California Pulse


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    Anthropic Judge Rips Opt-Out Law Firm As 'Quick Buck' Ploy

    A California federal judge on Thursday blasted Arizona law firm ClaimsHero Holdings LLC for encouraging authors to opt out of Anthropic PBC's $1.5 billion deal to end copyright infringement claims, saying it looks like the firm is "trying to trick people" for a "quick buck."

  • Rumble Cites Judge's Longtime Friendship With Google VP

    Rumble asked a California federal judge to consider recusal should the Ninth Circuit revive its antitrust lawsuit against Google, citing a yearslong friendship with Google's top in-house litigation chief that involved the judge officiating at her wedding and their ongoing participation in a fantasy football league.

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    Quarles Names New Heads Of Three Major Practice Groups

    Quarles & Brady LLP has appointed new chairs for three of its practice groups, announcing on Thursday new heads for its business law, labor & employment, and immigration & mobility practices.  

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    Coalition Rips Trump Deputy AG's Claim Of 'War' With Judges

    A group of former federal judges on Thursday condemned what they called "inflammatory remarks" last week by Deputy U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche detailing the U.S. Department of Justice's "war" with "rogue activist" judges.

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    Unity CLO Steps Down Amid CEO Transition

    Leadership at video game software company Unity Software Inc. has asked its top in-house attorney to step down from her role and assist with the shifting of her responsibilities until her full departure in the spring, according to documents filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

  • Calif. Sheriff's Atty Sanctioned Over Discovery In Hemp Suit

    A California federal judge has sanctioned an attorney for a California county and its sheriff's office over bad faith conduct during discovery in a suit over 500 acres of bulldozed hemp crop, saying the attorney's arguments against the sanction show a fundamental misunderstanding of his obligations.

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    Calif. Atty Returns To Lewis Brisbois As Real Estate Co-Leader

    Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP is welcoming back a real estate expert, most recently with Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch LLP, as a partner in its office in Indian Wells, California, in the Coachella Valley and as co-head of its real estate practice.

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    CLOC's New CEO Aims To Lead Legal Ops Into The Future

    From doing a governance audit on the organization to adding vendors and alternative service providers to its board, the Corporate Legal Operations Consortium is making major changes to move itself forward in 2026.

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    Hilgers Graben Revamps Leadership Structure, Changes Name

    Hilgers Graben PLLC said Tuesday that the commercial litigation and discovery counsel services firm has new leadership and a shortened name that reflects both its current status and future goals.

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    Where Are Top Firms Bringing On The Most New Partners?

    Lateral partner hiring data for the last five years paints a surprisingly static portrait of where top law firms are making the most hires, even as they warm up to secondary and tertiary legal markets.

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    Cozen O'Connor E-Discovery Biz Names New Operations Director

    Cozen O'Connor has named the practice technology and e-discovery director at Shepherd Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP as the new operations director for its electronic discovery business unit.

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    Kilpatrick Expands Partnership Class With 14 Attys

    Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP elected 14 attorneys as partners across Georgia, Illinois, Texas, New York, North Carolina, California and China, representing an increase from the 10 attorneys in the firm's partner class promoted last year for 2025.

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    Morgan Lewis Adds Gibson Dunn Tech Transactions Ace In LA

    Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP is expanding its corporate team, announcing Wednesday it is bringing in a Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP technology transactions expert as a partner in its Los Angeles office.

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    McDermott Exploring Selling Stake To Private Equity

    McDermott Will & Schulte on Wednesday acknowledged it is fielding interest from private equity investors, a development that underscores how some of the legal industry's largest players are considering moving to a nontraditional business model.

  • Edelson Enters 'Clean' Dismissal In Girardi Atty Case

    Edelson PC has submitted a "clean and unadulterated" dismissal of its conversion case against two former attorneys from the now-defunct law firm Girardi Keese after an Illinois federal judge took issue with a previous version of the stipulation.

  • Legal Prediction Platform Theo AI Names GC Advisory Board

    Top in-house attorneys for Bristol Myers Squibb, Docusign and GoDaddy are among the members of the newly announced general counsel advisory board for Theo Ai, a company using an artificial intelligence platform to predict outcomes in civil suits.

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    General Counsel AI Raises $60M Series B At $555M Valuation

    General Counsel AI Inc., a legal artificial intelligence platform for in-house counsel, announced on Wednesday a $60 million Series B funding round that values the company at $555 million.

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    Law360 MVP Awards Go To Top Attorneys From 76 Firms

    The attorneys chosen as Law360's 2025 MVPs have distinguished themselves from their peers by securing significant achievements in high-stakes litigation, complex global matters and record-breaking deals.

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    Squire Patton Launches Veterans Business Resource Group

    Squire Patton Boggs LLP announced Monday a new business resource group aimed at connecting employees with military service backgrounds, with a kickoff event planned for Veterans Day.

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    Law Firm Revenue, Demand Are Up, But So Are Expenses

    U.S. law firms saw an average of double-digit growth in both revenue and inventory during the first nine months of 2025, signifying they're on pace to end the year on a positive note, according to the results of a survey released Monday by Citi Global Wealth at Work.

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    Disney's Top Lawyer Gets Contract Extension, New Title

    The Walt Disney Company has extended its top lawyer's contract into 2028 and changed his title to senior executive vice president, chief legal and global affairs officer, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

  • Trump Pardons Giuliani, Others Accused Of Election Crimes

    President Donald Trump has reportedly pardoned scores of lawyers accused of attempting to interfere in the 2020 election, including Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman and Sidney Powell, according to a social media post created by the president's pardon attorney, Ed Martin.

