California Pulse


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    ABA Gives Symbolic Support For Law School DEI Standards

    In a split vote, American Bar Association House of Delegates members on Tuesday elected to uphold a rule requiring law schools to demonstrate DEI standards, but then followed up with a vote allowing another path to removing the standards, in an effort to avoid the Trump administration's threat to strip the ABA of accreditation authority.

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    Gunnercooke Expands To West Coast With Calif. Partner Hire

    U.K.-based law firm Gunnercooke LLP announced Monday that it has hired its first California-based attorney, giving it a formal presence on the West Coast to complement existing offices in Chicago and New York.

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    ABA To Assess Aggressive BigLaw Campus Recruitment

    The American Bar Association's policymaking body on Monday approved a resolution sponsored by law students seeking reprieve from increasingly early BigLaw recruitment drives and clarified rules regarding client confidentiality and prosecutorial responsibility, some of the first votes taken on day one of its annual meeting.

  • Judge Denies Bid To Oust Kirkland From Trade Secret Feud

    A California federal judge has denied a healthcare software company's attempt to disqualify Kirkland & Ellis LLP from representing Commure Inc. in a trade secret lawsuit, ruling that the plaintiff failed to prove that information it disclosed during a prospective client consultation was materially harmful enough to warrant disqualification.

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    What To Know About Initial Rollout Of NextGen Bar Exam

    The NextGen Bar Exam, which is replacing the uniform bar exam across most of the United States, has been successfully administered for the first time in nine jurisdictions July 28-29 and was canceled in Washington state due to technical difficulties.

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    Legal Workplaces Create More Stress For Female Lawyers

    Female lawyers report being more stressed out than their male counterparts, and the reasons they give for that stress largely revolve around structural workplace factors, according to an American Bar Association report released Monday.

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    McGovern Weems Adds Name Partner, West, From Dechert

    The New York firm formerly known as McGovern Weems LLP announced Monday that it has hired another name partner, the former head of Dechert LLP's enforcement and investigations team.

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    Cleary Adds Litigators From White & Case, Orrick

    Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP said Monday that it has added two partners to its litigation practice in Washington, D.C., and California, one from White & Case LLP and the other from Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP.

  • Law360 Names 2026's Top Attorneys Under 40

    Law360 is pleased to announce the Rising Stars of 2026, our list of more than 160 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age.

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    ABA House Of Delegates Resolutions To Watch

    The American Bar Association is holding its annual conference in Chicago this year, and next week the organization's policymaking body will be tackling a wide range of topics, like student loan reform and establishing a commission to fight antisemitism.

  • Law360 Pulse Spotlight On Mid-Law Work

    Bass Berry and Potter Anderson's work on an investors' suit against Cars.com leads this edition of Law360 Pulse's Spotlight On Mid-Law Work, recapping the top matters for Mid-Law firms from July 17 to 31.

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    Sundance Elevates GC To COO Ahead Of Festival Venue Shift

    Sundance Institute, the nonprofit in charge of running the Sundance Film Festival, announced that its general counsel has been elevated to the role of chief operating officer ahead of its planned move to Colorado.

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    NetApp's Admin And Legal Chief Earned $6.6M Last Year

    The chief administrative officer for NetApp Inc., a data management and software company, earned a total compensation of $6.6 million in fiscal year 2026, according to a recent securities filing.

  • Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Two Texas personal injury firms lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions for their work securing a $604 million verdict against a freight broker and logistics company for their roles in a deadly 2021 highway collision.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry ended July with another busy week as firms doled out associate bonuses and BigLaw shops expanded their bench of talent. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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    Lionsgate Studios GC Sees Pay Rise $1.75M To $4.5M

    Lionsgate Studios' top attorney received a roughly $1.75 million raise to $4.5 million after leading the entertainment company's separation from Starz and guiding transactions around its hit Michael Jackson biopic, according to a new filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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    ABA Eyes Nixing School DEI Standards To Sway Trump Admin

    The American Bar Association is poised next week to eliminate the first of multiple diversity-related law school standards, a controversial move that it hopes will allow it to remain an accreditor despite an uncertain outcome in the face of a Trump administration increasingly wary of the association's role in legal education.

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    Former Calif. Assistant US Atty Joins Hueston Hennigan In LA

    An experienced trial lawyer who most recently spent nearly a decade as an assistant U.S. attorney with the Central District of California has joined Hueston Hennigan LLP's Los Angeles office as of counsel, the firm announced.

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    Kaufman Dolowich Hires O'Hagan Meyer Partner In LA

    Kaufman Dolowich has hired a Los Angeles labor and employment lawyer, who is joining as a partner to defend employers in complex litigation, the firm recently announced.

  • Law Firm Real Estate Report

    Florida was a hotbed of law firm office activity in July, with at least five firms either opening new locations or moving teams to new spaces.

