California Pulse


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    Ex-Seyfarth Partner Joins Legal AI Developer

    An attorney with nearly 20 years of experience with technology law and cybersecurity matters announced Wednesday he has joined the leadership team at Eudia, an artificial intelligence platform for in-house legal teams.

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    Stubbs Alderton Corporate Atty Joins Pryor Cashman In LA

    Pryor Cashman LLP announced that a Los Angeles-based attorney has joined the firm's corporate group as a partner after nearly a decade with Stubbs Alderton & Markiles LLP.

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    Former US Atty Talks Working With 'Integrity' At Perkins Coie

    Tara McGrath, who recently joined Perkins Coie LLP after serving as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of California, spoke with Law360 Pulse about what drew her to the firm, her time as a federal prosecutor and Marine Corps officer and her thoughts about today's legal landscape.

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    Thompson Hine Adds Venable Product Liability Atty In LA

    Thompson Hine LLP is expanding its litigation team, announcing Wednesday it has brought in a Venable LLP product liability expert as a partner in its year-old Los Angeles office.

  • Fubo Streamers Get Own Attys In Disney Suit

    DiCello Levitt and Lite DePalma have won out over Bathaee Dunne in a battle to represent FuboTV subscribers suing Disney over ESPN streaming rates, with a judge saying he had "grave doubts" that Yavar Bathaee could adequately represent the plaintiffs after Bathaee undercut their case in a status conference.

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    Ex-Airbnb GC To Tackle Climate Change At Watershed

    The former general counsel at Airbnb and Chegg Inc. announced Monday that he has accepted a job as general counsel and global head of policy at Watershed, a six-year-old sustainability measurement platform.

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    Survey Finds AI May Reshape Billable Hour's Reign In Law

    The legal industry's billing practices may soon undergo a seismic shift, as a survey of nearly 300 professionals highlights the growing influence of generative artificial intelligence, with many predicting the end of the billable hour's dominance.

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    Eversheds Sutherland Launches Silicon Valley Office

    Eversheds Sutherland is expanding its West Coast operations, announcing Tuesday it is opening a Silicon Valley office with Bradford Newman, a litigator from Baker McKenzie specializing in trade secrets and artificial intelligence, as its head.

  • Revived Effort To Break Up 9th Circ. Makes Its Way To Senate

    Idaho Republicans have reintroduced a U.S. Senate bill that looks to split up the Ninth Circuit and create a new Twelfth Circuit, according to an announcement made Monday, roughly nearly seven months after a similar bill was introduced in the House.

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    Davis Wright Adds Ex-Charles Schwab Associate GC In SF

    Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is expanding its litigation team with the addition of a former associate general counsel from Charles Schwab who has also worked at Morgan Stanley and was general counsel at a cryptocurrency exchange, the firm announced Monday.

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    Pillsbury Lands WilmerHale Startup Duo In Silicon Valley

    Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP announced Monday that it has landed a pair of partners from WilmerHale to enhance its capacity to advise startups, emerging technology companies and other clients.

  • Uber Sues LA Law Firms Over Alleged Crash Fraud Scheme

    Uber Technologies Inc. filed a lawsuit Monday against two Los Angeles personal injury firms, two of their attorneys and others, alleging the ride-sharing company is being targeted by a scheme involving fraudulent personal injury claims arising from motor vehicle accidents.

  • Judge Won't Recuse Over Past Work With DraftKings Counsel

    A California federal judge presiding over a proposed class action against DraftKings regarding its fantasy sports games offerings rejected a request from the plaintiffs to recuse himself over concerns that an attorney for the defense has ties to the court.

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    Billables AI Hires Ex-Clio, Consolio Executives

    Professional services software company Billables AI, which has an AI platform for timekeeping, announced Monday the hiring of two former leaders at Clio and Consilio LLC to serve as its director of customer success and head of sales.

  • Pot Drink Co.'s Case Belongs In Arbitration, Stoel Rives Says

    Stoel Rives LLP and a group of its clients are urging a California federal court to send a fraud suit brought by a maker of nonalcoholic cannabis drinks back to arbitration, arguing all the claims are subject to a valid arbitration agreement.

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    Judges' AI Orders Keep Trickling In As Fake Citations Persist

    A handful of federal judges have issued orders or guidelines this year on the use of generative artificial intelligence in court filings as attorneys continue to get in trouble for submitting legal documents with fake case citations, according to a Law360 Pulse analysis.

  • Law360 Names 2025's Top Attorneys Under 40

    Law360 is pleased to announce the Rising Stars of 2025, our list of more than 150 attorneys under 40 whose legal accomplishments belie their age.

  • Geragos Owes $100K For Role In Nike Extortion, Jury Says

    Celebrity attorney Mark Geragos was ordered to pay $100,000 to a youth basketball coach by a Los Angeles jury that found he aided and abetted disbarred lawyer Michael Avenatti in a failed attempt to extort Nike that landed Avenatti with a 2½ year prison sentence.

  • California Courts Set AI Rules Allowing Flexibility For Judges

    The Judicial Council of California approved a policy Friday for rules and standards on the use of generative artificial intelligence for judges and court staff, with the chair of the council's AI task force saying the policy provides flexibility by allowing courts to either adopt the technology or ban it.

  • Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Shapiro Arato Bach LLP leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Second Circuit overturned the conviction of a former HSBC executive accused of defrauding a Scottish oil and gas company in a $3.5 billion currency exchange deal.

