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California Pulse
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ABA Leader Says Silence 'Not An Alternative' On Trump EOs
While American Bar Association President Bill Bay says he's seen no shortage of criticism and even threats for publicly opposing the Trump administration's executive orders targeting law firms, he told attendees at an ABA ethics conference that being silent was not a viable alternative.
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The Path To $2B Merger Of Herbert Smith, Kramer Levin
Herbert Smith Freehills LLP and Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP on Sunday will go live with their planned merger, which will combine 2,700 lawyers and more than $2 billion in revenue from both firms.
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Fenwick & West Leases New San Francisco Office Space
Fenwick & West LLP will move to a new San Francisco office after signing a 50,000-square foot lease for office space in a 38-story Class A office tower owned by real estate investment trust Paramount Group Inc., according to an announcement from JLL.
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Thompson Hine Brings Ex-Troutman Real Estate Atty To LA
Thompson Hine LLP hired a former Troutman Pepper Locke LLP real estate transactions partner as a new real estate partner in Los Angeles, the firm announced May 29.
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Sidley Leaders On Firm's Active Lateral Hiring This Year
As of the end of May, Sidley Austin LLP has made 45 lateral partner additions so far this year, outpacing the vast majority of large law firms in lateral hiring as its new executive committee chair Brian Fahrney took the reins this spring.
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Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz
The legal industry ended May with another action-packed week as BigLaw firms expanded practices and attorneys took on new roles. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse’s weekly quiz.
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Calif. Justices Propose Tweaking Rules For Bar Examiners
The California Supreme Court has proposed changes to the administration of the state's troubled bar exam, circulating a slate of amendments designed to clarify the role of the Committee of Bar Examiners, including spelling out its duty to review and approve all questions used in the exam.
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9th Circ. Judge Warns Of 'Rule Of Law Recession'
On Thursday, Beverly Hills trial lawyer Paul Kiesel brought together a panel including a former U.S. Department of Justice senior trial counsel, a state attorney general, and former BigLaw associate Rachel Cohen, to discuss what Senior U.S. Circuit Judge M. Margaret McKeown called a "rule of law recession."
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'Silent Majority' Of GCs Band Together To Protect Rule Of Law
A few hundred general counsel have recently joined together in a private, bipartisan group, aiming to rally their collective power, from potentially gathering signatures for future amicus briefs to fielding questions about factors to consider when changing outside counsel, to preserve the rule of law in the wake of the Trump administration's executive orders against law firms.
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Seyfarth Adds Greenspoon Marder Corporate Atty In LA
Seyfarth Shaw LLP is expanding its West Coast team, bringing in a former Greenspoon Marder LLP transactional attorney as a partner in its Los Angeles office in Century City.
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Crowell & Moring Hires Ex-EPA Deputy Assistant Admin In SF
Crowell & Moring LLP announced on Thursday the hiring of a former deputy assistant administrator from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as senior counsel in the firm's environmental and regulatory enforcement groups in its San Francisco office.
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Law Firm Real Estate Report
May was a month of new markets for several firms as they made their first entries into a handful of notable U.S. cities. They include Carlton Fields, which expanded into Minnesota with a new Minneapolis office staffed by attorneys formerly with Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP. And a merger with a Seattle-based firm gave Dickinson Wright PLLC its first office in the Pacific Northwest.
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Willkie Brings On Musician-Turned-Atty In LA From Manatt
Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP has hired a former Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP partner and professional musician for its corporate and financial services department and entertainment transactions practice.
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Eversheds, William Fry Call Off Irish Merger Talks
Eversheds Sutherland's Irish office will not go ahead with a discussed plan to merge with Dublin-based William Fry LLP, the two firms said Thursday.
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ID Verification Platform Fights Bid To DQ MoFo In IP Dispute
Identity verification platform Jumio urged a California federal court to reject a bid to disqualify Morrison & Foerster LLP as its counsel in patent litigation over facial recognition technology, saying the law firm had not been co-counsel with its previously disqualified firm, Perkins Coie LLP.
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Freshfields Gains New Tech M&A Leadership From Debevoise
Freshfields LLP announced Wednesday that it has hired a former Debevoise & Plimpton LLP attorney in San Francisco to co-lead its U.S. tech and life sciences mergers and acquisitions practice.
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Ex-Benghazi Investigator Sworn In As Interim NorCal US Atty
A longtime Los Angeles attorney and former investigator into the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans was appointed on Tuesday as interim U.S. attorney in California's Northern District, where he'll be allowed to serve up to 120 days pending Senate confirmation.
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Calif. Ethics Panel Weighs Judge DQs In Racial Justice Cases
A California judge who previously served as a district attorney need not be recused from a case involving California Racial Justice Act claims solely because the judge previously handled cases involving elements that may be subject to discovery under the act, the state's judicial watchdog has put forward in a draft opinion.
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Rate Hikes May Be Masking BigLaw's Financial Vulnerabilities
Revenue and profits have both been on a strong upward trajectory in recent years for large U.S. law firms, but those strides may not tell the whole story when considering factors like inflation and the role that aggressive rate hikes, which some say are unsustainable, have played in the increases.
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Hollywood Attys Put Focus On Assault Victims With New Firm
After a yearslong court battle against hotel tycoon Steve Wynn, attorneys Mike Holtz and Jordan Matthews earned a reputation as dogged fighters on behalf of sexual assault victims and accusers, and this month, they launched their own firm dedicated to handling sexual assault and harassment cases in the entertainment and gaming industries.
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Law Firms Slow To Adopt $225K Associate 1st-Year Salaries
First-year associate salaries of $225,000 may make headlines, but they aren't yet the reality at most law firms surveyed for a new report by the National Association for Law Placement.
