California Pulse

  • Vape Co. Sues Buchalter Alleging Malpractice After IP Action

    A Los Angeles-based cannabis company called Smoke Tokes LLC has filed a legal malpractice suit accusing Buchalter PC and two of its attorneys of causing a federal trademark action to drag on unnecessarily even after Smoke Tokes took all necessary steps to satisfy a judgment and injunction.

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    Haynes Boone Adds Moore & Van Allen Practice Head In NC

    Haynes and Boone LLP is expanding its finance offerings in North Carolina with the addition of an experienced attorney who most recently served as the head of the swaps and derivatives practice at Moore & Van Allen PLLC.

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    Akin Adds Energy-Sector Adviser From Greenberg Traurig

    Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP announced Wednesday that it's welcoming an energy-sector-focused attorney from Greenberg Traurig LLP, as the firm says opportunities to invest in sustainable energy projects have fueled client demand.

  • Courthouse Bomb Suspect Faces Attempted Murder Charges

    A California man is in custody on charges of attempted murder and using an explosive device after allegedly throwing a bomb that injured five people inside a Santa Barbara County courthouse on Wednesday morning, according to the county sheriff's office.

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    How To Pay Off $215K Of Law School Debt In 4 Years

    Cindy Zuniga-Sanchez, Dechert LLP’s new talent development manager, is also a self-taught expert on financial freedom. She is the author of a book that details how she was able to pay off $215,000 of law school and credit card debt six years early. Here, she gives away her key tips.

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    Baker Botts Names IP Leader In Northern California Offices

    Baker Botts LLP has promoted a longtime partner to head of the intellectual property department in its San Francisco and Palo Alto, California, offices.

  • Dentons Accused Of Hacking Laptop, Aiding Vape Co. Usurper

    Dentons helped the founder of vape distributor Next Level sabotage and usurp manufacturer Avid Holdings' brand, including breaking into its founder's laptop to access confidential information, Avid alleged in a sprawling lawsuit filed Tuesday in California federal court.

  • Google Investors' Atty Defends Fees For $350M Privacy Deal

    Counsel for Google LLC shareholders who reached a $350 million settlement with Alphabet Inc. over claims they were deceived about a 2018 data breach urged a California federal judge Tuesday to approve the deal, including about $66.5 million for attorneys, calling the fees more than reasonable.

  • Judge Defends Atty Fees In Failed Law Firm Case

    A California bankruptcy judge on Tuesday pushed back against criticisms of big fees for professionals in the case of defunct debt relief law firm Litigation Practice Group and said he would approve interim professional fees and expenses of $8.1 million.

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    Ex-Google Privacy Chief Joins Gibson Dunn As Practice Head

    Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP has hired a former vice president and chief privacy officer at Google, who for more than 13½ years has helped lead a team of privacy specialists working to achieve Google's data protection and privacy goals.

  • California Powerhouse: Cooley

    With numerous high-profile litigation wins and transactions this past year — including a California Supreme Court victory for whistleblowers, Instacart's $660M IPO and Horizon Therapeutics' $27.8 billion sale — Cooley LLP has reinforced its reputation as a leading law firm in the Golden State and once again landed on Law360's Regional Powerhouses list.

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    Sheppard Mullin Adds Paul Hastings Employment Leader

    The co-leader of Paul Hastings LLP's wage and hour practice group has jumped to Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP in California, the firm said Tuesday.

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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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Expert Analysis

  • Why Writing CLE Should Be Mandatory For Lawyers Author Photo

    Though effective writing is foundational to law, no state requires attorneys to take continuing legal education in this skill — something that must change if today's attorneys are to have the communication abilities they need to fulfill their professional and ethical duties to their clients, colleagues and courts, says Diana Simon at the University of Arizona.

  • How To Find Your Inner Calm When Client Obligations Pile Up Author Photo

    In the most stressful times for attorneys, when several transactions for different partners and clients peak at the same time and the phone won’t stop buzzing, incremental lifestyle changes can truly make a difference, says Lindsey Hughes at Haynes Boone.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Support Gen Z Attorneys? Author Photo

    Meredith Beuchaw at Lowenstein Sandler discusses how senior attorneys can assist the newest generation of attorneys by championing their pursuit of a healthy work-life balance and providing the hands-on mentorship opportunities they missed out on during the pandemic.

  • Law Firm Cybersecurity Should Not Get Lost In The Cloud Author Photo

    A recent data leak at Proskauer via a cloud data storage platform demonstrates key reasons why law firms must pay attention to data safeguarding, including the increasing frequency of cloud-based data breaches and the consequences of breaking client confidentiality, says Robert Kraczek at One Identity.

  • Advice For Summer Associates Uneasy About Offer Prospects Author Photo

    There are a few communication tips that law students in summer associate programs should consider to put themselves in the best possible position to receive an offer, and firms can also take steps to support those to whom they are unable to make an offer, says Amy Mattock at Georgetown University Law Center.

  • 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.

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    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.

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