California Pulse


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    Wilson Sonsini Adds Cooley Benefits Atty In San Diego

    Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC is expanding its corporate team, announcing Tuesday it is bringing in a Cooley LLP compensation and benefits expert as a partner in its San Diego office.

  • Retired Calif. Judge Disciplined For Disparaging Defense Atty

    A California judicial ethics body has publicly reprimanded a retired state judge for belittling a defense attorney in court and attempting to prod his client to ditch the attorney while still on the bench.

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    As GC Roles Grow, Deputies Take On Expanded Duties Too

    As general counsel roles continue to expand in today's rapidly changing economic and tech environment, legal chiefs are increasingly relying on their deputy general counsel to take over more of the day-to-day law department operations, according to a new report from legal recruiters Major Lindsey & Africa.

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    McGuireWoods Names New Office Leaders In 4 US Cities

    McGuireWoods LLP announced Wednesday that it has appointed new office managing partners in Atlanta, Houston, Baltimore and San Francisco, continuing the firm's practice of rotating its staff in and out of key leadership positions.

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    Gordon Rees Taps Calif. Employment Atty As Next Firm Head

    Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP announced Tuesday that a 20-year veteran employment litigator who has long been involved with firm management has been tapped to become the firm's new managing partner effective next year.  

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    Knol Hanly Entertainment Atty Joins Manatt In LA

    Manatt Phelps & Phillips LLP announced Tuesday that it is boosting its entertainment team by bringing in a Knol Hanly PC television ace experienced in unscripted content as a partner in its Los Angeles office.

  • Calif. Bar Seeks 30-Day Suspension For Ex-Exec's Misconduct

    The California State Bar Court has recommended a 30-day "actual" suspension for its onetime executive director, who last year was found culpable for a "significant ethical violation" in making misrepresentations to the State Bar Board of Trustees regarding his 2014 visit to Mongolia, which allegedly cost thousands of dollars in bar funds.

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    Law Firm Lateral Hiring Rebounded In Q2, But Trails 2024 Pace

    Lateral attorney hiring at the 200 largest U.S. law firms by revenue showed a modest rebound in the second quarter of 2025, offering early signs of recovery after a slow start to the year, according to a new report from legal intelligence provider Firm Prospects.

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    Frost LLP Adds Entertainment Vet As Partner

    Longtime entertainment attorney Gary Stiffelman has joined Frost LLP as a partner after several years at his own firm, bringing the experience of four decades representing what the firm said were numerous high-profile artists, cultural leaders and executives.

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    Paul Hastings Lands Wilson Sonsini Emerging Co. Atty In SF

    Paul Hastings LLP has hired a longtime corporate attorney from Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC to grow its emerging companies and venture capital practice and expand its talent base in Northern California, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • 9th Circ. Backs Sanctions For Jehovah's Witnesses' Atty

    The Ninth Circuit Monday upheld nearly $160,000 in sanctions against the general counsel for a Jehovah's Witnesses group accused of submitting a misleading affidavit to a Montana federal court in litigation brought by women alleging they endured sexual assault as children at the hands of church officials.

  • Calif. Justices Disbar SF Atty For Defrauding Elderly Client

    The California Supreme Court has ordered the disbarment of a San Francisco lawyer who authorities say overcharged an elderly trust account client with advanced dementia, finding that he "repeatedly failed to uphold the most basic duties of an attorney" and is "unfit to serve as a member of the bar."

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    Law Firm Partners United Co-Founder Joins King & Spalding

    A Goodwin Procter LLP intellectual property partner who earlier this year co-founded a coalition of BigLaw attorneys challenging the Trump administration's attacks on law firms has jumped to King & Spalding LLP.

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    Which GCs Sold Stock In June? Broadcom, US Steel And More

    Mark David Brazeal, chief legal officer at Broadcom Inc., earned $25.76 million selling stock in his company last month. Close behind is Duane Holloway, the former general counsel of U.S. Steel Corp., who is walking away from the company on July 18 with over $18.5 million earned from stock sales in June, when his company was acquired.

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    Kahana & Feld Adds 10 Partners Across Calif., Texas, Nevada

    Kahana & Feld LLP announced Monday that it has continued expanding, noting the recent additions of 10 new partners in California, Texas and Nevada who come from a variety of practice areas and law firms.

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    Weil Adds DLA Piper Entertainment Transactions Co-Chair

    Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP announced Monday it has hired the co-leader of DLA Piper's entertainment transactions practice to enhance its own capacity to handle a wide range of entertainment, sports and media deals.

  • Biopharma Co. Genelux Hires Life Sciences Veteran As GC

    California-based biopharmaceutical company Genelux Corp., which is currently developing a potential cancer treatment called Olvi-Vec, has found its new legal leader in a seasoned life sciences executive who most recently served as general counsel at Rani Therapeutics, according to a Monday announcement.

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    Brownstein Hyatt Breaks Into NY, Adds 5-Atty Crowell Team

    Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP announced Monday that it has hired five partners and a policy director from Crowell & Moring LLP and established its first New York office in the process.

  • Circuit-By-Circuit Recap: Justices Send Message To Outliers

    It was a tough term at the U.S. Supreme Court for two very different circuits — one solidly liberal, one solidly conservative — that had their rulings overturned in eye-popping numbers. But it was another impressive year for a relatively moderate circuit that appears increasingly simpatico with the high court.

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    The Moments That Shaped The Universal Injunction Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court voted along ideological lines when it hindered the ability of federal district court judges to issue nationwide pauses on presidential policies, but that outcome didn't seem like a foregone conclusion during oral arguments earlier this year. What do the colloquies suggest about the justices' thinking? Here are some moments that may have swayed them.

