California Pulse

  • LA Firm Can't Beat Damages For Leaving Criminal Case

    A California appeals court on Friday ruled that a Los Angeles law firm cannot escape breach-of-contract damages for withdrawing from an attempted murder case, but also said its former client isn't entitled to a larger award.

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    Lowenstein Sandler Hires COO From Goodwin Procter

    Lowenstein Sandler LLP has gained a new chief operating officer with the addition of a corporate legal pro with 25 years in the industry, 10 of which he spent as the COO at Goodwin Procter LLP, the firm announced Monday.

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    As Gen AI Takes Hold, Law Firms Reassess E-Discovery Tools

    In addition to cost and usability, law firms are adding generative artificial intelligence to the checklist of things to consider when evaluating current and new e-discovery platforms.

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    MoFo Helps Secure $2B For Calif.'s Forgotten Students

    Morrison & Foerster recently helped nab a historic $2 billion settlement to help roughly a million California students — disproportionately from Black, Latino and lower-income families — who say the state failed to provide them meaningful instruction once the COVID-19 pandemic began.

  • LA Atty Who Repped Rodney King Charged With Tax Evasion

    A Los Angeles attorney who represented Rodney King in a civil case against the city of Los Angeles after King was severely beaten by police has been hit with federal tax evasion charges.

  • Feds, Girardi Agree To Delay Trial More Than 2 Months

    Disgraced attorney Tom Girardi's criminal trial could now be pushed back from May to August, after prosecutors and Girardi's defense attorneys filed a mutual request for a few more weeks of preparation in the closely watched case.

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    Calif. Bar Slightly Lowers Atty License Fees Hike Bid To 31%

    California's state bar will ask legislators for a $125 increase in its attorney licensing fees, a little less than the $150 hike it was previously considering, the state bar confirmed to Law360 on Friday.

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    San Fran Law School Center Leader To Start New Clinic

    This summer, the longtime leader of the influential Center for WorkLife Law at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco will step aside to focus on a new organization she is spinning off from WorkLife Law.

  • Calif. Releases Interim Guidelines On GenAI Use

    The state of California on Thursday released interim guidelines for public-sector procurement, uses and training of generative artificial intelligence by state leaders in preparation for all state agencies to consider pilot projects using the technology by July, per Gov. Gavin Newsom's executive order issued last year.

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    Women Attys Navigate Shifting Expectations Over Makeup

    Some women attorneys say makeup helps them feel more polished and confident at work, but they acknowledge that the desire to express themselves this way is often dictated by the legal industry's idea of what's appropriate, forcing them to navigate ever-shifting expectations in a field once shaped by men.

  • Lewis Brisbois Accused Of Filing 'Sham' Suits To Avert Fault

    A group of 185 Chinese investors have accused Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP attorneys of filing numerous lawsuits — and collecting $3.8 million in legal fees — to cover for failing to read "draconian" contract terms that led the investors to lose their $92.5 million stake in a $2.5 billion Los Angeles mixed-use development.

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    Judges And Law Scholars Divided Over AI Standing Orders

    Several federal judges have issued standing orders blocking or putting guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence over accuracy issues with the technology, but a few legal scholars have raised concerns that the orders might discourage attorneys and self-represented litigants from using AI.

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a Second Circuit panel rejected what it characterized as a lower court's "new standard" for so-called patent monopolies.

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    Cybersecurity Biz Hires Ex-Zoom GC As Its First CLO

    Cybersecurity startup Abnormal Security Corp. has landed as its first-ever chief legal officer an attorney with extensive in-house experience, including a three-year stint as Zoom Video Communications Inc.'s general counsel.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry began spring with a busy week of BigLaw moves as firms expanded practices and shifted headcounts. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse’s weekly quiz.

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    In 107K Pro Bono Hours: Hogan Lovells Tackles Racial Justice

    Hogan Lovells pledged to dedicate 65,000 pro bono hours to advancing racial justice in June 2020, and, according to a report out this week, the firm's personnel have exceeded that goal by dedicating approximately 107,000 hours through 2023 to causes across the globe aimed at advancing racial justice.

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    O'Hagan Meyer Expands Calif. Footprint With Fresno Shop

    O'Hagan Meyer is expanding its footprint in California with the opening of its first location in the state's Central Valley, in Fresno.

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    The LA Boutique Repping MLB's Ohtani Amid Betting Scandal

    An unfolding sports betting scandal has prompted Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani to lawyer up, enlisting the West Hollywood boutique Berk Brettler LLP to advise him in a saga that has already led the club to fire his longtime interpreter.

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    Reed Smith Ties Associate Raises To Billable Hours

    Reed Smith LLP is reportedly raising associate salaries in a range similar to those first announced by Milbank LLP last November, with an associate's place on the scale depending on their billable hours.

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    12 Ex-Constantine Cannon Attys Launch Whistleblower Firm

    A dozen attorneys who have represented whistleblowers from Facebook, Theranos and Boeing have left Constantine Cannon LLP to form their own stand-alone boutique to support whistleblowers and boost corporate accountability globally, according to a Thursday announcement.

