California Pulse


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    Sidley Grows In Calif. With Life Sciences, Emerging Cos. Hires

    Sidley Austin LLP announced three partner hires in California, which the firm said will enhance its capabilities in the life sciences and emerging companies and venture capital practices.

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    Sex Abuse, Wages, Wildfires Drive Complex Case Spike In LA

    What constitutes complex civil litigation is undergoing a "dramatic transformation" in Los Angeles, where cases involving sexual abuse and the Catholic Church, novel employment issues and recent wildfires are driving a surge in complicated disputes, according to a new report.

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    Can BigLaw Find 'More Thoughtful' Approach To 1L Stipends?

    Large law firms experienced public pushback this spring after implementing new stipend programs for prospective summer associates who choose to take on public interest work after their first year of law school. However, it's unclear whether firms will be moved by the criticism.

  • Senate Confirming Judges Faster Than In Trump's 1st Term

    The Senate has confirmed 45 judges in the second Trump term, outpacing the rate of his first administration, Senate Republicans announced on Thursday.

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    Adobe Hires PayPal Atty As VP Of Corp. Legal

    An in-house attorney of more than a decade at PayPal has joined Adobe Inc. as vice president of corporate legal, according to an announcement on social media from a senior lawyer at the software giant.

  • Legal Tech Co. Sues US Over Anthropic AI Shutdown Order

    Legal tech company Legion has sued the U.S. government in D.C. federal court over a directive ordering Anthropic to shut down two of its advanced AI models to foreigners, alleging the move caused the company to lose access to one of the models that powers its platform.

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    AAA Rolls Out Protocol For AI Agent Transactions

    The American Arbitration Association launched an open-source method on Wednesday for attaching legal terms to transactions brokered by artificial intelligence agents, saying most agent-to-agent transactions currently lack verifiable terms and are unclear about which jurisdiction's law governs.

  • Baker McKenzie Partner Class Dips To 47 Attys

    Baker McKenzie has promoted a smaller-than-usual partner class of 47 attorneys, according to an announcement from the firm on Tuesday.

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    How Empathy Can Make Associates Better Lawyers

    As associates navigate a legal industry increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence and related technology that makes information more readily available than ever before, developing empathy will be increasingly crucial, legal experts tell Law360 Pulse.

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    How Associates Can Maximize Their New Pay Raises

    For the first time in over two years, many associates have seen their base pay rise by at least $10,000 and some by as much as $45,000 annually. Here's what financial experts say young lawyers should do with the extra income.

  • Calif. Judge Restores Immigration Courthouse Arrest Limits

    A California federal judge Tuesday vacated the Trump administration's policies on civil arrests at immigration courthouses, restoring limits on those arrests and finding that the government didn't adequately explain its policy shift.

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    Arnold & Porter Rehires City Of Hope Deputy GC In LA

    The former deputy general counsel of litigation at a nonprofit cancer research and treatment center has returned to Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP in Los Angeles, as counsel in the firm's complex litigation practice.

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    What Attorneys Really Think About Their Profession

    Law360 Pulse asked attorneys for their thoughts on what being an attorney is actually like — what they love about their job, what they see as the biggest misconceptions about a career in law and what advice they have for new lawyers. Here's what they said.

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    Associates Unhappy Over Leave, Firm Leadership

    Associates are dissatisfied over the lack of transparency at their law firms, what they perceive to be limited opportunities for advancement and how their leaders communicate, Law360 Pulse found in its sixth annual Lawyer Satisfaction Survey.

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    Are Attorneys Happy At Work? Depends Who You Ask

    Most lawyers are satisfied with their careers, but their happiness at work varies depending on their rank, a new Law360 Pulse survey found.

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    Axinn Giving $25K Bonuses As Glenn Agre Matches Milbank

    Glenn Agre Bergman & Fuentes LLP will match the Milbank LLP base pay scale for associates, while Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider LLP — which was already paying above-market salaries — will hand out special summer bonuses of up to $25,000, the boutiques told Law360 Pulse Tuesday.

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    LA Superior Court Gains Prominence With 'Nuclear' Verdicts

    Los Angeles County Superior Court was among the country's top sites for awarding big civil damages in recent years, according to a Lex Machina report.

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    'Rubber-Stamp' Doc Sealing In Federal Civil Cases 'Run Amok'

    Most sealing motions in federal civil litigation are granted, often without proper review, blocking important information from public view, a team of law professors and researchers found in a new study.

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    Broadway Financial Hires Ex-Invesco General Counsel As CLO

    Broadway Financial Corp., the parent company of City First Bank, has found its new legal leader in a financial services veteran who most recently served as general counsel at Invesco Mortgage Capital Inc.

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    Investors Nearly Unanimously Reject Anti-Diversity Proposals

    An anti-diversity proxy campaign has submitted shareholder proposals at almost 90 companies in 2025 and 2026, and so far investors have rejected them almost unanimously two years in a row, according to a new report.

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    Fighting Cyber Threats: What Law Firms Need To Do Now

    Law firms, especially small and midsize ones, are increasingly becoming victims of cyberattacks. Here are some practical tips for firms to thwart cyberattacks and reduce damage when breaches occur.

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    Small Firms Hit Hardest As Data Breaches Surged In 2025

    Cyberattacks targeting law firms remained widespread in 2025, with smaller firms accounting for the majority of reported breaches, according to a Law360 Pulse analysis. The pace shows little sign of easing this year, as experts warn that cybercriminals are becoming more organized, sophisticated and financially motivated.

