most valuable lessons they learned during their summer associateship. Here are some tips they have to pass on to the students who have yet to land a coveted spot or are ready to embark on a career in law.

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    What Law Firms Really Look For In Summer Associates

    More and more, law firms are bypassing the traditional schedule for on-campus interviews in their search for summer associates. Firm leaders who oversee recruiting for these programs spoke with Law360 Pulse about where they stand on timing and what law students can do to secure a summer placement that works best for their career.

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    These Firms Were The Top For Their Summer Associates

    BigLaw firms have again set the bar high with their summer associate programs this year, earning high praise from participants who cited the increased opportunities for courtroom experiences, pro bono work, and comprehensive mentorship and networking support.

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    Freshfields Launching New Name, Logo In October

    Magic Circle firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer LLP announced Tuesday that it is rebranding to shorten its name to Freshfields beginning next month.

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    Norton Rose Stresses Regional Chops In New Leadership

    A year after the sudden departure of Norton Rose Fulbright's worldwide CEO, the firm announced a permanent reshuffling of its global management structure, formally putting regional managing partners in charge of coordinating the firm's international business.

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    Law Firm Rates Rise In 2023, But Mixed Outlook Ahead

    Corporate legal departments continue to face rising hourly rates from law firms, but rate changes have varied across industries, and the first four months of 2024 present a snapshot of these varying average rate increases, according to a recent report from Wolters Kluwer's ELM Solutions.

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    EBay Finds New Top Attorney In Former TriNet CLO

    E-commerce giant eBay Inc. said Monday it has hired the former top attorney at human resources services company TriNet to take the reins of the legal department in October.

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    JAMS President Will Become New CEO

    Alternative dispute resolution service JAMS is making changes at the top, announcing Monday that its longtime president will move up to become CEO and its current chief financial officer's duties will expand to include chief operating officer.

  • California Powerhouse: Gibson Dunn

    Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP's California-based partners have helped clients lock in precedent-setting wins before the U.S. Supreme Court over the past year while guiding big-ticket real estate and life sciences transactions, earning the firm a spot on Law360's annual list of Regional Powerhouses.

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    4 Things To Know About Calif. Bar Exam Uncertainty

    The California State Bar planned to administer a new bar exam in February 2025 that would allow test takers to tackle the test either remotely or at test centers, but last week, the state's Supreme Court denied without prejudice a petition to go forward with the modifications. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at what led to the order, and next steps for the bar.

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    Dentons Launches Generative AI Contract Automation Tool

    International law firm Dentons has attorneys in Europe testing a generative artificial intelligence tool for contract automation, the firm said Monday.

  • Feds To Pay $893K Fee Award To Travel Ban Challengers

    A California federal judge has signed off on the Biden administration's agreement to cover $893,000 worth of legal fees that thousands of visa applicants racked up while contesting a Trump-era travel ban that prevented them from immigrating to the U.S.

  • Cozen O'Connor Elevates 8 New Shareholders In 7 Offices

    Cozen O'Connor announced Monday the promotions of eight new shareholders in seven different cities to the law firm and its public affairs and lobbying arm.

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    Labor Attorney Who Leveled MLB Playing Field Dies At 93

    Richard M. Moss, an attorney-turned-sports-agent who won free agency for baseball players and made star pitcher Nolan Ryan the first-ever professional athlete to score a $1 million contract for a single season, died over the weekend at age 93.

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    Skadden Lands King & Spalding Litigation Leader In Palo Alto

    The former leader of the trade secrets practice and California consumer class action team at King & Spalding LLP has jumped to Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP's Palo Alto office to continue her work in high-stakes complex civil litigation, the firm announced Monday.

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    Ex-Synaptics Atty Starts As Software Firm Silvaco's 1st GC

    An in-house attorney who formerly worked at US Foods and Synaptics took the first-ever general counsel spot at Silvaco on Monday, she said in a recent LinkedIn post, just under five months since the electronic design automation software company went public.

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    Paul Weiss Gains PE, M&A Partner From Ropes & Gray

    Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP has added to its mergers and acquisitions and private equity practice groups an attorney who previously worked for Ropes & Gray LLP and Kirkland & Ellis LLP.

  • FEMA Looks To Escape Atty's Bias And Retaliation Suit

    The U.S. government has asked a federal judge to toss a suit alleging two agencies pushed out an Asian American attorney following her complaints that a male colleague harassed her, arguing she failed to state a claim in her "behemoth," 190-page complaint.

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    Calif. Bar Gets Atty Fees Hike But Prepares For 'Leaner' Times

    The cash-strapped State Bar of California got the go-ahead from state lawmakers this month to raise its annual attorney licensing fees for just the second time in 25 years, even as those same legislators insisted the bar be better fiscally managed going forward.

