California Pulse


  • Girardi Pushes For New Trial Over Competency Claims

    Counsel for Tom Girardi told a federal judge the disbarred attorney is plainly mentally incompetent and deserves a new trial over charges he defrauded clients of $15 million worth of settlement money.

  • kulback_john_web.jpg

    Atty With Tom Brady's Blockchain Co. Rejoins Loeb & Loeb

    Loeb & Loeb LLP has rehired an experienced entertainment attorney who most recently was head of business operations for Tom Brady's blockchain startup Autograph as a partner in the firm's Los Angeles office, the firm announced Wednesday.

  • alexis-loeb.png

    Jan. 6 Prosecutor Joins White Collar Team At Farella Braun

    Farella Braun & Martel LLP has hired the deputy chief who oversaw investigations and prosecutions related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol as a partner and member of its white collar criminal defense and internal corporate investigations practice, the firm said Wednesday.

  • 19 steptoe.jpg

    Steptoe Elevates 12 Attys In Firm's Largest Promotion Class

    Steptoe LLP announced that it has promoted 12 attorneys to partner or of counsel, highlighted by five promotions coming from the summer associate class of 2015, in what it said is the largest class in the firm's history.

  • iStock-1557118047.jpg

    Simpson Thacher Outpaces Last Year With 2025 Partner Class

    Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP unveiled its 44 partner promotions for 2025 on Tuesday, touting a class of 12 more attorneys than last year.

  • Calif. Judicial Nominee Asked About Race, Parenting Writings

    A California judicial nominee's previous writing about the murder of George Floyd in 2020, which sparked a national reckoning on race, was the subject of debate during a Senate nomination hearing on Wednesday.

  • nathan_gooden.jpg

    LegalZoom Adds Squarespace CFO To Board Of Directors

    Online legal services provider LegalZoom Inc. has grown its board of directors with the addition of Squarespace Inc.'s chief financial officer as the company focuses on its subscription revenue growth.

  • AI Startup That Predicts Case Results Raises $2.2M

    Theo Ai, a new legal technology startup that uses artificial intelligence to predict the outcome of legal disputes, announced Wednesday the raising of $2.2 million in pre-seed funding.

  • main_kalis_peter.png

    Ex-K&L Gates Chair On Growth, Leadership And Remote Work

    During the two decades Peter Kalis served as chairman and managing partner of K&L Gates, from 1997 to 2017, the law firm grew from a primarily Eastern Seaboard firm to one with offices around the globe, with annual revenue that ballooned by 700%.

  • iStock-696569800.jpg

    BigLaw Begins Matching Milbank On Associate Bonuses

    Following the news Tuesday that Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP will pay associates year-end and special bonuses in line with those handed out by Milbank LLP this year, the firms' peers have begun to respond, with swift matches Wednesday by Paul Hastings LLP and McDermott Will & Emery LLP.

  • cravath-nameplate.jpg

    Cravath Matches Milbank On 2024 Associate Bonuses

    Longtime legal compensation leader Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP has reportedly announced year-end and special bonuses for its associates in line with those offered by peer law firm Milbank LLP over the summer and earlier this month.

  • jason-carter.jpg

    Calif. Biotech Firm Vera Taps Veteran Chief Legal Officer

    Biotechnology firm Vera Therapeutics is welcoming a new chief legal officer in advance of an anticipated biologics submission to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for a treatment targeting an autoimmune kidney disease.

  • iStock-1954627765.jpg

    Calif. Judges Get 'Road Map' For Recall, Election Comments

    A California Supreme Court committee on Tuesday laid out a "road map" for judges to make comments during an election or recall with respect to decisions that come under fire, saying they must follow ethics rules with such remarks. 

  • angela-l-scott.jpg

    Ballard Spahr Brings On Former Federal Prosecutor In LA

    Ballard Spahr LLP is expanding its consumer finance services team, announcing Tuesday that a former assistant U.S. attorney is joining its Los Angeles office as of counsel.

  • iStock-1165760292.jpg

    Law Firms Set To Close Out 2024 With Near-Record Billing

    Amid high demand, billing rates at U.S. law firms were up 9% during the first nine months of 2024 compared to this time last year, revealing the industry is on track to see strong year-end financial results, according to survey results released Tuesday by Wells Fargo Private Bank.

