California Pulse


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    For In-House Attys, Bonuses Come Easy, But Equity Less So

    The vast majority of in-house counsel at all levels received pay bonuses in 2024, while a smaller share — but still a majority — received long-term incentives, according to a new survey.

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    Kahana Feld Names First Chief People Officer

    Irvine, California-based Kahana Feld LLP continues expanding its executive leadership team, bringing in as its new human resources head a former Deloitte HR managing director who most recently was the chief human resources officer of Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch LLP.

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    Law Firms Begin Upping The Ante For Associate Bonuses

    Trial boutique Wilkinson Stekloff LLP is exceeding the year-end associate bonus scale set by Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP, announcing bonuses late Wednesday that are 150% of market.

  • Law Firms' Share Of US Office Leasing Grows To 10.5%

    The legal sector's presence in the broader U.S. office leasing market grew to 10.5% in the third quarter — over double what it was about seven years ago — with Moore & Van Allen PLLC and Latham & Watkins LLP signing three of the biggest deals, according to a Wednesday report from Savills.

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    Munger Tolles Picks Up Ropes & Gray IP Ace In San Francisco

    Munger Tolles & Olson LLP announced Wednesday it is expanding its litigation team, bringing in a Ropes & Gray LLP intellectual property trial attorney as a partner in its San Francisco office.

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    Blank Rome Reelects Firm Chair To New Term

    Blank Rome LLP's top leader will hold on to his position for another four years, after the firm recently reelected him to serve as chair and managing partner.

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    Gilead Sciences' GC Will Leave Co. Next Month

    Gilead Sciences Inc. announced Wednesday that Deborah H. Telman will no longer serve as its executive vice president for corporate affairs and general counsel as of Dec. 5, 2025.

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    BigLaw Begins To Fall In Line With Cravath Bonuses

    Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson, McDermott Will & Schulte LLP and Dechert LLP are among the law firms following the lead of Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP on year-end associate bonuses this week, with at least five large firms matching the market leader within a day of Cravath's Tuesday announcement.

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    Compensation Report: A Deep Dive Into GC Pay

    Law360 Pulse went beyond the numbers to examine how industry, law firm experience and education shape the pay of top-earning S&P 500 general counsel. Here's what we found.

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    These Are The Legal Chiefs Who Command Top Dollar

    While the pay packages for most legal leaders in the corporate space remains strong — especially because of hefty stock awards and bonuses — there are large gaps in compensation even among the top 10 earners in the U.S.

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    Everything You Need To Know About GC Pay

    Find out which S&P 500 general counsel earns the most and how pay differs across industries. Explore every detail in our interactive compensation graphic.

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    Law Firms Struggle To Keep Partners Amid Lateral Boom

    The number of lateral moves for associates, counsel and partners seeking greener pastures is outpacing last year, which is both good and bad news for legal employers, according to law firm leaders and search firms.

  • Cravath Unveils Associate Bonuses, Multiple Firms Follow

    Multiple firms swiftly fell in line Tuesday evening just hours after Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP announced associate bonuses in line with those offered last year, continuing a long tradition of BigLaw firms following Cravath's lead on compensation.

  • Rumble Alerts 9th Circ. To Recusal Bid Over Google Ties

    Days after Rumble asked a California federal judge to consider recusal in the event the Ninth Circuit revives its antitrust lawsuit against Google, the video-sharing site flagged its recusal bid to the Ninth Circuit itself, filing a motion for judicial notice of the district court judge's friendship with Google's top in-house litigation chief.

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    After Merger, Troutman Pepper Locke Elects 20 New Partners

    In its first partner class since the merger of Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP and Locke Lord LLP at the beginning of the year, the newly combined Troutman Pepper Locke announced Tuesday it would be elevating 20 attorneys to the firm's partnership in January.

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    JAMS Focused On Modern Tech, Comfort In LA Center Move

    Alternative dispute resolution service JAMS is relocating its downtown Los Angeles resolution center, the service announced Tuesday.

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    Law Firms Being Tested With Associate Performance Reviews

    Eighty-three percent of U.S. and Canadian associates receive a yearly annual review, but there is room for improvement in how law firms evaluate their attorneys' performance, according to a new study.

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    Billable Hours Still Drive Atty Bonuses. Is Change Coming?

    The primary factor determining whether a law firm associate receives a year-end bonus is not individual performance, firm performance, or firm citizenship. Instead, it is the number of billable hours they've logged, according to the results of a new survey from Law360 Pulse.

