California Pulse


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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Alliance Defending Freedom, Pearman Law Firm PC and attorney Barry Arrington lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Colorado ban on therapy intended to change a minor's sexual orientation or gender identity amounts to viewpoint discrimination against a Christian therapist.

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    Legal Sector Lost 700 Jobs In March, Ending Hiring Streak

    The legal sector began to slow down in March after a year and a half straight of gains, with 700 fewer people employed in lawyer, paralegal and other law-related professional roles last month than in February, according to seasonally adjusted data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

  • Law360 Announces The Members Of Its 2026 Editorial Boards

    Law360 is pleased to announce the formation of its 2026 Editorial Advisory Boards.

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    Senior Lawyers Survey: Tell Us About Your Career

    How are senior lawyers adapting to evolving career paths and emerging technologies? Share your perspective in this five-minute survey.

  • Robert Louis, Charlie Weiss, Debra Lewis, Edward Brown and Jeff Dorrill

    Why These Senior Attorneys Can't Quit Being Lawyers

    Slightly more than 1 out of 8 lawyers in the United States were age 65 or older in 2025. Law360 Pulse spoke with several senior attorneys who said they plan to continue working full time, finding the job to still be professionally and personally rewarding.

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    The Gray Exit: Senior Attorneys Confront A New Legal Reality

    BigLaw's upper ranks were long anchored by partners who extended their careers deep into older age. But in a post-pandemic market shaped by tighter economics and stricter succession planning, federal labor data suggest that late-career longevity has stalled.

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    Which GCs Sold Stock In March? Venture Global, Alphabet

    Several general counsel welcomed spring by harvesting some fresh stock sales in March. Keith Larson of Venture Global led the way with sales valued at $76.8 million. United Therapeutics' Paul Mahon sold $8.4 million in stocks, while Alphabet's Kent Walker unloaded $2.5 million worth.

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    Intel Lands Zoom's COO As Its New Legal Chief

    Intel Corp. has hired Zoom Communications Inc.'s chief operating officer to serve as its new top attorney, replacing the technology company's outgoing legal chief following a four-year stint in the role.

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    AI Demand Pro Hires Ex-Oculus Publishing Director As CEO

    AI Demand Pro, which develops an artificial intelligence platform for personal injury law firms, announced the appointment of Aaron Davies, who was a lead at Meta's virtual reality subsidiary Oculus, as its chief executive officer.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry kicked off April with another busy week of BigLaw hires and insights about how attorneys use artificial intelligence. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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    Latham Adds Wilson Sonsini Tech Transactions Pro In Calif.

    Latham & Watkins LLP is expanding its California team, bringing in a Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC tech transactions ace as a partner in its Bay Area offices in San Francisco and Silicon Valley.

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    Taylor Duma Closing Reflects Atlanta's Growing Competition

    The closure of Atlanta-based Taylor Duma LLP on Tuesday highlights the threat regional firms face as more and more outside firms open offices in the city, intensifying the competition for legal talent that cannot always be tackled through a merger partnership.

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    Snell & Wilmer Names Life Sciences Pro As San Diego Leader

    Snell & Wilmer LLP has tapped a longtime corporate attorney who specializes in the life sciences industry to be the new head of its San Diego office.

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    California Bar Exam Class Claims Paused For Mediation

    A California federal judge has agreed to stay pending claims a proposed class of California bar applicants are pursuing against the proctor of the disastrous February 2025 California bar exam, after the two sides reported they are soon to be engaged in mediation.

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    Renowned LA Public Defender Joins Stris & Maher Boutique

    Business litigation boutique Stris & Maher LLP is expanding its ranks, announcing Thursday that a renowned Los Angeles public defender is joining the firm as a partner later this spring.

  • Ex-Wilson Sonsini M&A Co-Head Rejoins Goodwin In SF

    A former partner at Goodwin Procter LLP's Silicon Valley office has rejoined the firm in San Francisco after co-leading Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC's mergers and acquisitions practice for five years, Goodwin announced on Wednesday.

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    Is $1,314 Per Hour Too Much For A Small Firm? Court Says No

    In fights over attorney fees, should lawyers from small firms be forced to accept smaller amounts of money than their BigLaw counterparts? A federal appeals court recently concluded that it's not fair to discriminate against small-firm lawyers in this way.

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    Hanson Bridgett Opens Office in Downtown Fresno

    Hanson Bridgett LLP continues its expansion in California, announcing Wednesday it has opened an office in Fresno, the firm's eighth in the Golden State.

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    Is 'Time Kills All Deals' True Of BigLaw Mergers?

    The time span between when a law firm merger is announced and when the deal closes can be a risky period, leading to lawyer losses at firms.

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    Lyft's CLO Saw $2.6M Decrease In Comp Last Year

    The top attorney for rideshare platform Lyft saw her compensation package drop by $2.6 million last year to about $5.3 million compared to nearly $8 million in 2024, according to a recent securities filing.

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    Cox Castle Grows In San Diego With Procopio Real Estate Hire

    Cox Castle & Nicholson LLP announced that an experienced real estate attorney has joined the firm's San Diego office from Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch LLP, in what the firm says is the latest step in growing its presence in the Southern California city.

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    Unity Biotech CLO Joins Wilson Sonsini's GC Residence

    Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC announced Tuesday it has added a former assistant White House counsel, most recently the chief legal officer of the now shuttered Unity Biotechnology Inc., as the latest in-house attorney to join its general counsel in residence program.

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    Signature Resolution CEO Talks About East Coast Expansion

    With the evolution of the alternative dispute resolution industry, Dario Higuchi, CEO of California-based Signature Resolution, thinks the time is right to take Signature's brand of ADR to the East Coast.

  • Apartment Co. Promotes Asst. To GC Amid Leader Changes

    Management Support, an apartment owner and operator, said it has elevated its assistant legal counsel to general counsel as part of a series of leadership changes following the death of the company's founder.

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    Threat Or Opportunity: Junior Attys Face The AI Future Now

    Early-career and senior attorneys alike said they believe artificial intelligence could replace responsibilities usually performed by junior lawyers, causing concern among some early-career legal professionals about their future job prospects, a new Law360 Pulse survey found.

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Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Series

    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.

  • 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.

  • Series

    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.

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