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California Pulse


  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry ended July with another action-packed week as attorneys took on new firm gigs and in-house roles across the country. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse’s weekly quiz.

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    Legal Job Sector Continued 5-Month Growth Streak In July

    For the fifth straight month, the U.S. legal industry experienced job growth, adding 600 positions in July, according to preliminary data released on Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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    BigLaw Associate Pay Unlikely To Budge Despite Inflation

    Many BigLaw associates haven't seen a base pay scale increase since 2023, and inflation-adjusted associate salaries at large law firms appear to have fallen to a decade low. Additionally, experts say it's unlikely most large law firms will offer a pay boost before the end of the year.

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    State Justices Call For Legal Ed Reforms Amid 'Justice Gap'

    State supreme courts need to address the nationwide "justice gap crisis" caused by too few attorneys, by emphasizing bar exam alternatives and more client work in law school to ensure the legal education pipeline produces new lawyers who are actually ready to practice, according to a new report.

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    Law Firm Real Estate Report

    July was a month of debuts for a handful of firms that opened offices and expanded into new markets. Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP entered the Seattle market with the help of three former K&L Gates LLP attorneys, and boutique Dunn Isaacson Rhee LLP opened its first office in Washington, D.C., after launching earlier this year.

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    Stinson Expands Calif. Footprint With Litigation Firm Combo

    Missouri-based Stinson LLP continued its expansion in California, announcing Thursday that it will merge with 80-year-old boutique Severson & Werson PC, thereby adding two Golden State locations and about 30 attorneys to the firm.

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    Weil Lands Latham IP Litigation Trio In California, Texas

    Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP announced Thursday that it has welcomed three intellectual property lawyers from Latham & Watkins LLP, two of whom began their legal careers at Weil and will now co-head its IP, technology and science litigation practice.

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    K&L Gates Names 14 New Practice Leaders

    K&L Gates LLP announced Thursday that it has named 14 new practice leaders, calling the appointments part of the firm's "commitment to investing in its emerging leaders and establishing the next generation of management."

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    Supersized Class Of 2024 Exceeds Job, Salary Predictions

    The class of 2024 was the largest graduating law school class in nearly a decade, but it defied industry expectations by breaking records in overall employment rate, employment in jobs that require or anticipate bar passage, and median salaries, according to data released Thursday.

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    Kaufman Dolowich Adds Jackson Lewis Employment Pro

    Kaufman Dolowich is boosting its labor and employment team, bringing in a Jackson Lewis PC labor attorney as a partner.

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    How Law Firms Are Winning The Succession Game

    Law firms take great care to ensure their longevity. To develop leaders, they carefully identify, mentor and groom the next generation. While top firms can outspend them, some firms are finding alternatives to acquire and retain partners. In a bid to win the loyalty of key clients, firms are increasingly involving them in their lateral hiring processes.

  • Calif. Sens. Slam Trump's US Atty 'Hijacking' To Keep LA Ally

    California Sens. Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff issued a statement Wednesday condemning the Trump administration's decision to "circumvent the law" and appoint Bill Essayli as acting U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, in a move echoing the recent appointment of Alina Habba as acting U.S. attorney in New Jersey.

  • Saul Ewing Adds Two Trusts And Estates Attys In LA

    Saul Ewing LLP is expanding its California team, announcing Wednesday that it is bringing on a pair of trusts and estates experts in its Los Angeles office, an Elkins Kalt Weintraub Reuben Gartside LLP tax and trust expert as a partner and a Lurie Zepeda Schmalz Hogan & Martin APC trust and estates disputes attorney as an associate.

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    Workday Wants Firm DQ'd Over Privileged Info In Atty's Suit

    Attorneys at Webb Law Group APC should be disqualified from representing an ex-Workday Inc. attorney in his bias suit against the company and should face sanctions for their "egregious behavior" in disclosing privileged information in a publicly filed document, Workday told a California federal magistrate judge.

  • Dem Senators Press 9th Circ. Pick On Gender Role Beliefs

    Eric Tung, a partner at Jones Day and nominee for the Ninth Circuit, faced questions from Democratic senators during his nomination hearing Wednesday about his views on gender roles, based on remarks he gave to the Yale Daily News in 2004, when he was in college.

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    Archer Aviation Promotes GC, Hires Baker McKenzie Partner

    Vertical takeoff and landing aircraft venture Archer Aviation has named the company's general counsel its new chief legal and strategy officer and found a new general counsel from Baker McKenzie.

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    Atty Sues Leech Tishman Over Referral Amid Girardi Scandal

    An attorney at Hunt Ortmann Palffy Nieves Darling & Mah Inc. has sued Leech Tishman Nelson Hardiman in California state court for allegedly refusing to pay her a $300,000 referral fee after she convinced her CEO father to hire the firm to represent him.

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    At Cahill Academy, Associates Shape Their Own Training

    For over three years, Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP has operated Cahill Academy, a year-round program for lawyer training, education and professional development. Here, Law360 Pulse talks to an executive committee member and a firm associate about how and why the program works.

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    Associates Who Master AI Can Fast-Track Their Careers

    As artificial intelligence increasingly becomes part of the way the legal industry does business, associates who incorporate lessons in using the technology into their daily work lives stand to differentiate themselves from other young attorneys, legal experts tell Law360 Pulse.

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    WilmerHale Taps Life Science Pro To Chair Transactions Dept.

