California Pulse


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    Outgoing Okta CLO Saw Comp Exceed $10M In 2025

    The chief legal officer of software company Okta Inc. earned more than $12 million last year, up from about $7.3 million the previous year, a recent securities filing shows.

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    Quinn Emanuel Founder Exiting Executive Chair Role

    Four decades after high-stakes litigation firm Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan first opened in Los Angeles, founding partner John B. Quinn is stepping down as executive chairman of the firm effective immediately.

  • Levin Simes Atty Sidelined For 'Outrageous' Uber Remarks

    A Levin Simes LLP attorney has agreed to take on a more limited role in multidistrict litigation over Uber driver sexual assaults after he made "outrageous" remarks during a meeting with Uber's lawyers, calling one a "pedophile," "rapist" and "scumbag," among other vulgar insults, according to a stipulation.

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    Ex-Wachtell Lipton Atty Tied To Stolen BigLaw Info Trades

    A former Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz attorney who later worked for investment bank LionTree LLC is an unindicted co-conspirator in a sweeping alleged insider trading scheme that involved stolen information from several prominent law firms, according to a review of publicly available information.

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    DLA Piper Accused Of 'Frivolous' Suit To Please Chipotle GC

    DLA Piper aggressively litigated a "frivolous" computer fraud lawsuit against a nonprofit volunteer in order to appease the then-general counsel of Chipotle, a client, who referred the case to the firm, according to a malicious-prosecution complaint filed Thursday in California state court. 

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    The National Immigrant Justice Center and the American Civil Liberties Union lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a split Seventh Circuit panel rejected the Trump administration's argument that immigrants unlawfully in the United States have no due process rights.

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    Law360 Pulse Spotlight On Mid-Law Work

    Best Best & Krieger's work on a $466 million water infrastructure project leads this edition of Law360 Pulse's Spotlight On Mid-Law Work, recapping the top matters for Mid-Law firms from April 24 to May 8.

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    Legal Industry Bounces Back, Gaining 2,400 Jobs In April

    The legal sector is once again on a positive trajectory, gaining 2,400 jobs last month, according to seasonally adjusted data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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    How Today's Law Firm Leaders Define Success

    There are numerous rankings in today’s legal industry, and the ways law firms are measured against one another are countless, with diverse metrics ranging from profits to revenue to headcount. Here, 11 firm leaders share what success looks like to them.

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    Brownstein Hyatt Lands 3 Real Estate Pros From Ervin Cohen

    Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP announced that it is adding a real estate trio from Ervin Cohen & Jessup LLP, including the co-leader of the firm's real estate department.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The first full week of May saw news of BigLaw firm group launches, lateral moves and partner promotions. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

  • Dispensary Owners Want Blank Rome DQed From Loan Suit

    The owners of a New Jersey dispensary are asking a California federal court to disqualify Blank Rome LLP and its attorneys from representing a lender in a $1.6 million loan dispute, because the firm represented them as well and used confidential information in the lender's suit.

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    AI Native Firms Gain Foothold In Changing Legal Industry

    "AI native" law firms are a growing phenomenon sitting at the intersection of artificial intelligence and rising tide of outside investment in the legal industry, aiming to use legal technology to automate work and overhaul the law firm business model — while doing away with the billable hour in the process.

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    Barnes & Thornburg Lands Nixon Peabody Entertainment Trio

    Three entertainment attorneys from Nixon Peabody LLP have moved their practice to Barnes & Thornburg LLP in Los Angeles and Nashville, Tennessee, the firm announced Thursday.

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    Williams-Sonoma GC Earned $4.2M In 2025 Compensation

    The executive vice president, general counsel and secretary of Williams-Sonoma Inc., earned nearly $4.2 million in total compensation last year, according to a securities filing.

  • 'Wasn't A Hard Call': Jeffer Mangels Can't Arbitrate Atty's Suit

    A Los Angeles judge ruled at a Wednesday hearing that Jeffer Mangels Butler & Mitchell LLP can't arbitrate an ex-associate's lawsuit alleging she was harassed and fired due to her pregnancy, saying it "wasn't a hard call" because her sexual harassment claims are statutorily prohibited from being arbitrated.

  • Google Users Say DOJ Win 'Leaves Only Damages For Trial'

    Consumers want a California federal judge to go straight to trial over the amount of damages Google owes them for illegally monopolizing online search, arguing the company's violation of antitrust law "is now an undisputed fact as a matter of law."

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    DLA Piper Names 62 New Partners, Including 24 In US

    DLA Piper announced Wednesday that 62 attorneys have joined its global partnership ranks, as of May 1, with the U.S. logging more promotions to partner than other regions, with 24 total.

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    Which GCs Sold Stock In April? Venture Global And More

    April showered some legal chiefs with stock sale profits, and Keith Larson at Venture Global soaked up $13.9 million last month. Meanwhile, Paul Mahon at United Therapeutics wiped up $9.5 million, and Chevron's R. Hewitt Pate reported earning $8.57 on his sales.