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    Poaching Suit Shows Contentious Nature Of Lateral Market

    California firm Keesal Young & Logan's suit against Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young LLP for allegedly unfairly poaching a group of its attorneys is not on firm footing, recruiters and consultants say, but still speaks to the importance of trying to leave a firm on good terms when moving jobs.

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    Ex-Toys 'R' Us GC Joins Cousteau-Founded Climate Tech Co.

    The former general counsel for Toys 'R' Us is part of the recent additions to the leadership team at Voyacy Regen, a blue technology company co-founded by Philippe Cousteau, grandson of famed oceanographer and filmmaker Jacques Cousteau.

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    Buchalter Pops Open Wine, Beer And Spirits Group

    Buchalter PC has launched a wine, beer and spirits industry group to help suppliers and wholesalers in the alcoholic beverage space navigate rapidly changing state and federal regulations.

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    Brownstein Hyatt Managing Partner Reelected To A 3rd Term

    Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP shareholders elected Rich Benenson as managing partner for a third time and named new members of the executive committee as the mid-law firm continues to expand across the country.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    This was another action-packed week for the legal industry as attorneys took on new roles and law firms expanded their reach. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

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Expert Analysis

  • 'Golden Handcuffs' May Be A Double-Edge Sword For Firms Author Photo

    As law firms increasingly use certain financial incentives to retain partners in a fierce lateral market, managing partners should consider the pros and cons of various deferred compensation schemes, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.

  • The 10-Min. Rule For Building A Business Development Habit Author Photo

    Many lawyers assume that becoming a rainmaker requires a significant investment of time and effort, but the truth is that building a consistent habit of business development can start with just 10 minutes of strategic outreach a day, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • 5 Pointers For Firm Leaders Communicating Tough Decisions Author Photo

    Certain law firm decisions — such as whether to challenge an executive order — cannot be crowdsourced, but leadership can collaboratively communicate these choices using strategies that build trust, reinforce values and preserve cohesion, says John Hellerman at Hellerman Communications.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Create A Succession Plan Author Photo

    ​​​​​​​Conversations around retirement and succession can be understandably difficult, but when attorneys make a plan for the transition early and effectively, they have the opportunity to not only keep work but also increase it, says Jillian McKenna at Verrill Dana.

  • Looking Under The Hood Of The $3,000 Billable Hour Author Photo

    In recent years, top-tier law firms have pushed hourly rates to unprecedented heights, with some partners commanding $3,000 per hour — but this eye-popping number doesn’t tell the full story, as there are numerous caveats and rigorous winnowing along the way, says Christopher Seck at Squire Patton.

  • How Law Firms Can Keep Nonequity Partners Happy Author Photo

    Law firms that successfully manage two-tiered partnership do so by creating a culture that treats everyone with respect and by establishing financial incentives outside their base compensation to reward performance, says Carol Morganstern at Major Lindsey.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Leverage Your Atty Bio Author Photo

    If maintained properly, your firm bio can help attract potential clients and create authentic connections, so it's crucial to take steps to write an updated attorney profile that goes beyond a list of credentials, says Raychel Lean at Reputation Ink.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Can I Promote Thoughtful Use Of AI? Author Photo

    Eran Kahana at Maslon discusses how partners can encourage responsible use of artificial intelligence tools within their firms by learning to spot pitfalls common to AI-generated work product and championing firmwide procedures and trainings that address the risks of uncritically relying on this powerful but imperfect technology.

  • Making Legal Cents: Firm Culture Is The New Game Plan Author Photo

    Law firm culture is often dismissed as a soft factor — merely platitudes on a website that seem disconnected from the bottom line — but by intentionally embedding a strong culture into day-to-day operations, law firms can achieve sustainable success, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • 5 Questions Firms Must Ask For Successful Lateral Integration Author Photo

    To ensure that lateral partners effectively integrate their books of business, firms should design a structured transition plan based on a few fundamentals, from tracking the right data to implementing meaningful incentives, says Lana Manganiello at Practice Growth Partner.

  • Goldilocks Solution: Why The 4-Day Office Week Is Just Right Author Photo

    As law firms continue to wrestle with return-to-office policies, many are being pulled toward one or the other of two extremes: the rigidity of a five-day in-office schedule and the laissez-faire approach of a flexible three-day hybrid model — but a four-day in-office workweek may be the sweet spot, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.

  • As Attys Adopt Generative AI, 3 Elements Should Be Cardinal Author Photo

    As the legal world increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence, lawyers and firms must develop and utilize strong prompting skills, keep a pulse on forthcoming tech evolutions, and remain steadfast to ethical obligations, say Michele Carney at Carney & Marchi and Marty Robles-Avila at BAL.

  • Rethinking 'No Comment' For Clients Facing Public Crises Author Photo

    “No comment” is no longer a cost-free or even a viable public communications strategy for companies in crisis, and counsel must tailor their guidance based on a variety of competing factors to help clients emerge successfully, says Robert Bowers at Moore & Van Allen.

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    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Prioritize Connections Author Photo

    One reason business development in the legal industry seems so mysterious is because human relationships are so complex, but lawyers can reorient their thinking in two important ways to drive the process of connecting with new colleagues and contacts, say Jamie Lawless and Angela Quinn at Husch Blackwell.

  • Overcoming US Law Firms' Hesitancy To Enter Indian Market Author Photo

    Successful private equity exits with strong returns have solidified India's buyout market as an increasingly attractive destination for future investments, offering compelling reasons for the U.S. legal community to overcome its caution on the country's markets, says Vaishali Movva at Eimer Stahl.

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