  • nicole-1.png

    Trellis CEO On Leaving Law And Starting Legal Tech Co.

    Legal analytics company Trellis on Tuesday launched a generative artificial intelligence platform that can draft arguments and provide case assessments. Here, Trellis co-founder and CEO Nicole Clark spoke with Law360 Pulse about how she pivoted from law to legal tech, and how generative AI is accelerating her company's vision.

  • Timothy_Best.png

    McDermott Adds IP Pro From Gibson Dunn In Los Angeles

    McDermott Will & Emery LLP announced Tuesday that it has hired partner Timothy Best from Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP to help bolster its intellectual property practice group, especially its efforts serving life sciences and biotechnology clients.

  • SEC Says Calif. Atty, His Wife Stole $2.2M To Buy House

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday accused a Los Angeles-area attorney of scheming to control publicly traded penny stock companies and then stealing $2.2 million from one of those companies to buy a home with his wife, according to a complaint filed in California federal court.

  • Sexual_Misconduct_Diddy_94249.jpg

    Diddy Accusers' Atty Buzbee Accused Of Extorting Celebs

    An anonymous public figure lodged a suit in Los Angeles court Monday accusing personal injury lawyer Tony Buzbee of using false rape allegations to "shake down innocent celebrities, politicians and businesspeople" who have even the smallest ties to indicted hip-hop mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs.

  • Kathi Vidal.jpeg

    USPTO Director Kathi Vidal To Rejoin Winston & Strawn

    Winston & Strawn LLP said Monday that Kathi Vidal, director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, is slated to rejoin the firm.

  • iStock-1371706002.jpg

    In-House Female Attys Say They Prefer Work Culture, Balance

    In a first-of-its-kind survey by the National Association of Women Lawyers, in-house female attorneys report finding their work-life balance, work substance and workplace culture superior to that of law firms.

  • LA Atty Again Accused Of Bilking Inmates With False Hope

    A Los Angeles attorney accused of raking in thousands of dollars by giving inmates and their families intentionally misleading information about their chances for resentencing after convictions for violent crimes has been hit with more charges by the State Bar of California, this time an 18-count disciplinary notice that follows an earlier 18-count notice filed in August.

  • iStock-1497881503.jpg

    Why AI May Be The Secret Weapon For Starting A Law Firm

    The secret ingredient to opening a solo practice or small firm might be artificial intelligence, Chris Stock, a vice president at legal tech company Clio, said at the New York City Bar's Small Law Symposium last week.

  • iStock-1271192514.jpg

    Where Women Are And Are Not Getting Ahead In Law

    Women now make up the majority of law school graduates, law firm associates and lawyers in the federal government and will likely soon make up the majority of law school faculty, according to a report from the American Bar Association out Monday, however the proportion of women in certain positions of power within the profession continues to lag.

  • executive-laura-fennell-photo-icom-20230317-555x312.jpg

    Intuit's GC-Turned-People Chief Sees Comp Reach $15.8M

    An executive who helps oversee financial software company Intuit's workforce and formerly served as its general counsel earned roughly $15.8 million in compensation for fiscal year 2024, most of that from stock awards, a public filing says.

Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the California Pulse archive.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    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.

  • Series

    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.

×

Law360

Law360 Law360 UK Law360 Tax Authority Law360 Employment Authority Law360 Insurance Authority Law360 Real Estate Authority Law360 Healthcare Authority Law360 Bankruptcy Authority

Rankings

NEWLeaderboard Analytics Social Impact Leaders Prestige Leaders Pulse Leaderboard Women in Law Report Law360 400 Diversity Snapshot Rising Stars Summer Associates

National Sections

Modern Lawyer Courts Daily Litigation In-House Mid-Law Legal Tech Small Law Insights

Regional Sections

California Pulse Connecticut Pulse DC Pulse Delaware Pulse Florida Pulse Georgia Pulse New Jersey Pulse New York Pulse Pennsylvania Pulse Texas Pulse

Site Menu

Subscribe Advanced Search About Contact