California Pulse


  • Corp. Diversity Policies Take On New Names Amid DEI Pushback

    Despite the recent anti-diversity backlash, more than half of public companies in the Russell 3000 index continue to build and expand their DEI-related programs, with Nike and Visa leading the way, according to a study released Thursday.

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    Departed EBay CLO Received $6.5 Million In Severance

    The former chief legal officer at eBay Inc. earned around $7.4 million in total compensation in 2024, highlighted by her more than $6.5 million severance payment following her June departure from the e-commerce giant, according to a recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

  • Paul Hastings, GenapSys Settle Calif. Legal Malpractice Suit

    The legal malpractice suit in which gene sequencing company GenapSys Inc. argued Paul Hastings LLP caused GenapSys' bankruptcy appears to have been settled.

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    20 Former Federal Judges Launch Group To Defend Judiciary

    Twenty former federal district and circuit judges on Thursday launched a coalition to speak out about and defend the federal judiciary as political impeachment attempts against judges increase and the federal courts system faces heightened scrutiny.

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    Greenberg Traurig Hires Procopio Litigation Duo In San Diego

    Greenberg Traurig LLP announced Wednesday that it has added a member of Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch LLP's management committee and another partner from that firm to its litigation practice in San Diego.

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    Pierson Ferdinand Adds Insurance Group With New Atty

    The rapidly growing firm of Pierson Ferdinand LLP announced Thursday that it tapped a new partner who was previously with Carlton Fields to launch an international insurance regulatory team practice along with another Los Angeles-based attorney.

  • Calif. Bar Seeks Credits, Lower Pass Score After Exam Fiasco

    The California Bar has asked the state's supreme court to help it account for rampant technical difficulties on the February 2025 bar exam by approving a lower passing score and allowing the bar to give test-takers credit for some questions they left blank.

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    KHP Hires Goodwin Procter Partner As New General Counsel

    Real estate private equity firm KHP Capital Partners said Wednesday that former Goodwin Procter LLP real estate partner Alex Lewis will become the firm's executive vice president and general counsel.

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    Foley & Lardner Adds 5 IP Attys From Perkins Coie, K&L Gates

    Foley & Lardner LLP is expanding its intellectual property team in California, announcing Wednesday the addition of five IP attorneys — four from Perkins Coie LLP in San Diego and one from K&L Gates LLP in San Francisco.

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    Akerman Adds New Director To Boost Workforce Connections

    Akerman LLP has tapped a veteran of Dentons, DLA Piper and ArentFox Schiff LLP to serve as its inaugural director of connections, a position designed to drive innovation and creativity in the firm's distributed workplace.

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    DoorDash GC Sees Another Drop In Comp To $5.3M

    For the second consecutive year, DoorDash Inc.'s general counsel has seen a substantial drop in her annual compensation package highlighted by an over $5 million decrease in the value of her stock awards, according to a recent U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

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    Saul Ewing Names 1st Chief Strategic Operations Officer

    Saul Ewing LLP beefed up its executive team by creating a new role aimed at directing firmwide initiatives and has shifted its chief marketing officer into the position.

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    Roku Paid Its New GC Nearly $12.4M During Her 1st Year

    Roku Inc.'s general counsel, who joined the company in July, received a nearly $12.4 million pay package during her first year, a recent securities filing shows.

  • Feds Must Keep Funding Migrant Kids' Counsel, Judge Says

    A California federal judge has ruled the government must keep funding legal representation for unaccompanied children in immigrant hearings for the time being, saying Congress created rules requiring the government to do so as long as funds remain for it.

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    4 Skills Gen Z Associates Need To Close The Generation Gap

    As they enter the legal workforce in increasing numbers, Generation Z lawyers need to hone certain skills to thrive in multigenerational law firms, experts say, in many cases shifting how they communicate and build relationships in order to adapt to earlier generations' preferences.

  • California Judge Loses Pay After Conviction For Murdering Wife

    The California Commission on Judicial Performance formally suspended a California judge without pay after a state jury found him guilty of second-degree murder last week for shooting his wife to death in their Anaheim Hills home on Aug. 3, 2023, following a heated argument. 

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    Large Law Firm Revenues Climb Despite Dip In Demand

    Even as the demand for legal services fell short of industry expectations, U.S. law firms entered 2025 on solid financial footing, with steady rate hikes fueling an 11.3% jump in first-quarter revenues, according to survey results released Tuesday by Wells Fargo Private Bank.

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    Littler Brings Back Arbitration Pro In Calif.

    Labor and employment firm Littler Mendelson PC is expanding its California arbitration team, announcing Tuesday that it is welcoming back an employment attorney who left briefly to join Whitney Thompson & Jeffcoach LLP.

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    Pillsbury Litigator Jumps To Benesch In San Francisco

    Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP announced that an experienced corporate litigator has joined the firm's fast-growing San Francisco office as a partner from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP.

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    Cooley Life Sciences Ace Rejoins Latham In Bay Area

    Latham & Watkins LLP has welcomed back an intellectual property attorney who spent the past nine years at Cooley LLP to bolster its healthcare and life sciences practice, including advising clients about licensing and transactional matters.

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    Luxury Furniture Co. RH Seeks New Top Atty As CLO Resigns

    The longtime chief legal and compliance officer at RH, formerly Restoration Hardware, plans to step down for a similar job elsewhere, and the luxury home furnishings company is now searching for his replacement, according to a recent securities filing.

