California Pulse


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    MoFo Adds AI-Focused Labor Atty From McDermott In LA

    Morrison Foerster LLP has expanded its employment and labor group in Los Angeles with the addition of a former McDermott Will & Schulte attorney.

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    Dykema Celebrates Its Centennial With Eye On More Growth

    As Dykema Gossett PLLC celebrates its 100th anniversary, its CEO told Law360 Pulse on Friday that the firm is eyeing more growth of its existing 13 offices, as well as potential expansion into new markets.

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    Dunn Isaacson Announces Bonuses Of Up To $25K

    Litigation boutique Dunn Isaacson Rhee LLP is the latest firm to announce midyear associate bonuses and is distributing payouts of between $10,000 and $25,000, according to an internal memo viewed by Law360.

  • Law360 Pulse Spotlight On Mid-Law Work

    Brownstein Hyatt's challenge to a Colorado cannabis tax formula leads this edition of Law360 Pulse's Spotlight On Mid-Law Work, recapping the top matters for Mid-Law firms from May 22 to June 5. 

  • Which GCs Sold Stock In May? Arm Holdings & More

    The month of May brought memorable stock deals for some legal chiefs, with Spencer Collins of Arm Holdings leading the way with $19.8 million in sales. Keith Larson at Venture Global earned over $15 million in stock sales last month, while the soon-to-depart Kathryn Ruemmler at Goldman Sachs reaped just over $14 million, and Booking Holdings' Peter Millones collected over $10 million.

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    Legal Job Market Surges With Special Litigation, Gov't Work

    The legal sector saw 1,200 more jobs in May after gaining 1,900 positions the month before, according to seasonally adjusted data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Winston Taylor leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the U.S. Supreme Court ended a patent suit over Hikma Pharmaceuticals USA Inc.'s generic version of a heart drug that uses a so-called skinny label.

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    Polsinelli Hires Career Gunderson Dettmer Lawyer In SF

    Polsinelli PC has hired a career Gunderson Dettmer Stough Villeneuve Franklin & Hachigian LLP lawyer who focuses on representing technology companies and venture capital investors in a range of corporate matters, the firm announced Thursday.

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    Katten Is Latest Firm To Match Milbank Associate Pay Raise

    Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP has joined the growing list of firms that are largely matching a new pay scale for associates set earlier this week by Milbank LLP, with attorneys set to see annual pay increases of $10,000 to $20,000.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry kicked off June with another action-packed week as firms doled out associate raises and expanded practices across the country. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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    Calif. Bar Accuses More Attys In Unlicensed Practice Scheme

    Three more attorneys at the Los Angeles personal injury firm facing investigation for its involvement in a record $4 billion sex abuse settlement against Los Angeles County are facing disciplinary charges by the State Bar of California, alleging the firm illegally practiced law outside the state.

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    New Keker Leader On Firm Culture For 'High Stakes Litigation'

    The new managing partner of San Francisco trial boutique Keker Van Nest & Peters LLP said he is looking to preserve what makes the firm unique while supporting continued growth and finding ways to use artificial intelligence to the firm's advantage.

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    Quinn Emanuel, Texas Boutique Match Milbank Associate Pay

    Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP and a Texas-based litigation boutique are the latest firms to match Milbank LLP's pay hikes for associates, with annual increases of $10,000 to $20,000 that top off at $455,000.

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    MoFo Hires Its 1st Chief People Officer, From Mayer Brown

    Morrison Foerster LLP has become the latest of several firms to add a chief people officer to its C-suite, announcing Tuesday that it has hired a longtime executive from Mayer Brown LLP.

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    BigLaw Gives HR More Power, And Women Hold The Reins

    A Law360 Pulse examination found that women hold the vast majority of top human resources jobs in BigLaw, giving them a pivotal role in how the U.S. legal industry manages attorneys and other firm employees.

  • Blank Rome Beats DQ Bid In Cannabis Dispensary Loan Fight

    A married couple who operate a New Jersey cannabis dispensary cannot escape claims that they misused roughly half of a $1.6 million business loan, a California federal court ruled on Wednesday while also rejecting the entrepreneurs' attempt to disqualify the lender's law firm.

  • 9th Circ. Suspends 2 Attys For 6 Months Over AI Hallucinations

    The Ninth Circuit on Wednesday temporarily suspended two California immigration attorneys from practicing before the appellate court for filing briefs in a deportation relief case containing artificial intelligence-generated hallucinations, finding no excuse for their "extraordinary confession" of not vetting citations used by unlicensed brief writers.

  • Court Reporter Shortage A 'Crisis,' Calif. Supreme Court Told

    Two legal nonprofits urged the California Supreme Court to issue an order entitling low-income civil litigants to electronic recording if a live court reporter is not available, saying at a hearing Wednesday that a court reporter shortage in the Golden State has created a "crisis."

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    Rocade Capital Buys LFG To Create Combined $2B Lit Funder

    Rocade Capital LLC has acquired fellow litigation funder Law Finance Group LLC, creating a combined platform that has deployed more than $2.3 billion and specializes in $10 million to $50 million deals, including post-judgment financing, portfolio deals and lending to plaintiff's firms.

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    Hueston Hennigan Follows Milbank's Lead In Associate Pay

    The race to match Milbank LLP's attorney pay hikes is officially on, with trial firm Hueston Hennigan the latest to announce it will increase associate pay by $10,000 to $20,000 annually.

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    OpenAI Hires Ironclad CEO To Lead Legal Vertical

    Jason Boehmig, co-founder and former chief executive of contract management software company Ironclad Inc., announced on Tuesday that he has joined OpenAI, the company behind the artificial intelligence bot ChatGPT, in a role leading products for its legal vertical.