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    Jeffer Mangels Brings On Raines Feldman Atty As IP Chair

    California firm Jeffer Mangels & Mitchell LLP has announced an experienced Los Angeles-based attorney has joined the firm from Raines Feldman Littrell LLP as a partner and chair of its intellectual property and media practice.

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    Agilent Taps Danaher Deal Lawyer As Chief Legal Officer

    Life sciences company Agilent Technologies Inc. has found a new top in-house attorney to lead its legal department after the recent resignation of its former chief legal officer.

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    Workday Legal Chief Sees Pay Drop For 2nd Year In Row

    The compensation of Workday Inc.'s legal chief declined for the second consecutive year to $7.8 million, according to a securities filing late Tuesday.

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    Feds Say Stolen BigLaw Deal Info Aided Huge Trading Scheme

    Federal prosecutors on Wednesday unveiled indictments outlining a massive insider trading scheme that allegedly netted tens of millions of dollars using nonpublic information about mergers and acquisitions worked on by some of the nation's biggest law firms.

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    The Top Law Schools For Legal Industry Jobs: A Data Review

    A law degree can lead to careers across law firms, government, business and public interest, according to the latest ABA data. See which schools stand out for placing graduates in BigLaw, federal and state clerkships, public interest roles and more.

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    The Law School Legal Industry Job Tracker: Class Of 2025

    Want to know which schools are sending the highest percentage of graduates to BigLaw? How big a slice are landing those prized clerkships in federal or state courts? Explore the ins and outs of law school graduate placement in our interactive graphic.

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Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Series

    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.

  • Series

    Talking Mental Health: Tackling Stress As A Practice Leader Author Photo

    Constance Rhebergen at Bracewell discusses how she handles the stress of being a practice chair, how sources of stress have changed in the legal industry over the past decade and what law firms can do to protect attorney mental health.

  • Making Legal Cents: Engaging A Remote, Evolving Workforce Author Photo

    In the face of a dispersed and changing workforce with Generation Z entering the scene, law firms should consider some practical strategies to revitalize their cultures, provide meaningful mentorship and safeguard their knowledge bases, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • How Firms Can Effectively Evaluate Their Summer Associates Author Photo

    One of the most effective ways firms can ensure their summer associate programs are a success is by engaging in a timely and meaningful evaluation process and being intentional about when, how and by whom feedback should be provided, say Caroline Cimei and Erica Fine at Shutts & Bowen.

  • Series

    Talking Mental Health: Life As A Lawyer With OCD Author Photo

    Kelly Hughes at Ogletree discusses what she’s learned in the 14 years since she was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, recounting how the experience shaped her law practice, what the legal industry and general public get wrong about the disorder, and how law firms can better support employees who have OCD.

  • 3 Innovative Ways AI May Be Used In Legal Practice
    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
    Author Photo

    Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly be used by outside counsel to better predict the outcomes of litigation — thus informing legal strategy with greater precision — and by clients to scrutinize invoices and evaluate counsel’s performance, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Roundup

    My Nonpracticing Law Job Author Photo

    Not every law degree leads to a law practice. In this Law360 Pulse series, former practicing attorneys share the stories of how they went from practicing corporate law to using their knowledge and background to carve out a nontraditional career path in the legal industry.

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    My Nonpracticing Law Job: Librarian Author Photo

    Lisa A. Goodman at Texas A&M University shares how she went from a BigLaw associate who liked to hang out in the firm's law library to director of a law library herself in just over a decade, and provides considerations for anyone interested in pursuing a law librarian career.

  • Legal Briefs Can Benefit From Cleaned Up Case Citations Author Photo

    Federal courts have recently been changing the way they quote decisions to omit insignificant details and string cites, and lawyers should consider adopting this practice to enhance the readability of their briefs — as long as accuracy stays top of mind, says Diana Simon at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law.

  • 5 Best Practices For Firms Designing DEI Programs Author Photo

    Nikki Lewis Simon, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Greenberg Traurig, discusses best practices — and some pitfalls to avoid — for law firms looking to build programs aimed at driving inclusion in the workplace.

  • Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs Author Photo

    Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Do I Juggle Billables And Other Activities? Author Photo

    While involvement in internal firm initiatives can be rewarding both personally and professionally, associates' billable time requirements don’t leave much room for other work, meaning they must develop strategies to ensure they’re meeting all of their commitments while remaining balanced, says Melanie Webber at Fisher Phillips.

  • Making Legal Cents: How To Adapt As Clients Tighten Budgets Author Photo

    Amid a dip in corporate legal spending and client pushback on bills, Shireen Hilal at Maior Consultants highlights specific in-house counsel frustrations and explains how firms can provide customized legal advice with costs that are supported by undeniable value.

  • Spartan Arbitration Tactics Against Well-Funded Opponents Author Photo

    Like the ancient Spartans who held off a numerically superior Persian army at the Battle of Thermopylae, trial attorneys and clients faced with arbitration against an opponent with a bigger war chest can take a strategic approach to create a pass to victory, say Kostas Katsiris and Benjamin Argyle at Venable.

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