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    Frost Brown Hires West Coast IP Talent From Lewis Roca

    Frost Brown Todd has announced the addition of two intellectual property attorneys from Lewis Roca Rothgerber Christie LLP, including the former managing partner of two IP-focused Lewis Roca offices in California.

  • Lawmakers Eye Permanent Status For 10 Federal Judgeships

    A bipartisan group of federal lawmakers has put forward bills in the Senate and House that would make 10 temporary district judgeships permanent in 10 states including Texas, Florida and California.

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    Quintairos Prieto Taps Atlanta Atty To Lead New Tax Group

    Quintairos Prieto Wood & Boyer PA said it had created a tax division that will be led by an Atlanta-based partner who has guided clients on civil and criminal tax law, reinforcing its national expertise in litigation, regulatory and corporate law matters.

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    McGlinchey Head Talks Firm's 50th Anniversary

    McGlinchey Stafford PLLC's managing member recently spoke to Law360 Pulse about the New Orleans-based firm's 50th anniversary, its plans for growth and how it tries to build and maintain a supportive culture.

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    Hinshaw AI Policy Embraces New Tech, With 'Guardrails'

    As generative AI platforms rapidly advance, law firms are hastening to develop policies that address ethical and legal concerns arising from the new technology — including the latest firm to jump into the fray, Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP. Here, Law360 Pulse talks with general counsel Steven Puiszis about Hinshaw's new policy and how it took shape.

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Expert Analysis

  • Learning How To Code Can Unleash New Potential In Lawyers Author Photo

    Every lawyer can begin incorporating aspects of software development in their day-to-day practice with little to no changes in their existing tools or workflow, and legal organizations that take steps to encourage this exploration of programming can transform into tech incubators, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Supporting Associates Amid Pandemic's Mental Health Toll Author Photo

    As junior associates increasingly report burnout, work-life conflict and loneliness during the pandemic, law firms should take tangible actions to reduce the stigma around seeking help, and to model desired well-being behaviors from the top down, say Stacey Whiteley at the New York State Bar Association and Robin Belleau at Kirkland.

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    Ask A Mentor: Should My Law Firm Take On An Apprentice? Author Photo

    Mentoring a law student who is preparing for the bar exam without attending law school is an arduous process that is not for everyone, but there are also several benefits for law firms hosting apprenticeship programs, says Jessica Jackson, the lawyer guiding Kim Kardashian West's legal education.

  • The Importance Of Client Engagement In Law Firm Innovation Author Photo

    As clients increasingly want law firms to serve as innovation platforms, firms must understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach — the key is a nimble innovation function focused on listening and knowledge sharing, says Mark Brennan at Hogan Lovells.

  • The Unique Challenges Facing Women-Owned Law Firms Author Photo

    In addition to establishing their brand from scratch, women who start their own law firms must overcome inherent bias against female lawyers and convince prospective clients to put aside big-firm preferences, says Joel Stern at the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms.

  • The Pursuit Of Wellness In BigLaw: Lessons From My Journey Author Photo

    Jane Jeong at Cooley shares how grueling BigLaw schedules and her own perfectionism emotionally bankrupted her, and why attorneys struggling with burnout should consider making small changes to everyday habits.

  • Why We Must Recruit And Advance More Black Prosecutors Author Photo

    Black Americans make up a disproportionate percentage of the incarcerated population but are underrepresented among elected prosecutors, so the legal community — from law schools to prosecutor offices — must commit to addressing these disappointing demographics, says Erika Gilliam-Booker at the National Black Prosecutors Association.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can Associates Deal With Overload? Author Photo

    Young lawyers overwhelmed with a crushing workload must tackle the problem on two fronts — learning how to say no, and understanding how to break down projects into manageable parts, says Jay Harrington at Harrington Communications.

  • A Scientific Path For Improving Diversity At Law Firms Author Photo

    Law firms could combine industrial organizational psychology and machine learning to study prospective hires' analytical thinking, stress response and similar attributes — which could lead to recruiting from a more diverse candidate pool, say Ali Shahidi and Bess Sully at Sheppard Mullin.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can Associates Seek More Assignments? Author Photo

    In the first installment of Law360 Pulse's career advice guest column, Meela Gill at Weil offers insights on how associates can ask for meaningful work opportunities at their firms without sounding like they are begging. 

  • Legal Sector Regulatory Reform Is Key To Closing Justice Gap Author Photo

    In order to improve access to justice for those who cannot afford a lawyer, states should consider regulatory innovations, such as allowing new forms of law firm ownership and permitting nonlawyers to provide certain legal services, says Patricia Lee Refo, president of the American Bar Association.

  • How Attys Can Guard Against Rising Settle-And-Sue Claims Author Photo

    Certain precautions can help lawyers avoid post-settlement malpractice claims and create a solid evidentiary defense, as settle-and-sue lawsuits rise amid pandemic-induced dispute settlements, say Bethany Kristovich and Jeremy Beecher at Munger Tolles.

  • What I Learned As A Virtual Summer Associate Author Photo

    It is necessary in a virtual law firm summer program to think twice about asking questions you may be able to answer on your own, but this independence and other aspects of a remote internship may help to instill habits that would be useful for future full-time associates, says law student Kelley Sheehan, who interned at Patterson & Sheridan this summer.

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