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California Pulse


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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.

  • 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.

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    Goodwin Debt Financing Ace Rejoins Gibson Dunn In LA

    Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP is expanding its West Coast team, announcing Tuesday it is welcoming back a debt financing expert, who left for a few years to join Goodwin Procter LLP, as a partner in its Los Angeles office.

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    K&L Gates Names New Managing Partner, Committee Chair

    K&L Gates LLP has kicked off a leadership transition process that will continue through next summer and will include the appointment of a new managing partner in July and a management committee chair by June 2026.

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    Kirkland Lands 12 Litigation Partners From King & Spalding

    Twelve former litigation partners from King & Spalding LLP are among close to 30 attorneys who are moving to Kirkland & Ellis LLP, the latter firm told Law360 Pulse Tuesday.

  • Calif. Bar Seeks More Remedies After Problematic Feb. Exam

    The state bar of California has formally asked the state Supreme Court to approve measures including a limited provisional licensure program and a more direct pathway to admission for out-of-state attorneys, in the state bar's latest attempt to seek equitable remedies amid the fallout from the bungled February 2025 California bar exam.

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    California Litigator Joins Pierson Ferdinand From Pillsbury

    After over 25 years at Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, an experienced, California-based litigator has come aboard Pierson Ferdinand LLP as a partner, the virtual law firm announced Tuesday.

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    Paul Hastings Lands 5-Atty LA Real Estate Team From Latham

    Paul Hastings LLP's real estate practice is adding an experienced five-partner land use team from Latham & Watkins LLP in Los Angeles, the firm announced Tuesday.

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    Why Training Partners To Supervise AI Is Now A Priority

    As law firms integrate generative artificial intelligence into their operations and teach attorneys to use it, some are getting their partners up to speed by training them specifically in how to supervise the use of these tools.

  • Law360 Reveals Titans Of The Plaintiffs Bar

    This past year, a handful of attorneys secured billions of dollars in settlements and judgments for both classes and individual plaintiffs against massive companies and organizations like Facebook, Dell, the National Association of Realtors, Johnson & Johnson, UFC and Credit Suisse, earning them recognition as Law360's Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar for 2025.

  • Legendary Calif. Judge Alsup Likely To Go Inactive In 2025

    U.S. District Judge William H. Alsup, a larger-than-life jurist who's overseen some of the most consequential litigation in California's Northern District, indicated in a court filing Friday that he'll likely take inactive status before year's end, although the 79-year-old judge warned Law360 that he hasn't made a final decision.

  • Atty, Stepdaughter Face $600K Workers' Comp Fraud Charges

    The Orange County District Attorney's Office has charged a California attorney and his stepdaughter with conspiring to defraud a police department she was employed at by filing fraudulent workers' compensation payments.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry had another action-packed week as BigLaw firms shifted operations, expanded practices and took on new talent across the country. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse’s weekly quiz.

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Latham & Watkins LLP leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a deadlocked U.S. Supreme Court left in place an Oklahoma state court ruling barring the launch of the nation's first religious charter school.

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    Kirkland Partner Joins Investment Group As First CLO

    A 20-year partner at Kirkland & Ellis LLP has moved in-house as the first chief legal officer at Lane42 Investment Partners LLC, a new alternative asset management company.

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    Foley & Lardner Adds DLA Piper, McDermott Corporate Pros

    Foley & Lardner LLP has hired two seasoned attorneys in California who previously practiced at DLA Piper and McDermott to bolster its innovative technology sector and transactions practice group.

  • 2 Firms Tapped To Lead Visa Derivative Suits Over DOJ Claims

    A California federal judge has combined lawsuits accusing Visa's executives and directors of allowing the company to understate the regulatory risk it faced by engaging in anticompetitive actions currently at the center of a lawsuit brought by the U.S. Department of Justice last year, and appointed two law firms to lead the litigation.

  • Levi Strauss Calls For Sanctions Against Boies Schiller

    Levi Strauss is seeking more than $15,000 from Boies Schiller Flexner LLP and training for the firm's litigation attorneys in the proceeding over a former executive's sex discrimination claims, telling a California federal judge that Boies Schiller flouted deadlines and refused to meet with opposing counsel.

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    Goodwin Procter Gave EEOC Data On Applicants' Race, Pay

    Goodwin Procter LLP turned over a trove of demographic and employment data on thousands of applicants for its fellowships, summer associate programs and full-time positions in response to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's March inquiry into its diversity programs.

