California Pulse


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    Robbins Geller Escapes Sanctions In Gas Price-Fixing Suit

    A California federal judge on Wednesday rejected a bid to sanction Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP attorneys in a gas price-fixing suit, determining that the firm didn't act in bad faith or unreasonably multiply proceedings in a way that unnecessarily cost Alon USA Energy millions.

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    EEOC Bid For Law Firm DEI Info On Shaky Ground, Attys Say

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's recent call for law firms to cough up a trove of information about their diversity, equity and inclusion programs lacks statutory authority and may contravene federal law, according to experts from both sides of the aisle.

  • Law360 Announces The Members Of Its 2025 Editorial Boards

    Law360 is pleased to announce the formation of its 2025 Editorial Advisory Boards.

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    Six Takeaways From California's State Of The Judiciary

    California Supreme Court Chief Justice Patricia Guerrero gave an annual State of the Judiciary address to Golden State legislators Tuesday that highlighted the judicial branch's independence and commitment to providing "fair and impartial justice," while putting less attention than in years past on policies that support diversity and inclusion.

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    How BigLaw Is Tweaking Diversity Messaging Amid Pushback

    As the Trump administration intensifies its scrutiny of diversity programs, some of the nation's leading law firms are quietly adjusting how they publicly present their diversity commitments, including softening language, scrubbing diversity reports, and, in some cases, erasing diversity pages altogether.

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    Eisner Lands 2 Reed Smith Entertainment Pros In NY, Calif.

    Business and entertainment firm Eisner LLP announced Tuesday that it has hired two attorneys from Reed Smith LLP to enhance its capacity to negotiate entertainment industry transactions.

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    McDermott Launches San Diego Office Helmed By IP Veteran

    McDermott Will & Emery LLP announced Tuesday it is opening an office in San Diego and has tapped a longtime intellectual property attorney to lead it, while also naming that attorney to be one of the co-heads of its global IP practice.

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    Maynard Nexsen Adds 5 Constangy Employment Attys In LA

    Maynard Nexsen PC has brought a 5-lawyer team from labor and employment firm Constangy Brooks Smith & Prophete LLP to its Los Angeles office, bringing on a team that is experienced in management-side employment law and can converse in six languages.

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    Dem Ex-EEOC Officials Call Law Firm DEI Letters Overreach

    A group of Democratic-appointed former U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission officials urged acting Chair Andrea Lucas on Tuesday to rescind letters seeking information from 20 law firms about their diversity, equity and inclusion practices, saying she had exceeded the agency's power.

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    Semiconductor Co. AMD Paid GC Nearly $16.9M In '24

    Semiconductor manufacturer Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s legal chief made nearly $16.9 million in her first year with the company, including a $2 million sign-on bonus, according to a recent filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

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    Debevoise Atty Goes In-House As TPG's Legal Chief

    Global asset manager TPG announced Monday that it has hired Debevoise & Plimpton LLP partner Jennifer Chu to take over as its chief legal officer and general counsel, saying her deep "experience, leadership expertise and judgment" are an ideal match for the rapidly expanding firm.

  • Ex-Avenatti Clients Resolve Fight Over Seized Honda Jet

    Two of Michael Avenatti's former clients have settled their dispute over ownership interest and an insurance policy covering a $4.4 million Honda jet that the disgraced attorney allegedly purchased with stolen client funds, according to a notice filed in California federal court.

  • Wayne Gretzky Suing Co-Investor For Malicious Prosecution

    NHL legend Wayne Gretzky and his wife filed a lawsuit in California state court against a co-investor in a failed weight-loss business, whom he alleges lodged a meritless suit against him in 2022 to "score a quick payday" after accusing him of contributing to the demise of the company.

  • Judge Ikuta's Sr. Status Plans Give Trump 9th Circ. Opening

    U.S. Circuit Judge Sandra Segal Ikuta of the Ninth Circuit will be taking semi-retired status upon appointment of her successor, a court representative confirmed to Law360 on Monday.

  • X Corp. Says Dismissal, Sanctions Go Together In Bonus Suit

    A former X Corp. senior director of compensation engaged in "vexatious conduct" that should not allow him to drop his suit claiming unpaid bonuses without sanctions, the social media platform told a California federal judge.

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    20 Law Firms Face EEOC Demands For DEI Employment Info

    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has written to 20 law firms seeking information about their diversity, equity and inclusion-related employment practices, the agency announced Monday.

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    Sheppard Mullin's CIO Jumps To Lewis Brisbois In Calif.

    Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP's longtime chief information officer has left to take the same role at Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, the latter firm announced Monday.

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    Mitchell Silberberg Adds Greenberg Glusker IP Trio In LA

    Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP announced Monday that a three-attorney team of entertainment intellectual property attorneys from the Los Angeles-based Greenberg Glusker LLP have joined the firm.

