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California Pulse
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Calif. Bar Says Atty Can't End Billing Scandal's Hacking Claim
A San Fernando Valley attorney cannot escape an ethics charge alleging he plotted to hack the email and phone of a judge overseeing a public utility class action, the California Bar has told the State Bar Court, urging the court to reject the attorney's argument that merely "discussing plans" for a hack is not an offense.
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Golden Gate U. Beats Students' Suit Over JD Program Closure
A California state judge threw out a lawsuit from Golden Gate University School of Law students over the school's plans to stop offering juris doctor degrees, ruling that the students did not adequately make their case.
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Nader Slams Sullivan & Cromwell Over Protest Screenings
Consumer advocate and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader is among a trio of critics who wrote to Sullivan & Cromwell LLP this week to urge the BigLaw firm to reconsider its policy of screening job applicants for their participation in protests over the Israel-Hamas war.
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TaxAct Customers' Attys Want $5.8M Fee For $23M Deal
The attorneys for TaxAct Inc. customers who secured a $23 million deal to resolve claims that the company was secretly sharing confidential taxpayer information with Meta and Google asked a federal judge to award them more than $5.8 million in fees for their work.
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Can GCs Avoid Having Teams Seen As Department Of 'No'?
While many legal chiefs don't want business leaders to view their legal teams as the department of "No," a new study says some executives continue to wait until as late as possible to consult with their counsel — if at all.
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Equal Rights Advocates Adds DOJ Atty As Litigation Head
Equal Rights Advocates, a gender justice/women's rights nonprofit, announced Tuesday it is bringing in a U.S. Department of Justice civil rights attorney as head of its litigation team.
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Winston & Strawn Adds Chief Information Officer From Cooley
The longtime chief information officer at Cooley LLP has taken on the same role at Winston & Strawn LLP.
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How Associates Can Navigate Risks Of Social Media
Experts say associates should use social media with extreme caution, weighing any benefits against the impact that their online presence may have on their law firms, practice, clients and future employment.
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Lewis Brisbois Settles One LA Bias Suit, Another Continues
Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP has ended a former partner's race and disability bias suit, announcing a settlement in Los Angeles Superior Court, while continuing to push for arbitration in a separate discrimination suit, also filed in Los Angeles, where a former equity partner has accused the firm of gender discrimination and "unethical billing."
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MoFo Lands Akin Gump Appellate Pro In San Francisco
Morrison Foerster LLP is expanding its litigation team, announcing Tuesday it is bringing in a former San Francisco city attorney most recently with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP as a partner in its San Francisco office.
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Deputy To GC: When Is The Right Time To Transition?
While many deputy general counsel aspire to become legal chiefs — either at their current employers or elsewhere, depending on succession plans — not everyone in the role wants to rise to the position. How can lawyers know? And which qualifications do they need? One established general counsel is hoping to help deputies navigate these questions.
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Baker McKenzie Names IT Vet As Chief Information Officer
The chief digital and technology officer at Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy LLP has joined Baker McKenzie as its new chief information officer, the firm announced Monday.
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Knobbe Martens Names Diversity Committee, NY Leaders
Intellectual property firm Knobbe Martens announced that it has appointed a new diversity committee leader and managing partner at its New York office.
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Greenberg Traurig Atty Joins Semiconductor Co. As GC
An established BigLaw attorney who carved out a niche representing some of the largest Asia-based technology companies doing business in the U.S. this month moved in-house to ACM Research Inc., the semiconductor company said Monday.
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Approach The Bench: Judge Dillard Boosts Ga. Court Access
From cameras in the courtroom to explanatory law review articles to posts on social media, Judge Stephen Dillard uses every tool at his disposal to improve transparency at the Georgia Court of Appeals.
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Terns Pharma Welcomes Veteran Life Sciences Atty As CLO
An experienced in-house life sciences attorney has jumped from biotechnology company Seer Inc. to biopharmaceuticals company Terns Pharmaceuticals Inc. as its legal chief, the pharma company announced.
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Law360 Names Attys Who Moved Up The Firm Ranks In Q2
A promotion to partner or election to practice group chair means a slew of new responsibilities and also lots of well-deserved recognition. Law360 reveals the list of attorneys whose commitment to legal excellence earned them highly coveted spots in the law firm leadership ranks. Find out if your old legal friends — or rivals — moved up in the second quarter of this year.
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Spencer Fane Says New Structure Intended To Bolster Culture
Spencer Fane LLP's chair and managing partner has told Law360 Pulse that the firm's newly unveiled organizational structure is intended to foster a culture that gives attorneys more decision-making opportunities and control over their career paths.
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Firms' Recruiting Specs Hinder BigLaw Litigator Hiring
Large law firms are hungry for top litigation partners who can bring strong client relationships and big books of business along with them, according to legal recruiters. But many are finding that a tall order in today's legal industry, where everyone is looking for the same thing and portability as a litigator can be a challenge.
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Calif. High Court Says Co-Worker's Slur Can Be Harassment
The California Supreme Court on Monday revived a race bias suit brought by a longtime employee of the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, finding that her co-worker's one-time use of a racial slur may indeed have been so severe that it created a hostile work environment.
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Amex Inks $3M Deal To Settle Girardi Bankruptcy Suit Claims
American Express reached a $3 million deal to settle claims brought by the Girardi Keese bankruptcy trustee accusing the credit giant's banking unit and another subsidiary of enabling $50.25 million in fraudulent transfers as part of the now-defunct law firm's scheme to defraud creditors.
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Calif. Panel Weighs Guidance On Judges' School Fundraising
On Monday, the California Supreme Court Committee on Judicial Ethics Opinions released its latest draft opinion, soliciting public input in proposed guardrails for judicial officers' personal participation in their children's school fundraising efforts.
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Hunter Biden Attys Say They Didn't Mislead Judge In Tax Case
Hunter Biden's attorneys told a Los Angeles federal judge that while several statements in their motion to dismiss tax charges against the president's son were worded "perhaps inartfully," they never intended to mislead the court in a way that would merit sanctions.
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Boxing Manager Nears Default Win In RICO Suit
A boxing manager welcomed a California federal court's decision to award him $9.5 million as part of a default judgment against a now-defunct management company in a racketeering case but requested an increase to the court's award of legal fees.
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ABA's 1st Generative AI Opinion Points Attys To Ethical Duties
The American Bar Association ethics committee published on Monday its first formal opinion on attorney use of generative artificial intelligence tools, saying lawyers should consider their ethical obligations, including those related to model rules on competency, confidentiality and fees.
Expert Analysis
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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
Ask A Mentor: How Can I Ace My Upcoming Annual Review?.jpg)
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.
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How Your Summer Associate Events Can Convey Inclusivity
As law firms begin planning next year's summer associate events, they should carefully examine how choice of venue, activity, theme, attendees and formality can create feelings of exclusion for minority associates, and consider changing the status quo to create multiculturally inclusive events, says Sharon Jones at Jones Diversity.