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    CLM Co. Agiloft Hires Ex-Mitsubishi, John Deere Exec As GC

    Contract lifecycle management provider Agiloft Inc. on Monday announced the hiring of a former senior vice president and deputy general counsel at Mitsubishi HC Capital America Inc. as its general counsel, following the recent vacancy of the company's chief legal officer role.

  • Ford Says 'Lemon Law' Firm Faked Bills Using Overseas Staff

    Ford Motor Co. accused California personal injury firm Quill & Arrow LLP of defrauding it out of more than $25 million in high-priced legal bills for work actually handled by virtual assistants overseas and non-lawyers in scores of product liability cases against the automaker.

  • Law Students Undeterred Under Trump's Immigration Climate

    In a climate where immigration lawyers are coming under the Trump administration’s scrutiny to tamp down on asylum fraud, law students are being ignited to enter the workforce early and rectify the injustices they see.

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Expert Analysis

  • How Clients Can Make The Most Of Law Firm Partner Moves Author Photo

    Outside counsel’s lateral career moves can create uncertainty and disruption for companies, but if managed strategically, in-house legal teams can leverage partner mobility for more complete service, better pricing and stronger relationships with their law firms, says Theodore Edelman at GCE Advisors.

  • The Augmented Lawyer: Countering 4 AI Efficiency Myths Author Photo

    Perceived efficiency gains from artificial intelligence can create unsustainable workload expectations for in-house legal departments, so general counsel must proactively educate executives, reframe assumptions and tie legal judgment to business outcomes, say Karineh Khachatourian at KXT Law and Catie Cambridge at Docsum.

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    Notes From A Partner-In-Charge On Lateral Hiring Strategy Author Photo

    In regional recruiting, firms that stand out to laterals can articulate a clear vision that connects local insight with global opportunity, demonstrate a culture that is lived rather than stated, and offer genuine room for growth, says Jason Novak, leader of Norton Rose's San Francisco office.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Team Up With Marketing Author Photo

    There are several ways attorneys can engage with resources already at their fingertips in the form of their in-house law firm marketing departments, which can help you gain some visibility, earn kudos and build a solid book of business, say Ada Kase and Liz Lindley at Jaffe PR.

  • Biz Dev Impostor Syndrome May Actually Be Good Judgment Author Photo

    Attributing lawyers’ sense of unease with business development to self-doubt or weakness may misidentify an important source of discomfort — a keen intuition that an ask isn’t yet appropriate for the relationship — and lead to advice that ultimately backfires, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Can I Handle Unproductive Feedback? Author Photo

    Maggie Potter at Segal McCambridge offers advice for associates who receive unproductive criticism from superiors and tips for gently pushing back with an eye to growth and efficiency.

  • How To Prep As Private Equity Starts Investing In Law Firms Author Photo

    Law firms eyeing legal services organization models, which allow outside capital to support nonlegal business functions while preserving lawyer ownership, can prepare for the expansion of private equity investment in the area by balancing commercial objectives and compliance imperatives, say attorneys at Rivkin Radler.

  • What Legal Leaders Can Learn From Marine Corps Principles Author Photo

    The small-unit leadership principles that are foundational to the U.S. Marine Corps experience — from tight feedback loops to top-down tactfulness — offer a blueprint for addressing leadership gaps that persist in the legal profession, says Edet Nsemo at Tucker Ellis.

  • Venture Capital Practices Can Improve Law Firm Lateral Hiring Author Photo

    As law firms pursue increasingly ambitious growth goals in a competitive market for talent, they should consider supplementing traditional lateral hiring due diligence with practices inspired by the venture capitalist framework, says Henry O’Connor at Jones Walker.

  • 5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2026 Author Photo

    After a pivotal year for the legal industry, lawyers and their clients face an evolving litigation finance landscape in 2026 that will be shaped by developments ranging from new policies governing patent lawsuits to the reemergence of appellate monetization funding, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Think Like A Waiter Author Photo

    To convert casually interested restaurant patrons into satisfied, repeat customers, a good waiter relies on four service-oriented habits that proactive attorneys can borrow to cultivate lasting client relationships, say attorneys at Maynard Nexsen.

  • 6 Strategies To Set Up New CCOs For Success Author Photo

    As demand for chief compliance officers rises among a growing range of complex issues, organizations looking to hire and retain top-notch CCOs can adopt a series of strategies including defining success metrics and allowing the CCO to build a team, says Cara Bain at Major Lindsey.

  • Making Legal Cents: How Firms Can Navigate 2026 Trends Author Photo

    From the adoption of artificial intelligence infrastructure to increasing client attrition, a number of trends will likely define the legal industry in 2026, and law firms will need to strategically lean into these shifts to gain a competitive advantage, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

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    Notes From A Partner-In-Charge On Integrating Lateral Talent Author Photo

    When done thoughtfully through three strategies, bringing laterals into the fold can propel growth and create significant business opportunities that enhance the law firm's cultural fabric, says James Sullivan, leader of Alston & Bird's New York office.

  • The Augmented Lawyer: Drafting As AI Alters Admin Of Law Author Photo

    As generative artificial intelligence tools become embedded in mainstream legal practice, they are reshaping the administration of law itself, from how experts document and validate their work to how joint defense teams operate, demanding a new level of contractual clarity and operational discipline, says Karineh Khachatourian at KXT Law.

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