California Pulse

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    Legal Job Market Continued Downward Trend In August

    The legal industry lost 2,300 jobs in August, the fourth month in a row of declines, according to preliminary data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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    The Road Map For Restoring Public Trust In State Courts

    At a time when misconduct accusations continue to hover over the U.S. Supreme Court, state court leaders have put forth a strategy to boost trust in local judicial officials that largely calls for them to take on more public-facing roles.

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    TriNet Promotes Former Binance Exec To Chief Legal Officer

    Human resources services company TriNet has elevated its deputy general counsel, who joined the company earlier this year from Binance.US, to replace its departing chief legal officer.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry kicked off September with another action-packed week as law firms shifted offices and made new hires. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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    A&O Shearman To Cut Partner Numbers By 10%

    A&O Shearman said Friday that it is cutting its global partnership by approximately 10% as the newly merged firm plows ahead with cost-cutting measures and seeks benefits from its transatlantic tie-up.

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    Epstein Becker Employment Ace Joins Fisher Phillips In SF

    Labor and employment firm Fisher Phillips is expanding its California team, bringing in an Epstein Becker Green litigator as a partner in its San Francisco office.

  • LA Courts Expand Recordings, Citing Court Reporter Shortage

    Los Angeles County Superior Court's presiding judge issued an order Thursday expanding the use of electronic recordings in certain civil proceedings due to a "chronic" lack of court reporters, drawing concerns the recordings violate state law and threaten quality transcripts.

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    Troutman Pepper, Locke Lord Announce Megamerger

    Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP and Locke Lord LLP will merge in January 2025 to create a combined firm with more than 1,600 attorneys across 33 offices in the United States and two in Europe, the law firms announced Thursday.

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    $9.1M In Fees Requested For Calif. Debt Relief Law Firm Ch. 11

    Just days after a bankruptcy judge said in court that unsecured creditors in the case of collapsed California debt relief firm Litigation Practice Group will likely receive little to nothing, professionals working on the case filed about $9.1 million in fee requests — enough to use up most of the available cash.

  • Calif. Firm Beats $9.5M Malpractice Loss Over Estate Work

    A California state appeals court on Wednesday threw out a $9.5 million malpractice verdict against a Los Angeles-area lawyer and his firm over their handling of a noted burn surgeon's estate, holding that allowing the verdict and penalty to stand would be an 'intolerable burden' on the legal community.

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    Buchanan Ingersoll COO Jumps To Faegre Drinker

    Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP has hired a chief operating officer who previously held that role at Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, the firm said Thursday.

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    Adobe's GC, Longtime Atty Resigns

    Adobe Inc.'s general counsel, a technology veteran who has worked to increase trust and transparency online and to fight the spread of both misinformation and disinformation, has stepped down from his post, a spokesperson for the computer software company confirmed to Law360 Pulse on Thursday.

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    Haynes Boone Raises Volume On Atty Wellness With Podcast

    From caffeine and parenting to ergonomics and sleep, Haynes and Boone LLP has taken on a wide array of topics in its "Wellness in Law" podcast series. Abby Read, the firm's first wellness manager, joined Law360 Pulse to discuss the initiative.

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    Hunter Biden Pleads Guilty To Tax Charges In Surprise Move

    Hunter Biden entered a surprise guilty plea to nine criminal tax charges in California federal court on Thursday, bringing a dramatic conclusion to the case following a dizzying series of events on what was set to be the first day of his trial.

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    Bowman And Brooke Expands Into Baltimore And San Diego

    Product liability defense trial firm Bowman and Brooke LLP is expanding its national footprint, announcing Wednesday it is opening two new offices — a brand-new office in Baltimore and a relaunched office in San Diego.

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    With Dechert Chicago Closing, Shook Hardy Gets Criminal Pro

    Shook Hardy & Bacon LLP has nabbed a Dechert LLP regional white collar practice chair and former federal prosecutor for its Chicago and Washington, D.C. offices in the wake of Dechert's recent decision to shutter its Windy City office.

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    Leech Tishman Combines With Calif. Firm Nelson Hardiman

    Leech Tishman is set to add California-based healthcare and life science law firm Nelson Hardiman's 17 attorneys to its Los Angeles office this fall and will do business in the Golden State under the combined name Leech Tishman Nelson Hardiman, the firm announced Tuesday.

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    Polsinelli Adds Ex-Alston & Bird Litigator To LA Office

    Polsinelli PC announced Tuesday that it is continuing to expand its litigation bench by adding an experienced trial attorney as a principal to the firm's Los Angeles office.

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    Feds Say Litigation Funding Co. Was A $10M Ponzi Scheme

    A purported investment company's owner faces criminal charges and a suit from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission after she allegedly made false claims to investors that she would lend their money to personal injury attorneys but instead used the money for a Ponzi-like scheme and personal expenses.

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    Buchalter IP Ace Jumps To Snell & Wilmer In LA

    Snell & Wilmer LLP is growing its California team, announcing Tuesday it is adding a Buchalter PC intellectual property expert as a partner in its Los Angeles office.

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    Which GCs Sold Stock In August? Netflix, Apple And More

    Netflix Inc. chief legal officer David Hyman added to his income by selling more than $29 million worth of company stock in August, while Apple Inc. general counsel Katherine Adams sold over $20 million worth.

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    Can K&L Gates Quadruple Its Revenue Again?

    In the last two decades, K&L Gates LLP has quadrupled its annual gross revenue. Global strategic growth partner Craig Budner discusses growth strategy, as well as industry factors at play as the firm and its peers look to the future.

