California Pulse


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    Shifting Market Winds Blew Kramer Levin To HSF Deal

    In the span of four years, Kramer Levin co-managing partner Howard Spilko went from "very happy" with the firm's geographical footprint to announcing a combination with a more-than-2,000-lawyer global giant. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at the increasing headwinds for smaller law firms that led to that change in position.

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    Law Firms Positioned To Finish 2024 On 'Very Strong' Note

    The legal market is positioned to have a very strong year, with firms seeing increases in demand, revenue and attorney productivity during the first three quarters of 2024, according to the results of a survey by Citi Global Wealth at Work.

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    What's Next For Court Reform In This New Political Climate?

    Advocates are not holding out hope for bills that would firm up a code of ethics for the U.S. Supreme Court, impose term limits on justices or give judiciary employees antidiscrimination job protections, saying Republican control of the federal government will likely stall any progress that's been made with court reform efforts.

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    Kilpatrick Cybersecurity Leader Joins BakerHostetler In LA

    BakerHostetler has welcomed the cochair of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP's cybersecurity, privacy and data governance practice in California, continuing the firm's plan for strategic growth on the West Coast.

  • Calif. Bar Latest To Offer Smokeball Billing Software For Free

    Legal practice management software provider Smokeball furthered its plan to provide state bar associations with free access to its trust accounting billing software, adding the California Lawyers Association to its growing list of partnerships, according to a Tuesday announcement.

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    Jones Day Real Estate Ace Jumps To Greenberg Traurig In LA

    Greenberg Traurig LLP is expanding its West Coast real estate team, bringing in a Jones Day real estate transactions pro as a shareholder in its Los Angeles office.

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    In-House Counsel Less Wary Of Making BigLaw Jump

    While most in-house counsel aren't actively looking to shift to private practice, a survey out Tuesday found there may be an increasing openness to that career lane shift if certain conditions — such as better salaries, work-life balance, and firm culture — are met.

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    OpenX Promotes Atty To Chief Privacy Officer, Deputy GC

    OpenX Technologies Inc. has looked within for a new privacy leader in what the online advertising exchange company described as a strategic move doubling down on its commitment to privacy-first practices in the ad tech industry.

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    Polsinelli Adds Kirkland AI And Tech Ace In San Francisco

    Polsinelli PC is expanding its West Coast technology transactions team, announcing Tuesday it is bringing in a Kirkland & Ellis LLP data privacy and artificial intelligence expert as a principal in its San Francisco office.

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    Deloitte In-House Atty Joins Foley & Lardner In LA

    Jose Sanchez, a former senior trial counsel in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's Enforcement Division, has joined Foley & Lardner's Los Angeles office following nearly six years in Deloitte's office of the general counsel.

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    Girardi Prosecutor Joins Edelson's Trial Bench In LA

    A former federal prosecutor who helped secure Tom Girardi's conviction in August is now moving to Edelson PC, the law firm that shined a spotlight on the disbarred lawyer's theft and fraud, leading to criminal charges and a public downfall.

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    Law360 Names Attys Who Moved Up The Firm Ranks In Q3

    A promotion to partner or election to practice group chair means a slew of new responsibilities and also lots of well-deserved recognition. Law360 reveals the list of attorneys whose commitment to legal excellence earned them highly coveted spots in the law firm leadership ranks. Find out if your old legal friends — or rivals — moved up in the third quarter of the year.

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    Morgan Lewis M&A Pro Jumps To Baker Botts In Palo Alto

    Baker Botts LLP has hired an attorney who previously worked at Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP, Winston & Strawn LLP and other firms to bolster its mergers and acquisitions practice on the West Coast.

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    BigLaw Bonus Season Starts With A Move By Milbank

    Milbank LLP announced Monday that it will hand its associates year-end bonuses ranging from $15,000 to $115,000 depending on seniority, numbers that nearly align with bonuses the firm and its peers handed out last year.

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    Herbert Smith Freehills To Merge With US-Based Kramer Levin

    Herbert Smith Freehills LLP said Monday that it is joining forces with U.S. law firm Kramer Levin to form a global legal powerhouse in a move that could signal further consolidation in the sector.

  • Sullivan & Cromwell Fees Questioned In Kidde-Fenwal Ch. 11

    Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and the attorney general of California clashed in Delaware bankruptcy court over the firm's interim fee requests for its representation of debtor chemical company Kidde-Fenwal Inc., with the state alleging overbilling and Sullivan & Cromwell claiming California is seeking "payback" for the results of a recent mediation.

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    Exec Exodus At Hospitality Platform Sonder Includes CLO

    Hospitality platform Sonder announced Friday its chief legal officer will be resigning from her role later this month as one of three executives who have announced their plans to leave the company by the end of 2024.

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC and Potter Anderson & Corroon LLP lead this week's list of Law360 legal lions for helping a California biotech startup beat a nearly $460 million trade secrets trial before a federal jury in Delaware.

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    Cozen O'Connor Vet Leader On Affinity Group, Military Service

    Affinity groups have become one way for law firms to make sure diverse groups of lawyers in their organizations feel connected and supported. Cozen O' Connor is among the firms that provide a forum for attorneys with military service to link up with one another along with provide pro bono work to veterans dealing with legal issues such as benefits and disability compensation matters.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry had another action-packed week as BigLaw firms named new leaders and Donald Trump became president-elect. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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    New Top LA Judge Discusses Being Latino Leader, Advocate

    Law360 Pulse caught up with Judge Sergio C. Tapia II, who in January will become presiding judge of the Los Angeles County Superior Court, to discuss what it means to be a Latino in a position of authority and how he remains “an advocate for justice and neutrality.”

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    How General Counsel Are Preparing For Trump 2.0

    While the stock market surge after Donald Trump won election this week shows that business considers him a friend, corporations are still bracing for the impact of changes that a new administration will bring in 2025.

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    Latham Elevates 24 Associates To Partner In Reduced Class

    Latham & Watkins LLP will promote 24 associates to partner at the start of 2025, a number that is down significantly from the 34 associates who were promoted to partner in January 2024, the firm has announced.

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    Wilson Sonsini Accused Of Wrongfully Firing Legal Assistant

    A former practice group assistant at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC has filed a wrongful termination suit in California state court, accusing the firm of discriminating against her because of her disabilities and firing her in retaliation for raising hostile work environment and other concerns.

  • Greenberg Glusker Wins Bid To Arbitrate Ex-Client's Suit

    A judge in California state court on Thursday granted a motion by Greenberg Glusker Fields Claman & Machtinger LLP and two partners to arbitrate an investor's allegations that they bungled his defense in an underlying civil suit, finding some of the ex-client's arguments against arbitration were "frivolous" and "not credible."

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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.

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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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