California Pulse


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    Ex-Airbnb GC To Tackle Climate Change At Watershed

    The former general counsel at Airbnb and Chegg Inc. announced Monday that he has accepted a job as general counsel and global head of policy at Watershed, a six-year-old sustainability measurement platform.

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    Survey Finds AI May Reshape Billable Hour's Reign In Law

    The legal industry's billing practices may soon undergo a seismic shift, as a survey of nearly 300 professionals highlights the growing influence of generative artificial intelligence, with many predicting the end of the billable hour's dominance.

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    Eversheds Sutherland Launches Silicon Valley Office

    Eversheds Sutherland is expanding its West Coast operations, announcing Tuesday it is opening a Silicon Valley office with Bradford Newman, a litigator from Baker McKenzie specializing in trade secrets and artificial intelligence, as its head.

  • Revived Effort To Break Up 9th Circ. Makes Its Way To Senate

    Idaho Republicans have reintroduced a U.S. Senate bill that looks to split up the Ninth Circuit and create a new Twelfth Circuit, according to an announcement made Monday, roughly nearly seven months after a similar bill was introduced in the House.

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    Davis Wright Adds Ex-Charles Schwab Associate GC In SF

    Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is expanding its litigation team with the addition of a former associate general counsel from Charles Schwab who has also worked at Morgan Stanley and was general counsel at a cryptocurrency exchange, the firm announced Monday.

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    Pillsbury Lands WilmerHale Startup Duo In Silicon Valley

    Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP announced Monday that it has landed a pair of partners from WilmerHale to enhance its capacity to advise startups, emerging technology companies and other clients.

  • Uber Sues LA Law Firms Over Alleged Crash Fraud Scheme

    Uber Technologies Inc. filed a lawsuit Monday against two Los Angeles personal injury firms, two of their attorneys and others, alleging the ride-sharing company is being targeted by a scheme involving fraudulent personal injury claims arising from motor vehicle accidents.

  • Judge Won't Recuse Over Past Work With DraftKings Counsel

    A California federal judge presiding over a proposed class action against DraftKings regarding its fantasy sports games offerings rejected a request from the plaintiffs to recuse himself over concerns that an attorney for the defense has ties to the court.

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    Billables AI Hires Ex-Clio, Consolio Executives

    Professional services software company Billables AI, which has an AI platform for timekeeping, announced Monday the hiring of two former leaders at Clio and Consilio LLC to serve as its director of customer success and head of sales.

  • Pot Drink Co.'s Case Belongs In Arbitration, Stoel Rives Says

    Stoel Rives LLP and a group of its clients are urging a California federal court to send a fraud suit brought by a maker of nonalcoholic cannabis drinks back to arbitration, arguing all the claims are subject to a valid arbitration agreement.

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    Judges' AI Orders Keep Trickling In As Fake Citations Persist

    A handful of federal judges have issued orders or guidelines this year on the use of generative artificial intelligence in court filings as attorneys continue to get in trouble for submitting legal documents with fake case citations, according to a Law360 Pulse analysis.

  • Law360 Names 2025's Top Attorneys Under 40

    Law360 is pleased to announce the Rising Stars of 2025, our list of more than 150 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age.

  • Geragos Owes $100K For Role In Nike Extortion, Jury Says

    Celebrity attorney Mark Geragos was ordered to pay $100,000 to a youth basketball coach by a Los Angeles jury that found he aided and abetted disbarred lawyer Michael Avenatti in a failed attempt to extort Nike that landed Avenatti with a 2½ year prison sentence.

  • California Courts Set AI Rules Allowing Flexibility For Judges

    The Judicial Council of California approved a policy Friday for rules and standards on the use of generative artificial intelligence for judges and court staff, with the chair of the council's AI task force saying the policy provides flexibility by allowing courts to either adopt the technology or ban it.

  • Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Shapiro Arato Bach LLP leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Second Circuit overturned the conviction of a former HSBC executive accused of defrauding a Scottish oil and gas company in a $3.5 billion currency exchange deal.

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    Poaching Suit Shows Contentious Nature Of Lateral Market

    California firm Keesal Young & Logan's suit against Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP for allegedly unfairly poaching a group of its attorneys is not on firm footing, recruiters and consultants say, but still speaks to the importance of trying to leave a firm on good terms when moving jobs.

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    Ex-Toys 'R' Us GC Joins Cousteau-Founded Climate Tech Co.

