California Pulse


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    Paul Weiss Stuns Legal Industry With Trump DEI Deal

    Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP's decision to strike a deal with the Trump administration to defuse an executive order targeting the firm has drawn criticism across the legal industry and highlights the challenges preventing BigLaw firms from taking collective action against the White House.

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    How King & Spalding Helped LGBTQ+ Vets Win Back Benefits

    More than a decade after the U.S. Department of Defense repealed its "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which kept LGBTQ+ troops in the closet, veterans who were kicked out for their sexual orientation have continued to suffer the effects of a scarlet letter placed on their discharge papers.

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    Littler Selects Longtime Calif. Litigator To Lead Fresno Shop

    Labor and employment firm Littler Mendelson PC has tapped a longtime litigator to be the new head of its office in Fresno, California.

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    Musk Atty Spiro Evading Subpoena, Twitter Investors Say

    A class of investors suing Elon Musk over allegations he tried to smear Twitter to lower the price of his $44 billion acquisition of the site says one of Musk's Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP attorneys and close advisers has refused to accept service of a subpoena to be deposed and should be served by alternative means.

  • Law360 Pulse Spotlight On Mid-Law Work

    Pryor Cashman's representation of Sony Music in a copyright suit and Choate's handling of a $1.5 billion sale of a futures trading platform lead this edition of Law360 Pulse's Spotlight On Mid-Law Work, recapping the top matters for Mid-Law firms from March 7 to 21.

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, Kessler Topaz Meltzer & Check LLP, Grant & Eisenhofer PA and Bernstein Litowitz Berger & Grossmann LLP lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a D.C. federal judge upheld a $612.4 million jury verdict against the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

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    Robins Kaplan's Calif. Head Talks Path To Leadership Post

    Law360 Pulse caught up with Jason Fair, who was recently named Robins Kaplan LLP's California managing partner, to discuss why he became a lawyer and his plans for the firm's two offices in the Golden State.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry began spring with another action-packed week as President Donald Trump continued to eye BigLaw diversity programs and firms expanded their presence and headcounts worldwide. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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    MoFo Adds 4 BraunHagey Corporate Attys In San Francisco

    Morrison Foerster LLP announced Thursday that it has continued adding corporate attorneys from BraunHagey & Borden LLP, bringing a team of venture capital specialists to its San Francisco office, two as partners and two as associates.

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    DEI Issues Creating 'Culture Of Fear' In Company Leaders

    As the heart of the season for corporate annual meetings begins next month, many companies are facing investor questions and resolutions related to diversity in the workplace, primarily because of the federal government's threat of investigations and various groups' lawsuits on both sides of the issue.

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    Ashurst Reelects Global Chair, Aims For £1B Revenue

    Ashurst LLP has reelected its global chair for a second term, the firm announced Thursday, amid hopes of reaching its first year of £1 billion ($1.2 billion) revenue in 2025 after eight years of growth.

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    State AGs To Play Larger Role With Trump Back In Office

    Many state attorneys general will have growing influence on national issues under the new Trump administration, as they ramp up regulatory enforcement in areas where the federal government pulls back, while also fighting against or in support of the administration's policies, lawyers and observers say.

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    Offit Kurman Names New Deputy Managing Principal

    Offit Kurman Attorneys At Law announced Thursday that a Virginia-based attorney who previously served as one of the firm's department chairs has been elevated to the role of deputy managing principal.

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    Rocket Lawyer Founder Retires, CFO Named Interim CEO

    Rocket Lawyer founder and Chief Executive Officer Charley Moore has retired after nearly 20 years of leadership, the legal technology company said in an announcement Thursday.

  • Calif. Panel Probes Disbarring Eastman Over 2020 Election

    An appeals panel appeared unlikely Wednesday to reverse a California State Bar judge's finding that John Eastman, a former attorney for President Donald Trump, engaged in misconduct when he tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election, but questioned whether disbarment is the appropriate punishment.

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    Plaintiffs Attys Fight Arbitration, While Imposing It On Clients

    Plaintiffs attorney groups have for decades lobbied against forced arbitration, saying it strips injured consumers and aggrieved workers of their right to jury trial and hides corporate misconduct from public view. But many plaintiffs lawyers nationwide have subjected their own clients to forced arbitration in their retainer contracts — including leaders of some organizations that forbid the practice, Law360 has found.

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    Ex-Lewis Brisbois Hospitality Ace Joins Signature Resolution

    Alternative dispute resolution service Signature Resolution is bringing in a recently retired Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP hospitality industry litigator to join its panel of neutrals.

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    Alston & Bird Securities Litigator Joins Katten In Calif.

    Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP added a former Alston & Bird LLP securities litigation partner whom one firm leader has hoped to hire after a stint working together decades ago.

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    Robbins Geller Escapes Sanctions In Gas Price-Fixing Suit

    A California federal judge on Wednesday rejected a bid to sanction Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP attorneys in a gas price-fixing suit, determining that the firm didn't act in bad faith or unreasonably multiply proceedings in a way that unnecessarily cost Alon USA Energy millions.

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    EEOC Bid For Law Firm DEI Info On Shaky Ground, Attys Say

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's recent call for law firms to cough up a trove of information about their diversity, equity and inclusion programs lacks statutory authority and may contravene federal law, according to experts from both sides of the aisle.

  • Law360 Announces The Members Of Its 2025 Editorial Boards

    Law360 is pleased to announce the formation of its 2025 Editorial Advisory Boards.

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    Six Takeaways From California's State Of The Judiciary

    California Supreme Court Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero gave an annual State of the Judiciary address to Golden State legislators Tuesday that highlighted the judicial branch's independence and commitment to providing "fair and impartial justice," while putting less attention than in years past on policies that support diversity and inclusion.

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    How BigLaw Is Tweaking Diversity Messaging Amid Pushback

    As the Trump administration intensifies its scrutiny of diversity programs, some of the nation's leading law firms are quietly adjusting how they publicly present their diversity commitments, including softening language, scrubbing diversity reports, and, in some cases, erasing diversity pages altogether.

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    Eisner Lands 2 Reed Smith Entertainment Pros In NY, Calif.

    Business and entertainment firm Eisner LLP announced Tuesday that it has hired two attorneys from Reed Smith LLP to enhance its capacity to negotiate entertainment industry transactions.

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    McDermott Launches San Diego Office Helmed By IP Veteran

    McDermott Will & Emery LLP announced Tuesday it is opening an office in San Diego and has tapped a longtime intellectual property attorney to lead it, while also naming that attorney to be one of the co-heads of its global IP practice.

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Expert Analysis

  • 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.

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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.

  • 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.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Do I Juggle Billables And Other Activities? Author Photo

    While involvement in internal firm initiatives can be rewarding both personally and professionally, associates' billable time requirements don’t leave much room for other work, meaning they must develop strategies to ensure they’re meeting all of their commitments while remaining balanced, says Melanie Webber at Fisher Phillips.

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