California Pulse


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    Lathrop GPM Absorbs California Construction Boutique

    Lathrop GPM LLP announced Monday that the firm is adding five attorneys from a Northern California construction boutique, marking what the firm said was a substantial expansion of its construction practice group and continued growth in the San Francisco Bay Area.

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    Barnes & Thornburg Head On Firm's Nonmerger Growth Motto

    In an age of BigLaw megamergers, Barnes & Thornburg LLP has opted to expand strategically through steady, organic growth and lateral hiring rather than law firm combinations.

  • Class Attys Allege Lead Counsel Is Hoarding $75M Sutter Fees

    Schneider Wallace Cottrell Kim LLP has urged a California federal magistrate judge to enforce the $75.4 million fee award in Sutter Health's $228.5 million deal resolving a decade-long antitrust fight, arguing lead counsel Constantine Cannon LLP "unilaterally" and "arbitrarily" cut SWCK's fees by nearly $800,000 while boosting its own.

  • Social Media Cases Atty In Hot Water Over Courthouse Filming

    A Los Angeles judge on Friday ripped into an attorney for the plaintiff in a bellwether suit alleging Meta and Google's social media platforms harm childrens' mental health, stripping the attorney of his seat on the plaintiffs' steering committee for violating court rules by twice filming inside the courthouse.

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    FBT Gibbons Adds Trusts & Estates Litigator In SoCal

    Recently formed firm FBT Gibbons LLP is expanding its West Coast team, bringing in a trusts and estates litigator who previously ran his own firm as a partner in its Newport Beach, California, office.  

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Wigdor LLP and Elefterakis Elefterakis & Panek lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a New York federal judge denied the NFL's bid to force a class of National Football League coaches into arbitration.

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    'Scare Tactics Work' But Hope Persists For Legal Industry DEI

    The suspension of Diversity Lab's Mansfield Certification program is the latest indication that political threats against BigLaw are working, as the Trump administration targets DEI programs, observers say. Still, some supporters of legal industry diversity initiatives predict law firms will continue to pursue inclusive hiring practices — even if they don't talk about it publicly.

  • Investors Push Apple For Report On China 'Entanglements'

    An investor group is asking Apple Inc. to do an audit on the risks and costs associated with the company's involvement with China, which it calls an "existential risk" to the value of Apple's stock.

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    What's Costing Legal Marketing Officers Sleep

    Finding the best ways to implement artificial intelligence and maximizing employees' business development are some of the things keeping legal industry professionals up at night, according to a new report by public relations firm Greentarget.

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    Synopsys GC Earns Over $3M In First 6 Months On The Job

    Synopsys Inc.'s general counsel, who took on the role in July after the acquisition of Ansys Inc. was complete, earned just over $3.2 million in 2025, according to a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission proxy filing.

  • Former Calif. Judge Seeks To End Sex Assault Case

    A former California Superior Court judge facing five criminal counts alleging he sexually assaulted a court staffer and later lied to investigators in an attempt to cover up the encounter and another alleged assault is pushing for a full dismissal of charges.

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    HSF Kramer Wants To Show BigLaw Can Also Be AI-Native

    On the heels of its recent transatlantic merger, Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLP is one of the largest law firms seeking to become "AI-native," a term being used by several newly launched smaller law firms that promise to provide cheaper and faster legal services than traditional law firms.

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    Boies Schiller Partner Faces Possible Sanctions For AI Errors

    A Boies Schiller Flexner LLP partner must explain why he should not face monetary sanctions for filing a brief containing artificial intelligence-generated citation errors amid his representation of women who allege the Church of Scientology harassed them for reporting convicted actor Danny Masterson's sexual assaults.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    This was another busy week for the legal industry as law firms hired new talent and named new leaders across the country. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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    Foley & Lardner Brings On 4 IP, Corporate Attys In Calif.

    Foley & Lardner LLP is expanding its California team, announcing Thursday it is adding four partners with technology-related experience — two in San Diego, one in San Francisco and one in Silicon Valley.

