California Pulse

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    Approach The Bench: Justice Earls On Speaking Out

    North Carolina Supreme Court Justice Anita Earls still believes in the importance of informing the public about the judiciary, but these days she's a little more careful about what she says.

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    Weil Adds Ex-Kirkland, Massumi + Consoli PE Pro In Calif.

    Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP is expanding its California team, announcing Monday it is bringing in a Massumi + Consoli LLP private equity expert as a partner in its recently opened Los Angeles office.

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    9th Circ. Chief Judge Cleared Of Judicial Misconduct Claims

    The Judicial Council of the Ninth Circuit on Friday cleared its chief judge of judicial misconduct claims alleging she failed to timely investigate a Los Angeles judge's decision to have a lawyer handcuffed and detained during contempt proceedings, finding the allegations were unfounded.

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    Law Firm Revenue Rose At 'Historic' Rate In 2024's First Half

    U.S. law firm revenue was up 11.4% during the first half of 2024 compared to this time last year, marking one of the industry's best first halves in memory, second only to 2021, according to survey results released Monday by Wells Fargo Private Bank.

  • Brownstein Hires State Gov't Relations Duo In Sacramento

    Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP has hired two policy directors in Sacramento, who will bring more than 25 years of combined experience working with California lawmakers and business leaders to the firm, according to a Monday announcement.

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    Semiconductor Biz MaxLinear Cuts GC Job To Save Costs

    Semiconductor business MaxLinear Inc. recently reported that it has eliminated its general counsel and chief compliance officer post as a cost savings move.

  • Girardi Says High Court Holding Should Gut His Fraud Case

    Tom Girardi has urged a California federal judge to toss the majority of the wire fraud charges he is facing ahead of closing arguments in his trial, saying a 1960 U.S. Supreme Court case demonstrates he was charged for nothing more than receiving legally required wire transfers.

  • LegalShield Used AI To Record Clients, Suit Says

    Online legal service company LegalShield has been letting a call center software company use artificial intelligence to intercept, analyze and record its customer calls and chats, according to a lawsuit recently pulled into California federal court.

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    ABA Guides Lawyers On Avoiding Criminal Transactions

    Just over a year after the American Bar Association formalized long-standing due diligence rules for attorneys' interactions with clients, an ABA committee on Friday released its first ethics opinion providing guidance on interpreting the rules amendment.

  • Law360 Pulse Spotlight On Mid-Law Work

    Richards Layton's handling of a suit over Tesla's Texas relocation and Wiley's representation of an American solar panel makers' interest group lead this edition of Law360 Pulse's Spotlight On Mid-Law Work, recapping the top matters for Mid-Law firms from Aug. 9 to 23.

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    Messner Reeves Commercial Litigator Jumps To Gordon Rees

    A former Messner Reeves LLP partner has jumped to Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP in San Diego to bolster its services in product and general liability matters, catastrophic brain injury cases and commercial litigation.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry had another action-packed week as BigLaw firms expanded practices, shook up partnership models, and outlined new policies on office attendance. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, Fillmore Law Firm LLP, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP, the U.S. Chamber Litigation Center and the Business Roundtable lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a Texas federal judge blocked a Federal Trade Commission ban on noncompete agreements in employment contracts.

  • Calif. Atty Can't Beat Sanctions In Geragos Malpractice Suit

    A California state appeals court on Wednesday affirmed $23,000 in sanctions for discovery violations on the part of a lawyer representing clients in a malpractice case against Hollywood litigator Mark Geragos.

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    Women Attys Mobilizing For Harris Say They Can't Sit This Out

    As Vice President Kamala Harris seeks to become the first female president, women in BigLaw and the broader legal community are rallying behind her, motivated by issues such as reproductive rights.

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    Tom Girardi Takes The Stand In His Criminal Fraud Trial

    Disbarred attorney Tom Girardi took the stand Thursday in his California federal fraud trial and denied stealing from any of his clients, while also showing a strong grasp of past events and people but claiming to have no memory of the trial's witnesses and key moments, or to even know his own lawyer's name.

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    Meet The 'Larger Than Life' Atty Defending Hunter Biden

    The renowned attorney representing Hunter Biden at his upcoming criminal tax trial is a "larger than life" figure whose ability to connect with a jury, legal acumen and media savvy have made him a go-to lawyer for celebrities and high-profile cases, according to those who know him.

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    'Beloved By Everyone': Attys Recall Clifford Chance's Morvillo

    Clifford Chance LLP partner Christopher Morvillo, who died this week after a luxury yacht he was on sank off the coast of Sicily, is being remembered not only as a lion of the legal community but also as an "extraordinary human being" and a "Renaissance man" who was devoted to his family.

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    WilmerHale Adds Nonequity Partnership Tier

    Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP has become the latest BigLaw shop to create a nonequity partnership tier, the firm confirmed Thursday.

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    Perkins Coie Leader On 'Bold' Rebrand And Strategic Growth

    Perkins Coie LLP recently launched a new branding initiative, including a redesigned website, to better reflect its forward-looking and innovative reputation. Law360 Pulse spoke with Managing Partner Bill Malley about the rebranding strategy, its alignment with the firm’s goals, and its impact on future business development.

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    Fieldfisher Adds Employment Law To Silicon Valley Office

    Fieldfisher LLP has added employment law services to the offerings of its Silicon Valley office, the firm announced this week.

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    Spellbook CEO Aims For AI To Cut Junior Associate Drudgery

    A legal technology company known for its artificial intelligence contract drafting and review software is releasing a new AI copilot on Thursday to help legal teams become more efficient.

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    Commercial Contracts Cases Spike After COVID-Era Decline

    Commercial contracts litigation increased in 2023 after hitting its lowest point in a decade in 2022 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new report out Thursday.

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    Girardi Faked Dementia Symptoms, Neurologist Testifies

    A neurologist with Vanderbilt University testified Wednesday in Tom Girardi's criminal fraud trial in California federal court that the disbarred attorney was likely exaggerating his cognitive problems in late 2020 just as his law firm imploded into bankruptcy and his legal problems mounted because he believed it would be "beneficial."

  • 9th Circ. Lets Atty Fight Against $8M Malicious Prosecution

    A Nevada attorney may take to the federal court to challenge an Arizona state court's civil judgment finding him liable for malicious prosecution, the Ninth Circuit determined Wednesday, finding the federal district court was wrong to toss his claims on the grounds they were barred by jurisdictional precedent established in the Rooker-Feldman doctrine.

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Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • The Importance Of Client Engagement In Law Firm Innovation Author Photo

    As clients increasingly want law firms to serve as innovation platforms, firms must understand that there is no one-size-fits-all approach — the key is a nimble innovation function focused on listening and knowledge sharing, says Mark Brennan at Hogan Lovells.

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