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    CBP Search, DHS Emails Both Rattle, Rally Immigration Attys

    Over the last two months, a handful of attorneys have gone public about their unusual interactions with immigration authorities, including receiving emails telling them to self-deport and being temporarily detained by Customs and Border Protection, experiences that have stoked some anxiety among the immigration bar in particular.

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Expert Analysis

  • How Attorneys Can Narrow LGBTQ Gap In The Judiciary Author Photo

    Lawyers can take several steps to redress the lack of adequate LGBTQ representation on the bench and its devastating impact on litigants and counsel in the community, says Janice Grubin, co-chair of the Judiciary Committee at the LGBT Bar Association of Greater New York.

  • Employers Must Heed Rising Attorney Stress And Alcohol Use Author Photo

    Krill Strategies’ Patrick Krill, who co-authored a new study that revealed alarming levels of stress, hazardous drinking and associated gender disparities among practicing attorneys, highlights how legal employers can confront the underlying risk factors as both warnings and opportunities in the post-COVID-19 era.

  • Lawyers Can Get Ready For Space Law To Take Flight Author Photo

    While international agreements for space law have remained relatively unchanged since their creation decades ago, the rapid pace of change in U.S. laws and policies is creating opportunities for both new and veteran lawyers looking to break into this exciting realm, in either the private sector or government, says Michael Dodge at the University of North Dakota.

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    Ask A Mentor: What Makes A Successful Summer Associate? Author Photo

    Navigating a few densely packed weeks at a law firm can be daunting for summer associates, but those who are prepared to seize opportunities and not afraid to ask questions will be set up for success, says Julie Crisp at Latham.

  • How To Successfully Market Your Summer Associate Program Author Photo

    Law firms can attract the right summer associate candidates and help students see what makes a program unique by using carefully crafted messaging and choosing the best ambassadors to deliver it, says Tamara McClatchey, director of career services at the University of Chicago Law School.

  • Opinion

    Judges Deserve Congress' Commitment To Their Safety Author Photo

    Following the tragic attack on U.S. District Judge Esther Salas' family last summer and amid rising threats against the judiciary, legislation protecting federal judges' personal information and enhancing security measures at courthouses is urgently needed, says U.S. District Judge Roslynn Mauskopf, director of the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can Recalcitrant Attys Use Social Media? Author Photo

    Social media can be intimidating for reluctant lawyers but it can also be richly rewarding, as long as attorneys remember that professional accounts will always reflect on their firms and colleagues, and follow some best practices to avoid embarrassment, says Sean Marotta at Hogan Lovells.

  • Keys To Digitizing Inefficient Contract Management Processes Author Photo

    Neville Eisenberg and Mark Grayson at BCLP explain how they sped up contract execution for one client by replacing email with a centralized, digital tool for negotiations and review, and how the principles they adhered to can be helpful for other law firms looking to improve poorly managed contract management processes.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can Firms Coach Associates Remotely? Author Photo

    Practicing law through virtual platforms will likely persist even after the pandemic, so law firms and senior lawyers should consider refurbishing their associate mentoring programs to facilitate personal connections, professionalism and effective training in a remote environment, says Carol Goodman at Herrick Feinstein.

  • How Law Firms Can Welcome And Celebrate Autistic Lawyers Author Photo

    As the U.S. observes Autism Acceptance Month, autistic attorney Haley Moss describes the societal barriers and stereotypes that keep neurodivergent lawyers from disclosing their disabilities, and how law firms can better accommodate and level the playing field for attorneys whose minds work outside of the prescribed norm.

  • Law Firm Tips For Evaluating AI And Machine Learning Tools Author Photo

    Many legal technology vendors now sell artificial intelligence and machine learning tools at a premium price tag, but law firms must take the time to properly evaluate them as not all offerings generate process efficiencies or even use the technologies advertised, says Steven Magnuson at Ballard Spahr.

  • A Call For Personal Accountability On Diversity And Inclusion Author Photo

    While chief legal officers are increasingly involved in creating corporate diversity, inclusion and anti-bigotry policies, all lawyers have a responsibility to be discrimination busters and bias interrupters regardless of the title they hold, says Veta T. Richardson at the Association of Corporate Counsel.

  • 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.

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