  • Ex-LA Atty Faces Possible Suspension Over Billing Scandal

    A California Bar Court said that former Los Angeles chief deputy city attorney James Patrick Clark should be suspended from practicing law for at least two years due to his role in a high-profile customer billing scandal.

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    Ethics Guidance Lags Private Equity's Interest In Legal Field

    More lawyers are expected to seek guidance on the ethical issues surrounding the growing interest in using managed services organizations to allow private equity investment in law firms, but thus far any input on the model from state ethics committees is in short supply.

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    Barnes & Thornburg Adds 35 Ballard Spahr Attys, 3 Offices

    Barnes & Thornburg LLP announced Thursday that it has added all 35 public finance lawyers from Ballard Spahr LLP to its government services and finance department in multiple locations around the country, including three new markets in Baltimore, Denver and Phoenix.

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    Ballard Spahr Adds Litigator From Benesch In New SF Shop

    Ballard Spahr LLP's brand new San Francisco office is already growing, as another Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP litigator has joined the office as a partner.

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    BakerHostetler Adds Contaminants Pro From DLA Piper

    BakerHostetler announced on Thursday that it has brought a San Francisco-based attorney from DLA Piper onto its product liability and toxic tort and environmental teams, calling him "one of the country's leading emerging contaminants litigators."

  • LA DA Chief Demoted Over View On Juvenile Cases, Suit Says

    A prosecutor in the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office claims that he was demoted from a top position after a spat with District Attorney Nathan J. Hochman over his views on how the office should handle cases involving juveniles.

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    Google's Kent Walker Talks AI, Competition, Digital Regulation

    Kent Walker, general counsel and president of global affairs for Google LLC and its parent company Alphabet Inc., said in a recent speech in Ireland that new technology has given the world "a reset button," similar to the discovery and development of algebra, but that it was incumbent on European Union leaders to streamline regulations and act as a force for growth.

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    Judges' Neutrality Must Extend Beyond Courtroom, ABA Says

    The American Bar Association's ethics committee is guiding judges to maintain the same level of neutrality and impartiality in working with court staff that they exercise when presiding in the courtroom, according to its latest formal opinion on Wednesday.

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    State High Court Chiefs To Review Law School Accreditation

    State supreme court leaders said Wednesday they will conduct a thorough review of law school accreditation practices this year, a move that comes after state justices in Texas and Florida recently ended the American Bar Association's longstanding accreditation monopoly in those states.

  • Former Calif. Judge Can't Escape Sex Assault Case, Feds Say

    A former California state judge cannot duck allegations that he sexually assaulted a court employee "under color of law" by claiming that he wasn't acting in his official capacity at the time of the assault, federal prosecutors said.

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Expert Analysis

  • Making Legal Cents: How Law Firms Can Innovate Faster Author Photo

    To meet the demands of an evolving legal market and changing client expectations, law firms must not only embrace innovation, but also find ways to accelerate adoption and mitigate risks in an industry historically resistant to change, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Should Departing Partners Approach Pay? Author Photo

    Sabina Lippman at CenterPeak discusses steps BigLaw partners can take when considering a move or announcing their departure to help navigate tricky compensation issues and remain on good terms with their current partners.

  • How 2 Litigators Decided Dad Would Stay Home With The Kids Author Photo

    Jennifer Hoekstra at Aylstock Witkin shares the tough conversations about timing, goals, logistics and values involved in her family's decision that she would build her career as a litigator and law firm partner while her husband stepped back from his own litigation role to stay home with their children.

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    My Nonpracticing Law Job: Legal Commentary Ghostwriter Author Photo

    Wayne Pollock at Copo Strategies shares how he went from overworked Am Law 50 associate to owner of a legal thought leadership ghostwriting service, and provides four lessons for anyone who might be considering launching a business within the legal industry.

  • Ask A Mentor: As Trials Grow Rarer, How Do I Hone My Skills? Author Photo

    Gary Parsons at Brooks Pierce offers advice for young lawyers seeking trial experience in an environment where fewer cases make it to trial, including how to build their reputations, set their expectations and pick the right firm.

  • 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.

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    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.

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    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
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    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.

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