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    Hughes Hubbard Selects Marketing Chief From Ropes & Gray

    Hughes Hubbard & Reed has tapped a former Ropes & Gray LLP marketing director and Legal Marketing Association president to serve as its chief marketing and business development officer, the firm announced Monday.

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    What Attorneys Really Think About Their Profession

    Law360 Pulse asked respondents to our Lawyer Satisfaction Survey for their thoughts on misconceptions about being a lawyer, what the best parts of the job are and what they would tell newer lawyers. Here's what they said.

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    Lawyers Worry About Financial Stability Of Their Careers

    In 2025, even lawyers are feeling anxious about their bottom lines: Only 44% of attorneys described their financial stability as "excellent" in a recent Law360 Pulse survey.

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    How Happy Are Attorneys At Work Now?

    In a time of rising uncertainty and stress, there are signs that spirits are sagging in the legal profession compared with recent years, according to a new Law360 Pulse survey.

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Expert Analysis

  • Talking Mental Health: The View From Life After BigLaw Author Photo

    Life coach and author Wendy Tamis Robbins discusses why she left a career in BigLaw to work in the professional well-being space after finding freedom from anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and substance use disorders, and highlights two changes the legal industry should implement to address attorneys' mental health.

  • 6 Essential Skills For Summer Associates To Land An Offer
    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    With full-time offer rates at the lowest point since 2012, summer associates must do all they can to distinguish themselves, starting with a few fundamentals — from the importance of asking clarifying questions to being honest about mistakes, says James Argionis at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Making Legal Cents: How Law Firms Can Innovate Faster Author Photo

    To meet the demands of an evolving legal market and changing client expectations, law firms must not only embrace innovation, but also find ways to accelerate adoption and mitigate risks in an industry historically resistant to change, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Should Departing Partners Approach Pay? Author Photo

    Sabina Lippman at CenterPeak discusses steps BigLaw partners can take when considering a move or announcing their departure to help navigate tricky compensation issues and remain on good terms with their current partners.

  • How 2 Litigators Decided Dad Would Stay Home With The Kids Author Photo

    Jennifer Hoekstra at Aylstock Witkin shares the tough conversations about timing, goals, logistics and values involved in her family's decision that she would build her career as a litigator and law firm partner while her husband stepped back from his own litigation role to stay home with their children.

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    My Nonpracticing Law Job: Legal Commentary Ghostwriter Author Photo

    Wayne Pollock at Copo Strategies shares how he went from overworked Am Law 50 associate to owner of a legal thought leadership ghostwriting service, and provides four lessons for anyone who might be considering launching a business within the legal industry.

  • Ask A Mentor: As Trials Grow Rarer, How Do I Hone My Skills? Author Photo

    Gary Parsons at Brooks Pierce offers advice for young lawyers seeking trial experience in an environment where fewer cases make it to trial, including how to build their reputations, set their expectations and pick the right firm.

  • Talking Mental Health: Managing Depression As A Co. Founder Author Photo

    New Era ADR co-founder Collin Williams discusses his journey navigating a clinical depression diagnosis, how this experience affected his leadership style, and what the legal industry can do to better support attorneys with mental health conditions.

  • Series

    My Nonpracticing Law Job: Career And Wellness Coach Author Photo

    Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea shares how she went from BigLaw partner to legal industry career and wellness coach, and explains how attorneys can use their capabilities, knowledge and professional networks to pursue coaching themselves, or bring refreshed meaning and purpose to their current roles.

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    Talking Mental Health: Tackling Stress As A Practice Leader Author Photo

    Constance Rhebergen at Bracewell discusses how she handles the stress of being a practice chair, how sources of stress have changed in the legal industry over the past decade and what law firms can do to protect attorney mental health.

  • Making Legal Cents: Engaging A Remote, Evolving Workforce Author Photo

    In the face of a dispersed and changing workforce with Generation Z entering the scene, law firms should consider some practical strategies to revitalize their cultures, provide meaningful mentorship and safeguard their knowledge bases, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • How Firms Can Effectively Evaluate Their Summer Associates Author Photo

    One of the most effective ways firms can ensure their summer associate programs are a success is by engaging in a timely and meaningful evaluation process and being intentional about when, how and by whom feedback should be provided, say Caroline Cimei and Erica Fine at Shutts & Bowen.

  • Series

    Talking Mental Health: Life As A Lawyer With OCD Author Photo

    Kelly Hughes at Ogletree discusses what she’s learned in the 14 years since she was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder, recounting how the experience shaped her law practice, what the legal industry and general public get wrong about the disorder, and how law firms can better support employees who have OCD.

  • 3 Innovative Ways AI May Be Used In Legal Practice
    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
    Author Photo

    Artificial intelligence tools will increasingly be used by outside counsel to better predict the outcomes of litigation — thus informing legal strategy with greater precision — and by clients to scrutinize invoices and evaluate counsel’s performance, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • Roundup

    My Nonpracticing Law Job Author Photo

    Not every law degree leads to a law practice. In this Law360 Pulse series, former practicing attorneys share the stories of how they went from practicing corporate law to using their knowledge and background to carve out a nontraditional career path in the legal industry.

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