  • Avenatti Seeks Top Court Review Of Daniels ID Theft Verdict

    Incarcerated celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review his conviction for misappropriating money from ex-client Stormy Daniels, claiming the Second Circuit's decision upholding the verdict runs afoul of precedent for identity-theft cases.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry marked the end of summer with another action-packed week as BigLaw snagged new talent and lawmakers sought an increase in federal judgeships. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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Expert Analysis

  • A Call For Personal Accountability On Diversity And Inclusion Author Photo

    While chief legal officers are increasingly involved in creating corporate diversity, inclusion and anti-bigotry policies, all lawyers have a responsibility to be discrimination busters and bias interrupters regardless of the title they hold, says Veta T. Richardson at the Association of Corporate Counsel.

  • Learning How To Code Can Unleash New Potential In Lawyers Author Photo

    Every lawyer can begin incorporating aspects of software development in their day-to-day practice with little to no changes in their existing tools or workflow, and legal organizations that take steps to encourage this exploration of programming can transform into tech incubators, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Supporting Associates Amid Pandemic's Mental Health Toll Author Photo

    As junior associates increasingly report burnout, work-life conflict and loneliness during the pandemic, law firms should take tangible actions to reduce the stigma around seeking help, and to model desired well-being behaviors from the top down, say Stacey Whiteley at the New York State Bar Association and Robin Belleau at Kirkland.

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    Ask A Mentor: Should My Law Firm Take On An Apprentice? Author Photo

    Mentoring a law student who is preparing for the bar exam without attending law school is an arduous process that is not for everyone, but there are also several benefits for law firms hosting apprenticeship programs, says Jessica Jackson, the lawyer guiding Kim Kardashian West's legal education.

  • The Importance Of Client Engagement In Law Firm Innovation Author Photo

    As clients increasingly want law firms to serve as innovation platforms, firms must understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach — the key is a nimble innovation function focused on listening and knowledge sharing, says Mark Brennan at Hogan Lovells.

  • The Unique Challenges Facing Women-Owned Law Firms Author Photo

    In addition to establishing their brand from scratch, women who start their own law firms must overcome inherent bias against female lawyers and convince prospective clients to put aside big-firm preferences, says Joel Stern at the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms.

  • The Pursuit Of Wellness In BigLaw: Lessons From My Journey Author Photo

    Jane Jeong at Cooley shares how grueling BigLaw schedules and her own perfectionism emotionally bankrupted her, and why attorneys struggling with burnout should consider making small changes to everyday habits.

  • Why We Must Recruit And Advance More Black Prosecutors Author Photo

    Black Americans make up a disproportionate percentage of the incarcerated population but are underrepresented among elected prosecutors, so the legal community — from law schools to prosecutor offices — must commit to addressing these disappointing demographics, says Erika Gilliam-Booker at the National Black Prosecutors Association.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can Associates Deal With Overload? Author Photo

    Young lawyers overwhelmed with a crushing workload must tackle the problem on two fronts — learning how to say no, and understanding how to break down projects into manageable parts, says Jay Harrington at Harrington Communications.

  • A Scientific Path For Improving Diversity At Law Firms Author Photo

    Law firms could combine industrial organizational psychology and machine learning to study prospective hires' analytical thinking, stress response and similar attributes — which could lead to recruiting from a more diverse candidate pool, say Ali Shahidi and Bess Sully at Sheppard Mullin.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can Associates Seek More Assignments? Author Photo

    In the first installment of Law360 Pulse's career advice guest column, Meela Gill at Weil offers insights on how associates can ask for meaningful work opportunities at their firms without sounding like they are begging. 

  • Legal Sector Regulatory Reform Is Key To Closing Justice Gap Author Photo

    In order to improve access to justice for those who cannot afford a lawyer, states should consider regulatory innovations, such as allowing new forms of law firm ownership and permitting nonlawyers to provide certain legal services, says Patricia Lee Refo, president of the American Bar Association.

  • How Attys Can Guard Against Rising Settle-And-Sue Claims Author Photo

    Certain precautions can help lawyers avoid post-settlement malpractice claims and create a solid evidentiary defense, as settle-and-sue lawsuits rise amid pandemic-induced dispute settlements, say Bethany Kristovich and Jeremy Beecher at Munger Tolles.

  • What I Learned As A Virtual Summer Associate Author Photo

    It is necessary in a virtual law firm summer program to think twice about asking questions you may be able to answer on your own, but this independence and other aspects of a remote internship may help to instill habits that would be useful for future full-time associates, says law student Kelley Sheehan, who interned at Patterson & Sheridan this summer.

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