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    Client Book Remains Key To Nonequity Partner Pay

    The nonequity partner tier is expanding across law firms, but compensation within this group varies widely, ranging from associate-level pay to earnings on par with equity partners. A deciding factor in where they fall on the scale, experts say, is often who brings in the clients.

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    A Deep Dive Into Law360 Pulse's Survey Of Law Firm Pay

    Most lawyers say they’re satisfied with their compensation— but at firms that are open about pay, satisfaction nearly doubles. Explore our latest analysis of law firm compensation practices and what drives top talent.

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    Perkins Coie's Trump Fight Doesn't Scare Off UK Suitor

    Perkins Coie LLP's ongoing fight with the Trump administration did not deter a proposed combination with British law firm Ashurst, signaling that the legal community is not worried about fallout from the president's suspension of the firm's security clearances.

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    Greenberg Glusker Entertainment Ace Joins Kauff McGuire

    New York-based boutique Kauff McGuire & Margolis LLP is growing its ranks by bringing in a Greenberg Glusker LLP media and entertainment ace as a partner in its Los Angeles office.

  • Uber's Fraud Claims Against LA Firms Is 'Fantasy,' Court Told

    Two Los Angeles personal injury firms are asking a California federal court to toss a lawsuit alleging Uber is being targeted by a scheme involving fraudulent personal injury claims arising from motor vehicle accidents, with one of them calling the purported scheme a "mere fantasy."

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    Law Firm Growth Driven Mostly By Rate Increases In 2025

    Increasing demand and especially rising billing rates have made for a strong first nine months of 2025 for the legal industry, according to a report released Monday by Wells Fargo's Legal Specialty Group, with the top 50 firms by revenue seeing the best performance.

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    UK Firms Drive Transatlantic Appetite For M&A Dealmaking

    The merger announced Monday between British legal giant Ashurst LLP and American law firm Perkins Coie LLP is the latest in a spate of deals driven, in part, by an appetite among global firms to gain a strong presence in the U.S.

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Expert Analysis

  • Ask A Mentor: Is Secondment A Good Career Move? Author Photo

    Kate Driscoll at Morrison Foerster suggests six questions to help candidates evaluate whether a secondment will benefit their career.

  • 3 Trends Reshaping Chief Marketing Officer Appointments Author Photo

    Recent approaches to hiring chief marketing officers demonstrate how firms are reimagining their marketing and business development frameworks to stay competitive and responsive to evolving client needs, says Murray Coffey at M Coffey.

  • Talking Mental Health: Working As A Mom Of An Autistic Son Author Photo

    Sarah Kovit Hanna at Assurant discusses how she balances the demands of her in-house role and the support needs of her son, who was diagnosed with autism, as a single mom, and reflects on how the legal industry can better support caretakers of family members who have special needs.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Can I Maximize My Pro Bono Impact? Author Photo

    Debbie Berman at Jenner & Block offers advice on how attorneys can make a meaningful impact on their communities through pro bono work while enhancing their professional development through strengthened client-facing skills, hands-on experience and more.

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    My Nonpracticing Law Job: Law Firm Marketer Author Photo

    Liz Bard Lindley at Jaffe PR shares how she went from a family law associate who helped write industry articles to a savvy legal public relations and marketing professional, and offers takeaways for any attorney who might not feel at home in their law practice and is considering alternative career paths.

  • The Case For Keeping The Gas On Deputy GC Compensation Author Photo

    In recent years, the deputy general counsel role has expanded and become increasingly vital in organizations across the globe, and companies should consider a few ways to retain this top talent, including by offering competitive compensation that reflects projected increases, says Heather Fine at Major Lindsey.

  • Talking Mental Health: The View From Life After BigLaw Author Photo

    Life coach and author Wendy Tamis Robbins discusses why she left a career in BigLaw to work in the professional well-being space after finding freedom from anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and substance use disorders, and highlights two changes the legal industry should implement to address attorneys' mental health.

  • 6 Essential Skills For Summer Associates To Land An Offer
    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    With full-time offer rates at the lowest point since 2012, summer associates must do all they can to distinguish themselves, starting with a few fundamentals — from the importance of asking clarifying questions to being honest about mistakes, says James Argionis at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Making Legal Cents: How Law Firms Can Innovate Faster Author Photo

    To meet the demands of an evolving legal market and changing client expectations, law firms must not only embrace innovation, but also find ways to accelerate adoption and mitigate risks in an industry historically resistant to change, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Should Departing Partners Approach Pay? Author Photo

    Sabina Lippman at CenterPeak discusses steps BigLaw partners can take when considering a move or announcing their departure to help navigate tricky compensation issues and remain on good terms with their current partners.

  • 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.

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