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    Former Prosecutors Come Full Circle To Lead Munger Tolles

    For former federal prosecutors and close friends Martin Estrada and Daniel Levin, being tapped to lead Munger Tolles & Olson LLP as co-managing partners marks a full-circle moment.

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    Biopharmaceutical Co. Exelixis' GC Steps Down

    The longtime general counsel of biopharmaceutical company Exelixis Inc. abruptly stepped down Friday and was replaced by the company's senior vice president for intellectual property & licensing, according to filings submitted to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

  • Ex-Calif. Judge Seeks To Toss Sex Assault, Coverup Charges

    A former California state judge on Friday moved to toss federal criminal charges alleging that he sexually assaulted a court employee and lied to investigators, saying the employee was not under his direct supervision so he could not have been acting under the "color of law" when the alleged assault occurred.

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Expert Analysis

  • What Attys Should Consider Before Taking On Pro Bono Work
    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
    Author Photo

    Piper Hoffman and Will Lowrey at Animal Outlook lay out suggestions for attorneys to maximize the value of their pro bono efforts, from crafting engagement letters to balancing workloads — and they explain how these principles can foster a more rewarding engagement for both lawyers and nonprofits.

  • Roundup

    Ask A Mentor Author Photo

    As the legal profession undergoes a dramatic period of change, experts answer questions on career and workplace conundrums in this Law360 guest article series.

  • 7 Ways Attys Can Improve Their LinkedIn Summaries Author Photo

    Lawyers can use LinkedIn to strengthen their thought leadership position, generate new business, explore career opportunities, and better position themselves and their firms in search results by writing a well-composed, optimized summary that demonstrates their knowledge and experience, says Guy Alvarez at Good2bSocial.

  • How Law Firms And Attys Can Combat Imposter Syndrome Author Photo

    Imposter syndrome is rampant in the legal profession, especially among lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds, leading to missed opportunities and mental health issues — but firms can provide support in numerous ways, and attorneys can use therapeutic strategies to quiet their inner critic, says Helen Pamely at Rosling King.

  • The Law Firm Qualities Partners Seek In Lateral Moves Author Photo

    In 2022, partners considering lateral moves have new priorities, and firms that hope to recruit top talent will need to communicate their strategy for growth, engage on hot issues like origination credit and diversity initiatives, and tailor their integration plans toward expanding partners’ client base, says Gloria Sandrino at Lateral Link.

  • Small Steps Can Help Employers Beat Attorney Burnout Author Photo

    Lawyers are experiencing burnout on a massive, unprecedented scale due to the pandemic, but law firms and institutional players can and should make a difference by focusing on small, practical solutions that protect their attorneys’ most precious personal resource and professional commodity — time, says Chad Sarchio, president of the District of Columbia Bar.

  • The Evolving Role Of The Law Firm Legal Secretary Author Photo

    Technological shifts during the pandemic and beyond should force firms to rethink how legal secretaries can not only better support timekeepers but also participate in elevating client service, bifurcating the role into an administrative support position and a more elevated practice support role, says Lauren Chung at HBR Consulting.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Ace My Upcoming Annual Review? Author Photo

    Jennifer Rakstad at White & Case highlights how associates can emphasize achievements and seek support before, during and after their annual review, despite the pandemic’s negative effects on face time with colleagues and business development opportunities.

  • How Your Law Firm's Brand Can Convey Prestige Author Photo

    In order to be perceived as prestigious by clients and potential recruits, law firms should take their branding efforts beyond designing visual identities and address six key imperatives to differentiate themselves — from identifying intangible core strengths to delivering on promises at every interaction, says Howard Breindel at DeSantis Breindel.

  • How Dynamic Project Management Can Help Law Firms Author Photo

    Law firms looking to streamline matter management should consider tools that offer both employees and clients real-time access to documents, action items, task assignee information and more, overcoming many of the limitations of project communications via email, says Stephen Weyer at Stites & Harbison.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Can I Successfully Switch Practices? Author Photo

    Associates who pivot into new practice areas may find that along with the excitement of a fresh start comes some apprehension, but certain proactive steps can help tame anxiety and ensure attorneys successfully adapt to unfamiliar subjects, novel internal processes and different client deliverables, say Susan Berson and Hassan Shaikh at Mintz.

  • Why Firms Should Help Associates Do More Pro Bono Work Author Photo

    Associates may hesitate to take on the added commitment of pro bono matters, but such work has tangible skill-building benefits, so firms should consider compensation and leadership strategies to encourage participation, says Rasmeet Chahil at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • A Road Map For Creating Law Firm Sustainability Programs Author Photo

    Amid demands from clients and prospective hires for greater sustainability efforts, law firms should think beyond reusable mugs and create programs that incorporate clear leadership structures, emission tracking and reduction goals, and frameworks for reporting results, says Gayatri Joshi at the Law Firm Sustainability Network.

  • Confronting The Stigma Of Alcohol Abuse In Legal Industry Author Photo

    The pandemic has likely exacerbated the prevalence of problem drinking in the legal profession, making it critical for lawyers and educators to address alcohol abuse and the associated stigma through issue-specific education, supportive assistance and alcohol-free professional events, says Erica Grigg at the Texas Lawyers' Assistance Program.

  • Opinion

    Lawyers Have Duty To Push For Immigration Court Reform Author Photo

    Attorneys must use their collective voice to urge federal lawmakers to create an Article I immigration court outside executive branch control, helping address the conflicts of interest, political influence and lack of adjudication consistency that prevent migrants from achieving true justice, say Elia Diaz-Yaeger and Carlos Bollar at the Hispanic National Bar Association.

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