    The former general counsel for Toys 'R' Us is part of the recent additions to the leadership team at Voyacy Regen, a blue technology company co-founded by Philippe Cousteau, grandson of famed oceanographer and filmmaker Jacques Cousteau.

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    Buchalter Pops Open Wine, Beer And Spirits Group

    Buchalter PC has launched a wine, beer and spirits industry group to help suppliers and wholesalers in the alcoholic beverage space navigate rapidly changing state and federal regulations.

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    Brownstein Hyatt Managing Partner Reelected To A 3rd Term

    Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP shareholders elected Rich Benenson as managing partner for a third time and named new members of the executive committee as the mid-law firm continues to expand across the country.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    This was another action-packed week for the legal industry as attorneys took on new roles and law firms expanded their reach. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

  • LA Ex-Judge Admonished For 'Discourteous,' 'Demeaning' Talk

    California's Commission on Judicial Performance has publicly admonished a retired Los Angeles state judge for a pattern of "discourteous, undignified and impatient" behavior that also involved "demeaning" remarks toward women, findings that the judge said don't reflect "the full complexity of the circumstances."

  • Judge Won't Grant Fees In Temporary Protected Status Suit

    A California federal judge rejected a bid by immigrant rights advocates for $3.6 million in attorney fees, saying their preliminary injunction blocking temporary protected status terminations during Trump's first term did not make them the prevailing party because the case ended without a final judgment.

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    5 Things To Know As California Courts Decide On AI Rule

    Fourteen months after California Supreme Court Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero first convened a task force to study potential benefits and risks of using artificial intelligence in the court system, the Judicial Council of California is poised Friday to consider the proposed rules and standards the task force developed.

  • Ex-Burning Man, MAPS GC Joins Psychedelics Boutique

    The former general counsel to both the organization behind the annual Burning Man festival and to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies has joined the recently launched psychedelics firm Antithesis Law as of counsel, the firm announced Thursday.

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    Amazon Attys Jump To Crowell & Moring In San Francisco

    Crowell & Moring LLP has expanded its litigation resources in its San Francisco office with the addition of two former in-house attorneys for Amazon, who bring more than 30 years of combined experience to advise clients on product liability claims.

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Expert Analysis

  • How Firms Can Stop Playing Whack-A-Mole With Data Security Author Photo

    In order to achieve a robust client data protection posture, law firms should focus on adopting a risk-based approach to security, which can be done by assessing gaps, using that data to gain leadership buy-in for the needed changes, and adopting a dynamic and layered approach, says John Smith at Conversant Group.

  • 5 Life Lessons From Making Partner As A Solo Parent Author Photo

    Laranda Walker at Susman Godfrey, who was raising two small children and working her way to partner when she suddenly lost her husband, shares what fighting to keep her career on track taught her about accepting help, balancing work and family, and discovering new reserves of inner strength.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Turn Deferral To My Advantage? Author Photo

    Diana Leiden at Winston & Strawn discusses how first-year associates whose law firm start dates have been deferred can use the downtime to hone their skills, help their communities, and focus on returning to BigLaw with valuable contacts and out-of-the-box insights.

  • Resume Gaps Are No Longer Kryptonite To Your Legal Career Author Photo

    Female attorneys and others who pause their careers for a few years will find that gaps in work history are increasingly acceptable among legal employers, meaning with some networking, retraining and a few other strategies, lawyers can successfully reenter the workforce, says Jill Backer at Ave Maria School of Law.

  • Law Firm Guardrails For Responsible Generative AI Use Author Photo

    ChatGPT and other generative artificial intelligence tools pose significant risks to the integrity of legal work, but the key for law firms is not to ban these tools, but to implement them responsibly and with appropriate safeguards, say Natalie Pierce and Stephanie Goutos at Gunderson Dettmer.

  • Opinion

    We Must Continue DEI Efforts Despite High Court Headwinds Author Photo

    Though the U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down affirmative action in higher education, law firms and their clients must keep up the legal industry’s recent momentum advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in the profession in order to help achieve a just and prosperous society for all, says Angela Winfield at the Law School Admission Council.

  • Law Firms Cannot Ignore Attorneys' Personal Cybersecurity Author Photo

    Law firms that fail to consider their attorneys' online habits away from work are not using their best efforts to protect client information and are simplifying the job of plaintiffs attorneys in the case of a breach, say Mark Hurley and Carmine Cicalese at Digital Privacy and Protection.

  • 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.

  • Series

    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.

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