California Pulse


  • Mariah Carey Wants $186K Sanction In 'Christmas' IP Suit

    Pop star Mariah Carey said Wednesday that two songwriters should be sanctioned $186,000 for filing court papers that were deemed frivolous by the California federal judge who tossed their copyright infringement lawsuit over her 1994 holiday hit "All I Want For Christmas Is You."

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    Kirkland Investment Funds Expert Jumps To Paul Weiss In LA

    Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP is expanding its corporate team, bringing in a Kirkland & Ellis LLP investment funds expert as a partner in its Los Angeles office.

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    Davis Wright Brings On Longtime MoFo Atty As ESG Leader

    Davis Wright Tremaine LLP has expanded its San Francisco office with a former co-chair of Morrison Foerster LLP's environmental, social and governance practice who will serve as head of the firm's ESG and Sustainability group, the firm announced on Thursday.

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    Which GCs Sold Stock In March? Broadcom, Meta And More

    The top legal officers at Broadcom, Merit Medical Systems and Meta gave themselves multimillion-dollar pay days in March by selling stock in their companies.

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    Thompson Coburn's 'Midwest Culture' Brings Back LA Atty

    Thompson Coburn LLP is expanding its West Coast team, welcoming back a Los Angeles litigator who previously left to run his own firm.

  • Calif. Panel Questions Hacking Case Against Ex-Prosecutor

    A California appeals panel probed Wednesday whether criminal charges were properly brought against a former top prosecutor at the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office for improperly using confidential sheriff's deputy files, with one judge observing that the case applies an "awfully broad understanding" of a hacking statute.

  • Retired Calif. Judges Unlikely To Revive Age Bias Suit

    A California appellate court tentatively ruled against seven retired California state court judges accusing California's Judicial Council of age discrimination due to rules limiting the time retired judges can spend on temporary assignments, saying plaintiffs haven't shown a statistically significant impact to judges over 70, among other concerns.

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    Milbank Latest To Ink Trump Deal To Avoid Executive Order

    Milbank LLP became the fourth firm to strike a deal with President Donald Trump in the wake of a series of executive orders targeting BigLaw, pledging on Wednesday to provide at least $100 million in pro bono legal work supported by the administration and to refrain from what the White House deems discriminatory and "illegal" diversity hiring.

  • Ex-Kirkland Atty To Drop Bias Suit, Appeal Atty Firing Ruling

    A former Kirkland & Ellis LLP intellectual property associate is expected to drop her claims against the law firm and related defendants, while also appealing a ruling that precluded her from firing her attorney in the case, the parties told a California federal court Tuesday.

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    Former Calif. Legislator, Prosecutor Named US Atty In LA

    Former California State Assemblyman Bilal A. "Bill" Essayli was sworn in Wednesday as the U.S. attorney for the Central District of California, after he was appointed by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.

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    When Can Attys Decide To Drop Clients? ABA Says It Depends

    Lawyers can drop clients at will as long as doing so won't harm the client's legal objectives or needlessly drive up costs, according to new guidance by the American Bar Association — but the guidance also notes that "getting out of a matter can be a lot harder than getting in."

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    Eversheds Sutherland's New US-Based Leaders Start Roles

    Eversheds Sutherland started April with new leadership in the U.S. as former global energy sector co-head Lino Mendiola III began his term as the firm's global co-CEO and U.S. chief executive, and former global board co-chair Adam Cohen stepped into the role of U.S. executive partner.

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    23 Firms Remain GCs' Top Picks Despite Referral Drop

    Even as corporate legal departments become more selective in recommending outside counsel to their peers, 23 law firms have managed to earn top marks for building trust and relationship management, according to a report released Wednesday by BTI Consulting Group.

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    Signature Resolution Moves Into Central Calif. Via Partnership

    The alternative dispute resolution center Signature Resolution in expanding into Central California by partnering with Bakersfield-based Common Ground Resolutions.

  • UC Regents Face Trimmed Suit Over Antisemitism At Berkeley

    A California federal judge on Monday trimmed two Jewish advocacy organizations' lawsuit accusing UC Berkeley and its law school of tolerating antisemitism, allowing the suit to go forward on their claims the university was "deliberately indifferent" towards Jews on campus.

  • Willkie Becomes 3rd Firm To Reach Deal With Trump

    After issuing a string of executive orders in recent weeks targeting BigLaw firms, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP had agreed to provide $100 million in pro bono legal services for certain causes and to refrain from what Trump has called discriminatory diversity hiring practices.

  • Sanctioned Firm Ordered To Pay Fees In California Patent Row

    Days after attorneys from Texas patent firm Ramey LLP were ordered to pay over $60,000 for practicing in California without a license, a San Francisco federal magistrate judge has ordered them to pay attorney fees in a pair of suits deemed to have been litigated in bad faith. 

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    BCLP Names New COO And Chief People Officer

    Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP has hired Newmark Group's former chief human resources officer as its chief people officer and shifted its chief financial officer to also serve as its chief operating officer, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • Crypto Co. OKX Taps Ex-NY Regulator Linda Lacewell As GC

    Cryptocurrency exchange OKX said Tuesday that Linda Lacewell, former superintendent of the New York Department of Financial Services, has joined the company as its general counsel, a month after the firm agreed to a $504 million deal with federal prosecutors over compliance failures.