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    How Public Companies Are Changing Their DEI Disclosures

    So far in 2025, public companies appear to be adjusting to new legal and regulatory pressures surrounding diversity issues, with some jettisoning all mention of DEI in their disclosures and others maintaining broad commitments to equity in their operations, according to a study released on Monday.

  • Vorys Releases Labor-Focused AI Tool For Its Attys, HR Pros

    Vorys Sater Seymour and Pease LLP announced Monday the launch of an in-house agentic artificial intelligence product designed to help its attorneys and human resources professionals answer questions regarding federal, state and local employment laws.

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    Ogletree Adds Ex-Aleshire & Wynder Practice Leader

    Labor and employment firm Ogletree Deakins Nash Smoak & Stewart PC announced Monday that it has hired the former leader of Aleshire & Wynder LLP's Oakland, California, office and employment litigation practice to ramp up its efforts to serve public-sector clients and others.

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    Clearway Energy GC's Compensation Rose To $1.4M In '24

    Compensation for the New Jersey-based general counsel of San Francisco-headquartered Clearway Energy climbed to about $1.4 million in 2024, according to a recent proxy statement.

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    Littler Elects 6 New Members To Board Of Directors

    Littler Mendelson PC has elected six new members to its 19-member, 2025 board of directors, the management-side employment and labor law firm announced Monday.

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    New State Courts Org. President On Its 'Vitally Important' Role

    Elizabeth Clement, chief justice of the Michigan Supreme Court and the incoming president of the National Center for State Courts, joined Law360 Pulse for a conversation about her new role in maintaining the functioning and independence of state court systems around the country.

  • Gabriel Jackson, Peter Renstrom, Stephen Jenkins and Todd Thacker

    Lewis Brisbois Adds Goldberg Segalla Litigation Quartet In SF

    Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP announced Friday that it has added a four-attorney team in San Francisco from Goldberg Segalla LLP to bolster its efforts to advise clients in products liability, toxic torts and other matters.

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Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • The Unique Challenges Facing Women-Owned Law Firms Author Photo

    In addition to establishing their brand from scratch, women who start their own law firms must overcome inherent bias against female lawyers and convince prospective clients to put aside big-firm preferences, says Joel Stern at the National Association of Minority and Women Owned Law Firms.

  • The Pursuit Of Wellness In BigLaw: Lessons From My Journey Author Photo

    Jane Jeong at Cooley shares how grueling BigLaw schedules and her own perfectionism emotionally bankrupted her, and why attorneys struggling with burnout should consider making small changes to everyday habits.

  • Why We Must Recruit And Advance More Black Prosecutors Author Photo

    Black Americans make up a disproportionate percentage of the incarcerated population but are underrepresented among elected prosecutors, so the legal community — from law schools to prosecutor offices — must commit to addressing these disappointing demographics, says Erika Gilliam-Booker at the National Black Prosecutors Association.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Can Associates Deal With Overload? Author Photo

    Young lawyers overwhelmed with a crushing workload must tackle the problem on two fronts — learning how to say no, and understanding how to break down projects into manageable parts, says Jay Harrington at Harrington Communications.

  • A Scientific Path For Improving Diversity At Law Firms Author Photo

    Law firms could combine industrial organizational psychology and machine learning to study prospective hires' analytical thinking, stress response and similar attributes — which could lead to recruiting from a more diverse candidate pool, say Ali Shahidi and Bess Sully at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Can Associates Seek More Assignments? Author Photo

    In the first installment of Law360 Pulse's career advice guest column, Meela Gill at Weil offers insights on how associates can ask for meaningful work opportunities at their firms without sounding like they are begging. 

  • Legal Sector Regulatory Reform Is Key To Closing Justice Gap Author Photo

    In order to improve access to justice for those who cannot afford a lawyer, states should consider regulatory innovations, such as allowing new forms of law firm ownership and permitting nonlawyers to provide certain legal services, says Patricia Lee Refo, president of the American Bar Association.

  • How Attys Can Guard Against Rising Settle-And-Sue Claims Author Photo

    Certain precautions can help lawyers avoid post-settlement malpractice claims and create a solid evidentiary defense, as settle-and-sue lawsuits rise amid pandemic-induced dispute settlements, say Bethany Kristovich and Jeremy Beecher at Munger Tolles.

  • What I Learned As A Virtual Summer Associate Author Photo

    It is necessary in a virtual law firm summer program to think twice about asking questions you may be able to answer on your own, but this independence and other aspects of a remote internship may help to instill habits that would be useful for future full-time associates, says law student Kelley Sheehan, who interned at Patterson & Sheridan this summer.

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