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    Overheard At ILTACON: Law Firms Face AI Growing Pains

    Law firms exploring artificial intelligence tools face growing hurdles in implementing those technologies effectively while dealing with pushback from clients, based on what I overheard at a recent legal technology conference.

  • Ch. 11 Bankruptcy Trustee Says Firm Charged Excessive Fees

    The Chapter 11 trustee overseeing collapsed debt relief law firm Litigation Practice Group has accused a New York law firm of charging excessive fees while defending the California firm from lawsuits from merchant cash advance companies.

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    Duane Morris Wants Bulk Of Atty's Equal Pay Suit Tossed

    Duane Morris LLP is asking a California federal court to toss most of the claims in a proposed class action alleging the firm systemically underpaid female and nonwhite attorneys, saying the attorney who filed the complaint has been fairly treated and compensated and her claims lack validity.

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Expert Analysis

  • How Law Firms Can Cautiously Wield AI To Streamline Tasks Author Photo

    Many attorneys are going to use artificial intelligence tools whether law firms like it or not, so firms should educate them on AI's benefits, limits and practical uses, such as drafting legal documents, to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving legal market, say Thomas Schultz and Eden Bernstein at Kellogg Hansen.

  • Keys To Managing The Stresses Of Law School Author Photo

    Dealing with the pressures associated with law school can prove difficult for many future lawyers, but there are steps students can take to manage stress — and schools can help too, say Ryan Zajic and Dr. Janani Krishnaswami at UWorld.

  • Can Mandatory CLE Mitigate Implicit Bias's Negative Impacts? Author Photo

    Amid ongoing disagreements on whether states should mandate implicit bias training as part of attorneys' continuing legal education requirements, Stephanie Wilson at Reed Smith looks at how unconscious attitudes or stereotypes adversely affect legal practice, and whether mandatory training programs can help.

  • Ditch The Frills And Start Writing Legal Letters In Plain English Author Photo

    To become more effective advocates, lawyers need to rethink the ridiculous, convoluted language they use in correspondence and write letters in a clear, concise and direct manner, says legal writing instructor Stuart Teicher.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Negotiate My Separation Agreement? Author Photo

    Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey discusses how a law firm associate can navigate being laid off, what to look for in a separation agreement and why to be upfront about it with prospective employers.

  • DoNotPay Cases Underscore Hurdles For AI-Fueled Legal Help Author Photo

    Recent legal challenges against DoNotPay’s "robot lawyer” application highlight pressing questions about the degree to which artificial intelligence can be used for legal tasks while remaining on the right side of both consumer protection laws and prohibitions against the unauthorized practice of law, says Kristen Niven at Frankfurt Kurnit.

  • For The Future Of Legal Practice, Let's Learn From The Past Author Photo

    At some level, every practicing lawyer is experiencing the ever-increasing speed of change — and while some practice management processes have gotten more efficient, other things about the legal profession were better before supposed improvements were made, says Jay Silberblatt, president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

  • Why All Law Firms Should Foster Psychological Capital Author Photo

    Law firms will be able to reap great long-term benefits if they adopt strategies to nurture four critical components of their employees' psychological wellness and performance — hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism, says Dennis Stolle at the American Psychological Association.

  • A GC's Guide To Litigation, Inspired By Sun Tzu's 'Art Of War' Author Photo

    With caseloads and spending increasing, in-house counsel might find themselves called to opine on the risks and benefits of litigation more often, and they should look at five Sun Tzu maxims from the ancient Chinese classic "The Art of War" to inform their approach to any suit, says Jeff Golimowski at Womble Bond.

  • Mentorship Is Key To Diversity In The Legal Industry Author Photo

    Not only can effective mentorship have a profound impact on women and people of color entering the legal field, but it also benefits mentors and the legal profession as a whole, creating a true win-win situation for all involved, says Natasha Cortes at Grossman Roth.

  • ChatGPT Is A Cool Trick, But AI Won't Replace Lawyers Author Photo

    Generative AI applications like ChatGPT are unlikely to ever replace attorneys for a variety of practical reasons — but given their practice-enhancing capabilities, lawyers who fail to leverage these tools may be rendered obsolete, says Eran Kahana at Maslon.

  • Pro Bono Work Is Valuable In IP And Continued Learning Author Photo

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's recent elimination of a rule that partially counted pro bono work toward continuing legal education highlights the importance of volunteer work in intellectual property practice and its ties to CLE, and puts a valuable tool for hands-on attorney education in the hands of the states, say Lisa Holubar and Ariel Katz at Irwin.

  • Increasing Public Access To Legal Services: A Practical Plan Author Photo

    Recommendations recently issued by a special committee of the Florida Bar represent a realistic, pragmatic approach to increasing the accessibility and affordability of legal services, at a time when the disconnect between the legal profession and the public at large has widened considerably, says Gary Lesser, president of the Florida Bar.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Do I Relay Shortcomings To Associates? Author Photo

    Michael Cohen at Duane Morris discusses the best ways to articulate how an associate is not meeting expectations, and why documentation of performance management is crucial for their growth and protecting the firm from discrimination suits.

  • 10 Principles For Effective Partner Reward Systems Author Photo

    Several forces are reshaping partners’ expectations about profit-sharing, and as compensation structures evolve in response, firms should keep certain fundamentals in mind to build a successful partner reward system, say Michael Roch at MHPR Advisors and Ray D'Cruz at Performance Leader.

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