    WilmerHale announced Wednesday that the former Latham & Watkins LLP attorney it hired last year to co-chair its life sciences practice is taking over as the chair of its transactional department.

  • Trump Admin Says UCLA Didn't Protect Jewish Students

    The U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday that it determined that the University of California, Los Angeles, violated civil rights laws by failing to "adequately respond" to harassment and abuse that Jewish and Israeli students faced on its campus following the war in Gaza.

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    Former Airbnb, PayPal Atty Takes Legal Reins At Catena

    AI-focused financial startup Catena Labs announced Tuesday that it has hired an attorney who has held prior in-house stints at Airbnb, PayPal and Wells Fargo to serve as its first chief legal and business officer.

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    State & Local Tax Atty Rejoins Pillsbury In San Francisco

    Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP continues expanding its tax team, welcoming a state and local tax expert who worked several years as a solo practitioner back to the firm as a partner in its San Francisco office.

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    Many In-House Attys Say They Negotiate Their Compensation

    In-house lawyers increasingly are having conversations about their compensation packages, with more than half of corporate legal department respondents saying in a recent survey that they had negotiated their pay in 2024 or 2025, according to findings released Tuesday by a legal executive search firm.

  • Ex-Munchkin GC Sues Over 'War On Families' At Baby Co.

    Munchkin Inc.'s former general counsel says he was fired for trying to sound the alarm about the baby products brand's "war on families" and culture of discrimination against working mothers and families, in a $10 million suit filed in California state court on Friday.

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Expert Analysis

  • Goldilocks Solution: Why The 4-Day Office Week Is Just Right Author Photo

    As law firms continue to wrestle with return-to-office policies, many are being pulled toward one or the other of two extremes: the rigidity of a five-day in-office schedule and the laissez-faire approach of a flexible three-day hybrid model — but a four-day in-office workweek may be the sweet spot, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • As Attys Adopt Generative AI, 3 Elements Should Be Cardinal Author Photo

    As the legal world increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence, lawyers and firms must develop and utilize strong prompting skills, keep a pulse on forthcoming tech evolutions, and remain steadfast to ethical obligations, say Michele Carney at Carney & Marchi and Marty Robles-Avila at BAL.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises Author Photo

    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Prioritize Connections Author Photo

    One reason business development in the legal industry seems so mysterious is because human relationships are so complex, but lawyers can reorient their thinking in two important ways to drive the process of connecting with new colleagues and contacts, say Jamie Lawless and Angela Quinn at Husch Blackwell.

  • Overcoming US Law Firms' Hesitancy To Enter Indian Market Author Photo

    Successful private equity exits with strong returns have solidified India's buyout market as an increasingly attractive destination for future investments, offering compelling reasons for the U.S. legal community to overcome its caution on the country's markets, says Vaishali Movva at Eimer Stahl.

  • Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Make A Plan For The Year Author Photo

    While firms are busy allocating resources and assessing client demand, individual attorneys should use the start of the year to slow down and create a personal business plan, which can be accomplished with a few steps, say Elizabeth Gooch, Teri Robshaw and Chris Newman at McDermott.

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    Talking Mental Health: Caring For Everyone As A Firm Leader Author Photo

    Reid Phillips at Brooks Pierce discusses how he manages the pressure of running a law firm, how sources of stress in the legal industry have changed over the past decade, and what firm leaders should do to help manage burnout and mental health issues among employees.

  • How Firms Can Use LinkedIn To Aid Marketing Efforts In 2025 Author Photo

    LinkedIn has several features law firms can use to showcase their capabilities and thought leadership to reach prospective and existing clients, including the Event and Live features, says Sofia Millar at Reputation Ink.

  • Talking Mental Health: Managing Emotions In Trauma Cases Author Photo

    Nikki Hurtado at The Ferraro Law Firm discusses what motivates her to represent victims of catastrophic injuries, how she copes with the emotional toll of such cases, and what other attorneys taking on similar cases can do to protect their mental well-being.

  • Strategies For Successful Law Firm Mergers In 2025 Author Photo

    Law firms are expected to continue consolidating in the year to come, and because these mergers require a different kind of playbook, firm leaders must carefully consider office culture nuances, professional services economics and talent retention strategy before any merger, say directors at FTI Consulting.

  • Making Legal Cents: Winning More Work In A Crowded Market Author Photo

    In a market where clients have more options, tighter budgets and higher expectations, firms must figure out how to differentiate themselves without discounting their rates, and several practical strategies for pitching, pricing and early-engagement communication can help, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • Best Practices For Implementing Firm Revenue Cycle Roles Author Photo

    Law firm revenue cycles are becoming more complex and time-consuming, but hiring dedicated revenue cycle personnel can help streamline the process and reduce the burden on attorneys, says Christine Indiano at Harbor Global.

  • Tips For Constructing Your Small-Law Exit Strategy Author Photo

    By initiating planning and processes to evaluate personal retirement goals and firm value early, longtime solo practitioners and small-firm owners can unlock a range of possibilities and potential buyers, setting up for a profitable exit and a rewarding transition, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.

  • Tips For Persuasive Briefs Beyond The Argument Section Author Photo

    When crafting an appellate brief, the focus for most lawyers is the argument section, but other sections also offer strategic opportunities to shape the court's perception of the case and favorably frame the issues, say attorneys at Frost Brown.

  • Ask A Mentor: Is Secondment A Good Career Move? Author Photo

    Kate Driscoll at Morrison Foerster suggests six questions to help candidates evaluate whether a secondment will benefit their career.

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