  • Advocacy Group Says Law Firm Fellowship Program Biased

    A legal advocacy group said Thursday it had lodged U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission charges against a nonprofit and law firms including Jones Day, White & Case and Morgan Lewis, claiming Muslim and Middle Eastern students were getting unlawful preference in a fellowship program.

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    Vinson & Elkins Sees AI Usage Uptick After First Hackathon

    Vinson & Elkins completed its first artificial intelligence hackathon in June, called the V&E GenAI Cup, to generate more staff excitement about AI and gather new ideas for projects.

  • 9th Circ. Vacates Orrick Win In Stock Transfer Deal Dispute

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday reversed a lower court's finding that Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP can't be held liable in a battle over a stock transfer agreement gone awry, ruling that California law does allow a party to the transfer to pursue equitable indemnity in the case.

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    DOJ Suit Shows Bar Battles Have Reached New Fronts

    The legal effort seeking to outlaw mandatory bar associations has made little progress in the courts recently. But some lawyers say the challenges have made it easier for the Trump administration and some state legislatures to oppose legal regulators.

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    Former Zoom, EBay Atty Joins Cardlytics As CLO

    The new chief legal officer at Cardlytics Inc. sees data privacy and increasingly complex government regulations as among his biggest challenges when he joins the company on Monday next week.

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Expert Analysis

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises Author Photo

    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Prioritize Connections Author Photo

    One reason business development in the legal industry seems so mysterious is because human relationships are so complex, but lawyers can reorient their thinking in two important ways to drive the process of connecting with new colleagues and contacts, say Jamie Lawless and Angela Quinn at Husch Blackwell.

  • Roundup

    Biz Development Tip Of The Month Author Photo

    This year, experts shared 12 actionable strategies on building business in today's competitive legal market, from prioritizing human connections to maximizing the impact of thought leadership.

  • Overcoming US Law Firms' Hesitancy To Enter Indian Market Author Photo

    Successful private equity exits with strong returns have solidified India's buyout market as an increasingly attractive destination for future investments, offering compelling reasons for the U.S. legal community to overcome its caution on the country's markets, says Vaishali Movva at Eimer Stahl.

  • Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Make A Plan For The Year Author Photo

    While firms are busy allocating resources and assessing client demand, individual attorneys should use the start of the year to slow down and create a personal business plan, which can be accomplished with a few steps, say Elizabeth Gooch, Teri Robshaw and Chris Newman at McDermott.

  • Series

    Talking Mental Health: Caring For Everyone As A Firm Leader Author Photo

    Reid Phillips at Brooks Pierce discusses how he manages the pressure of running a law firm, how sources of stress in the legal industry have changed over the past decade, and what firm leaders should do to help manage burnout and mental health issues among employees.

  • How Firms Can Use LinkedIn To Aid Marketing Efforts In 2025 Author Photo

    LinkedIn has several features law firms can use to showcase their capabilities and thought leadership to reach prospective and existing clients, including the Event and Live features, says Sofia Millar at Reputation Ink.

  • Talking Mental Health: Managing Emotions In Trauma Cases Author Photo

    Nikki Hurtado at The Ferraro Law Firm discusses what motivates her to represent victims of catastrophic injuries, how she copes with the emotional toll of such cases, and what other attorneys taking on similar cases can do to protect their mental well-being.

  • Strategies For Successful Law Firm Mergers In 2025 Author Photo

    Law firms are expected to continue consolidating in the year to come, and because these mergers require a different kind of playbook, firm leaders must carefully consider office culture nuances, professional services economics and talent retention strategy before any merger, say directors at FTI Consulting.

  • Making Legal Cents: Winning More Work In A Crowded Market Author Photo

    In a market where clients have more options, tighter budgets and higher expectations, firms must figure out how to differentiate themselves without discounting their rates, and several practical strategies for pitching, pricing and early-engagement communication can help, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • Best Practices For Implementing Firm Revenue Cycle Roles Author Photo

    Law firm revenue cycles are becoming more complex and time-consuming, but hiring dedicated revenue cycle personnel can help streamline the process and reduce the burden on attorneys, says Christine Indiano at Harbor Global.

  • Tips For Constructing Your Small-Law Exit Strategy Author Photo

    By initiating planning and processes to evaluate personal retirement goals and firm value early, longtime solo practitioners and small-firm owners can unlock a range of possibilities and potential buyers, setting up for a profitable exit and a rewarding transition, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.

  • Tips For Persuasive Briefs Beyond The Argument Section Author Photo

    When crafting an appellate brief, the focus for most lawyers is the argument section, but other sections also offer strategic opportunities to shape the court's perception of the case and favorably frame the issues, say attorneys at Frost Brown.

  • 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.

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