  • Sidley Promotes 52 Attys After Adding Income Partner Tier

    Sidley Austin LLP has elevated 52 attorneys to partner from 11 offices in 23 practice areas.

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    DLA Piper Brings On A&O Shearman M&A Partner In SF

    DLA Piper has announced it is pushing forward with its "strategic expansion" in Northern California with the addition of "a market-leading dealmaker" from Allen Overy Shearman Sterling.

  • Ex-McDermott, Venable Attys Sued Over Estate's $40M Tax Bill

    The estate of a successful dentist who died in 2017 sued McDermott Will & Schulte LLP, Venable LLP and two attorneys in California state court Monday, alleging they gave negligent legal advice in planning the dentist's estate causing it to owe the IRS $40 million in taxes and penalties.

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    Fennemore Craig Builds Calif. Presence With Boutique Tie-Up

    Fennemore Craig PC has launched its 24th office with the addition of a 15-person team of attorneys and legal professionals from Northern California boutique Reynolds Law LLP.

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Expert Analysis

  • Ask A Mentor: How Do I Adjust To In-House After BigLaw? Author Photo

    Sirisha Gummaregula at QuisLex offers advice on navigating the challenges that come with taking on an in-house counsel role after leaving law firm life, including learning your company's business goals and leading with empathy and collaboration.

  • Adapting Legal Thought Leadership To An AI World Author Photo

    As potential clients with legal questions increasingly rely on summaries generated by artificial intelligence, attorneys must rethink their content strategy to make sure AI chatbots and search overviews cite their thought leadership, say Ioana Good and Adrien Maines at Promova and Nancy Myrland at Myrland Marketing.

  • 10 Practical Tips For Attorneys Navigating High-Profile Cases Author Photo

    Complex corporate litigation now often unfolds under the glare of a parallel trial in the court of public opinion, requiring attorneys to adopt a cohesive strategy for legal filings, leadership communications and narrative control, says Monica Smith at Integer PR.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Tailor Your Personal Style Author Photo

    In an industry where competition for clients is fierce, a thoughtful approach to personal style can give you the confidence to walk into any room and own it, the magnetism to make connections that matter, and the tools to highlight your deeper professional values, says Leslie Berkoff at Moritt Hock.

  • What GCs Value Most: 7 Tips For Landing The Client Pitch Author Photo

    In today’s competitive legal market, successful attorneys treat the pitch process with general counsel like the beginning of a relationship, not a one-off sale — showing up with curiosity, commercial awareness and the ability to engage in a meaningful way from the start, says Andrew Dick at The L Suite.

  • Making Legal Cents: Strategy That Stays In Motion Author Photo

    Instead of lurching between year-end strategic planning season and springtime panic mode, firms need a framework that helps them identify what clients and the market need throughout the year, and then actually adjust course, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

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    Legal Tech Talks Author Photo

    Company founders, attorneys and other professionals working in the legal tech space share their journeys into the industry, challenges they face when working with law firms and legal departments, and common misconceptions about technology.

  • 4 Tips For Attys To Turn An Interim Job Into A Long-Term Role Author Photo

    As some attorneys seek interim roles amid economic uncertainty, big-picture thinking and a few proactive steps can help to turn those short-term assignments into long-term positions, says Amy Vanderhoof at Major Lindsey.

  • The Augmented Lawyer: AI Exercises For Junior Attorneys Author Photo

    As artificial intelligence tools become increasingly adept at handling entry-level legal tasks, firms and organizations must consider new ways to train and mentor junior attorneys to prepare them for leadership in an AI-integrated profession, say attorneys at KXT Law.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Embrace LinkedIn Author Photo

    Attorneys who recognize LinkedIn as a powerful professional platform can gain significant competitive advantages in business development via strategic content creation, meaningful industry discussions and consistent visibility within target markets, says Agatha Mouillet at Horvitz & Levy.

  • Guidance For Attorneys As Tariffs Reshape Legal Hiring Author Photo

    As law firms and in-house legal departments grapple with the uncertainty of evolving tariff policies, attorneys at all career stages should consider how to lean into these shifts to best position themselves for long-term opportunities, says Rena Barnett-Matthews at Attorney Career Coach.

  • How Firms Can Plan For Succession Of Admin Professionals Author Photo

    Many law firms are familiar with the need for attorney succession plans, but it’s also essential to plan for the succession of administrative professionals — from human resources personnel to finance leaders — to ensure continuity of critical day-to-day operations, say Eryn Carter and Travis Armstrong at the Association of Legal Administrators.

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    Expanding The Reach Of A Legal Nonprofit Author Photo

    I co-founded the Legal Mentor Network with the goal of providing free legal mentoring to law students and early career attorneys, and the experience has highlighted how nonprofits can grow with the help of strong sponsorships and volunteers who all operate from a positive place, says Chrystal Mauro at the Legal Mentor Network.

  • How 1Ls Can Plan For Sped-Up Summer Associate Hiring Author Photo

    The ever-earlier recruiting of summer associates sets high stakes before new law students may even realize, but 1Ls can better land a good 2L summer fit if they hit their first semester focused on the hiring timeline and ready to ask important questions about their would-be firms, says Kate Reder Sheikh at Major Lindsey.

  • How GCs Can Help Build A Geopolitical Command Center Author Photo

    In the face of sustained regulatory and economic uncertainty, general counsel can help businesses move from reactive to proactive management by building a clear, cross-functional geopolitical command center that monitors and coordinates responses to a wide spectrum of issues, says Lars Faeste at FTI Consulting.

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