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    Orrick Adds Nixon Peabody Public Finance Atty In LA

    Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP is boosting its finance team, bringing in a Nixon Peabody LLP public finance pro as a partner in its Los Angeles office.

  • Tarter Krinsky Opens Expanded LA Office

    Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP announced that in response to its focus on growing its Los Angeles operation, the firm has opened an expanded office in the city's Century City neighborhood.

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    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a Maryland school district burdened parents' religious rights when it declined to provide opt-outs from a policy that introduced LGBTQ-themed storybooks into its K-12 English curriculum.

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    Disclosing Political Spend Wins Surprising Investor Support

    While most shareholder activists are hitting a brick wall with environmental, social and governance measures at 2025 annual meetings, a proposal asking for increased transparency around corporate political spending has passed at five companies, surprising some experts.

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    Procopio Names M&A Leader To Management Committee

    Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch LLP has tapped one of its longtime corporate partners in California to serve on the firm's management committee.

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Expert Analysis

  • For The Future Of Legal Practice, Let's Learn From The Past Author Photo

    At some level, every practicing lawyer is experiencing the ever-increasing speed of change — and while some practice management processes have gotten more efficient, other things about the legal profession were better before supposed improvements were made, says Jay Silberblatt, president of the Pennsylvania Bar Association.

  • Why All Law Firms Should Foster Psychological Capital Author Photo

    Law firms will be able to reap great long-term benefits if they adopt strategies to nurture four critical components of their employees' psychological wellness and performance — hope, efficacy, resilience and optimism, says Dennis Stolle at the American Psychological Association.

  • A GC's Guide To Litigation, Inspired By Sun Tzu's 'Art Of War' Author Photo

    With caseloads and spending increasing, in-house counsel might find themselves called to opine on the risks and benefits of litigation more often, and they should look at five Sun Tzu maxims from the ancient Chinese classic "The Art of War" to inform their approach to any suit, says Jeff Golimowski at Womble Bond.

  • Mentorship Is Key To Diversity In The Legal Industry Author Photo

    Not only can effective mentorship have a profound impact on women and people of color entering the legal field, but it also benefits mentors and the legal profession as a whole, creating a true win-win situation for all involved, says Natasha Cortes at Grossman Roth.

  • ChatGPT Is A Cool Trick, But AI Won't Replace Lawyers Author Photo

    Generative AI applications like ChatGPT are unlikely to ever replace attorneys for a variety of practical reasons — but given their practice-enhancing capabilities, lawyers who fail to leverage these tools may be rendered obsolete, says Eran Kahana at Maslon.

  • Pro Bono Work Is Valuable In IP And Continued Learning Author Photo

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's recent elimination of a rule that partially counted pro bono work toward continuing legal education highlights the importance of volunteer work in intellectual property practice and its ties to CLE, and puts a valuable tool for hands-on attorney education in the hands of the states, say Lisa Holubar and Ariel Katz at Irwin.

  • Increasing Public Access To Legal Services: A Practical Plan Author Photo

    Recommendations recently issued by a special committee of the Florida Bar represent a realistic, pragmatic approach to increasing the accessibility and affordability of legal services, at a time when the disconnect between the legal profession and the public at large has widened considerably, says Gary Lesser, president of the Florida Bar.

  • Series

    Ask A Mentor: How Do I Relay Shortcomings To Associates? Author Photo

    Michael Cohen at Duane Morris discusses the best ways to articulate how an associate is not meeting expectations, and why documentation of performance management is crucial for their growth and protecting the firm from discrimination suits.

  • 10 Principles For Effective Partner Reward Systems Author Photo

    Several forces are reshaping partners’ expectations about profit-sharing, and as compensation structures evolve in response, firms should keep certain fundamentals in mind to build a successful partner reward system, say Michael Roch at MHPR Advisors and Ray D'Cruz at Performance Leader.

  • Why Interdisciplinarity Is Key To Designing The Future Of Law Author Photo

    The legal profession faces challenges that urgently demand new solutions, and lawyers and firms can address this by leaning on other industries that have more experience practicing, teaching and incorporating innovation into their core business and service models, says Jennifer Leonard at the University of Pennsylvania.

  • Incorporating ADA Guidance Into Lawyer Wellness Movement Author Photo

    The Americans with Disabilities Act and rules of professional conduct may help the legal profession promote lawyer well-being by focusing on mental conditions' actual impact, rather than on associated stereotypes, says Alex Long at the University of Tennessee College of Law.

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    Ask A Mentor: How Can New Partners Generate Business? Author Photo

    Christine Wong at MoFo discusses how newly elected partners can prioritize business development by creating a strategic plan with the firm's marketing team and strengthening relationships with professional and personal networks.

  • 9 Writing Tips From The Justices' Opinions Last Term Author Photo

    Hidden in the U.S. Supreme Court’s opinions from the last term are each justice’s talents for crafting choice turns of phrase, highlighting best practices for attorneys to jump-start their own writing, says Ross Guberman at BriefCatch.

  • What Web3 Means For Lawyers' Ethical Duties Author Photo

    As law firms embrace Web3 technologies by accepting cryptocurrency as payment for legal fees, investing in metaverse departments and more, lawyers should remember their ethical duties to warn clients of the benefits and risks of technology in a murky regulatory environment, says Heidi Frostestad Kuehl at Northern Illinois University College of Law.

  • NY's Cybersecurity CLE Rule Is A Sign Of Changing Times Author Photo

    New York's recently announced requirement that lawyers complete cybersecurity training as part of their continuing legal education is a reminder that securing client information is more complicated in an increasingly digital world, and that expectations around attorneys' technology competence are changing, says Jason Schwent at Clark Hill.

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