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    Hunton Andrews Names New Office, Practice Group Leaders

    Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP announced Tuesday that it has appointed several attorneys to key leadership posts, including new leaders of its Miami and Richmond offices.

  • Atty's Fraud Sentence Upheld In Long-Delayed Ruling

    A California lawyer who was convicted for his role in a pump-and-dump scheme has lost a motion filed in Massachusetts federal court in 2018 seeking to vacate a four-year prison term.

  • Fox Rothschild Names Office, Practice Group, Dept. Leaders

    Fox Rothschild LLP announced Tuesday that it has installed new office managing partners in four cities, added co-chairs to its taxation and wealth planning department, and brought on an aviation practice group co-chair as part of the firm's standard leadership rotation.

  • Former EBay, PayPal Exec Joins Fintech Co. As CLO

    A former legal leader at eBay and PayPal and LendingClub Bank parent company LendingClub Corp. has joined healthcare-focused fintech company PayZen as its top attorney.

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    Approach The Bench: Judge Tymkovich On New Judgeships

    When Tenth Circuit Judge Timothy Tymkovich testified before Congress recently about the need for more federal judges, it had been about 10 years since he'd made a similar request of Congress, which hasn't expanded the federal bench since 2002.

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    How Lewis Brisbois Is Addressing Associate Pay Delay

    Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP has hired two new staff members and is working to refine its process for determining discretionary bonuses and merit pay after the firm notified a portion of its associates this week that those payments would be delayed.

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Expert Analysis

  • How 2 Litigators Decided Dad Would Stay Home With The Kids Author Photo

    Jennifer Hoekstra at Aylstock Witkin shares the tough conversations about timing, goals, logistics and values involved in her family's decision that she would build her career as a litigator and law firm partner while her husband stepped back from his own litigation role to stay home with their children.

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    My Nonpracticing Law Job: Legal Commentary Ghostwriter Author Photo

    Wayne Pollock at Copo Strategies shares how he went from overworked Am Law 50 associate to owner of a legal thought leadership ghostwriting service, and provides four lessons for anyone who might be considering launching a business within the legal industry.

  • Ask A Mentor: As Trials Grow Rarer, How Do I Hone My Skills? Author Photo

    Gary Parsons at Brooks Pierce offers advice for young lawyers seeking trial experience in an environment where fewer cases make it to trial, including how to build their reputations, set their expectations and pick the right firm.

  • Talking Mental Health: Managing Depression As A Co. Founder Author Photo

    New Era ADR co-founder Collin Williams discusses his journey navigating a clinical depression diagnosis, how this experience affected his leadership style, and what the legal industry can do to better support attorneys with mental health conditions.

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    My Nonpracticing Law Job: Career And Wellness Coach Author Photo

    Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea shares how she went from BigLaw partner to legal industry career and wellness coach, and explains how attorneys can use their capabilities, knowledge and professional networks to pursue coaching themselves, or bring refreshed meaning and purpose to their current roles.

  • Series

    Talking Mental Health: Tackling Stress As A Practice Leader Author Photo

    Constance Rhebergen at Bracewell discusses how she handles the stress of being a practice chair, how sources of stress have changed in the legal industry over the past decade and what law firms can do to protect attorney mental health.

  • Making Legal Cents: Engaging A Remote, Evolving Workforce Author Photo

    In the face of a dispersed and changing workforce with Generation Z entering the scene, law firms should consider some practical strategies to revitalize their cultures, provide meaningful mentorship and safeguard their knowledge bases, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • How Firms Can Effectively Evaluate Their Summer Associates Author Photo

    One of the most effective ways firms can ensure their summer associate programs are a success is by engaging in a timely and meaningful evaluation process and being intentional about when, how and by whom feedback should be provided, say Caroline Cimei and Erica Fine at Shutts & Bowen.

  • Series

    Talking Mental Health: Life As A Lawyer With OCD Author Photo

    Kelly Hughes at Ogletree discusses what she’s learned in the 14 years since she was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, recounting how the experience shaped her law practice, what the legal industry and general public get wrong about the disorder, and how law firms can better support employees who have OCD.

  • 3 Innovative Ways AI May Be Used In Legal Practice
    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly be used by outside counsel to better predict the outcomes of litigation — thus informing legal strategy with greater precision — and by clients to scrutinize invoices and evaluate counsel’s performance, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Roundup

    My Nonpracticing Law Job Author Photo

    Not every law degree leads to a law practice. In this Law360 Pulse series, former practicing attorneys share the stories of how they went from practicing corporate law to using their knowledge and background to carve out a nontraditional career path in the legal industry.

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    My Nonpracticing Law Job: Librarian Author Photo

    Lisa A. Goodman at Texas A&M University shares how she went from a BigLaw associate who liked to hang out in the firm's law library to director of a law library herself in just over a decade, and provides considerations for anyone interested in pursuing a law librarian career.

  • Legal Briefs Can Benefit From Cleaned Up Case Citations Author Photo

    Federal courts have recently been changing the way they quote decisions to omit insignificant details and string cites, and lawyers should consider adopting this practice to enhance the readability of their briefs — as long as accuracy stays top of mind, says Diana Simon at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law.

  • 5 Best Practices For Firms Designing DEI Programs Author Photo

    Nikki Lewis Simon, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Greenberg Traurig, discusses best practices — and some pitfalls to avoid — for law firms looking to build programs aimed at driving inclusion in the workplace.

  • Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs Author Photo

    Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.

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