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Gibson Dunn Helps 1st-Year Associates Connect With 'Pods'
At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP launched a unique virtual program to connect first-year associates with other young attorneys in different U.S. offices. Five years later, the “New Associate Pods” program is still going strong.
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Hamilton Miller Tops New Ranking Of Midsize Law Firms
Miami-based Hamilton Miller & Birthisel LLP has topped the inaugural ranking of the leading 200 midsize law firms from legal software provider SurePoint Technologies, which scored firms based on factors such as gender and ethnic diversity, and attorney roster growth.
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Anthropic Declaration Partly Stricken Over AI Hallucination
A California federal magistrate judge has partially stricken an expert report filed by Anthropic in copyright infringement litigation that cited a nonexistent study — an error created by the artificial intelligence company's own Claude AI tool — calling the issue "serious," but "not quite so grave as it first appeared."
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Withers Taps London Trusts And Estates Atty As Next Chair
Withers announced Tuesday that its next chair will be a London-based trusts and inheritance disputes lawyer with more than 25 years at the firm, who is set to assume the role in July.
Expert Analysis
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7 Ways Attys Can Improve Their LinkedIn Summaries
Lawyers can use LinkedIn to strengthen their thought leadership position, generate new business, explore career opportunities, and better position themselves and their firms in search results by writing a well-composed, optimized summary that demonstrates their knowledge and experience, says Guy Alvarez at Good2bSocial.
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How Law Firms And Attys Can Combat Imposter Syndrome
Imposter syndrome is rampant in the legal profession, especially among lawyers from underrepresented backgrounds, leading to missed opportunities and mental health issues — but firms can provide support in numerous ways, and attorneys can use therapeutic strategies to quiet their inner critic, says Helen Pamely at Rosling King.
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The Law Firm Qualities Partners Seek In Lateral Moves
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In 2022, partners considering lateral moves have new priorities, and firms that hope to recruit top talent will need to communicate their strategy for growth, engage on hot issues like origination credit and diversity initiatives, and tailor their integration plans toward expanding partners’ client base, says Gloria Sandrino at Lateral Link.
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Small Steps Can Help Employers Beat Attorney Burnout
Lawyers are experiencing burnout on a massive, unprecedented scale due to the pandemic, but law firms and institutional players can and should make a difference by focusing on small, practical solutions that protect their attorneys’ most precious personal resource and professional commodity — time, says Chad Sarchio, president of the District of Columbia Bar.
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The Evolving Role Of The Law Firm Legal Secretary
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Technological shifts during the pandemic and beyond should force firms to rethink how legal secretaries can not only better support timekeepers but also participate in elevating client service, bifurcating the role into an administrative support position and a more elevated practice support role, says Lauren Chung at HBR Consulting.
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Series
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Jennifer Rakstad at White & Case highlights how associates can emphasize achievements and seek support before, during and after their annual review, despite the pandemic’s negative effects on face time with colleagues and business development opportunities.
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How Your Law Firm's Brand Can Convey Prestige
In order to be perceived as prestigious by clients and potential recruits, law firms should take their branding efforts beyond designing visual identities and address six key imperatives to differentiate themselves — from identifying intangible core strengths to delivering on promises at every interaction, says Howard Breindel at DeSantis Breindel.
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How Dynamic Project Management Can Help Law Firms
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Law firms looking to streamline matter management should consider tools that offer both employees and clients real-time access to documents, action items, task assignee information and more, overcoming many of the limitations of project communications via email, says Stephen Weyer at Stites & Harbison.
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Series
Ask A Mentor: How Can I Successfully Switch Practices?
Associates who pivot into new practice areas may find that along with the excitement of a fresh start comes some apprehension, but certain proactive steps can help tame anxiety and ensure attorneys successfully adapt to unfamiliar subjects, novel internal processes and different client deliverables, say Susan Berson and Hassan Shaikh at Mintz.
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A Road Map For Creating Law Firm Sustainability Programs
Amid demands from clients and prospective hires for greater sustainability efforts, law firms should think beyond reusable mugs and create programs that incorporate clear leadership structures, emission tracking and reduction goals, and frameworks for reporting results, says Gayatri Joshi at the Law Firm Sustainability Network.
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Why Firms Should Help Associates Do More Pro Bono Work
Associates may hesitate to take on the added commitment of pro bono matters, but such work has tangible skill-building benefits, so firms should consider compensation and leadership strategies to encourage participation, says Rasmeet Chahil at Lowenstein Sandler.
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Confronting The Stigma Of Alcohol Abuse In Legal Industry
The pandemic has likely exacerbated the prevalence of problem drinking in the legal profession, making it critical for lawyers and educators to address alcohol abuse and the associated stigma through issue-specific education, supportive assistance and alcohol-free professional events, says Erica Grigg at the Texas Lawyers' Assistance Program.
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Opinion
Lawyers Have Duty To Push For Immigration Court Reform
Attorneys must use their collective voice to urge federal lawmakers to create an Article I immigration court outside executive branch control, helping address the conflicts of interest, political influence and lack of adjudication consistency that prevent migrants from achieving true justice, say Elia Diaz-Yaeger and Carlos Bollar at the Hispanic National Bar Association.
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Series
​​​​​​​Ask A Mentor: How Can 1st-Year Attys Manage Remote Work?
First-year associates can have a hard time building relationships with colleagues, setting boundaries and prioritizing work-life balance in a remote work environment, so they must be sure to lean on their firms' support systems and practice good time management, say Jenny Lee and Christopher Fernandez at Kirkland.
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5 Ways To Lead Lawyer Teams Toward Better Mental Health
Attorney team leaders have a duty to attend to the mental well-being of their subordinates with intention, thought and candor — starting with ensuring their own mental health is in order, says Liam Montgomery at Williams & Connolly.