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California Pulse


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    À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Milbank LLP, Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC and the Liberty Justice Center lead this week's edition of À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ Legal Lions, after the Federal Circuit held that President Donald Trump's emergency tariffs were improperly imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

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    Legal Sector Jobs Creep Back Down After 5 Months Of Gains

    U.S. legal industry jobs inched down by 200 positions last month, reflecting a loss for the first time in six months, according to preliminary data released Friday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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    Dentons US CFO Taking On New Role At Troutman

    The chief financial officer of Dentons U.S. will be moving to Troutman Pepper Locke LLP at the end of the month to become its first chief operating officer, Troutman confirmed Friday to À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ Pulse.

  • Voir Dire: À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    The legal industry kicked off September with another busy week as BigLaw firms made new hires and expanded practice areas. Test your legal news savvy here with À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ Pulse's weekly quiz.

  • Geragos Strikes At $100K Verdict Over Nike Extortion Role

    Celebrity attorney Mark Geragos asked a California judge to strike a $100,000 jury verdict that found he aided and abetted disbarred lawyer Michael Avenatti in a failed attempt to extort Nike, saying award of damages without an underlying finding of liability "is impermissible as a matter of law."

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    Axinn Veltrop Raises Salaries, Offers Bonuses Up To $25K

    Axinn Veltrop & Harkrider LLP is bumping up its pay scale for its associates by $25,000 along with paying them special bonuses of up to $25,000, the firm announced Thursday.

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    DOJ Counsel Takes Over As Skadden Foundation's Leader

    Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP's fellowship foundation announced Thursday that it had hired an alumnus who most recently worked for the U.S. Department of Justice to serve as its executive director, replacing the attorney who announced her resignation from the role two months after the firm struck a deal with President Donald Trump.

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    Which GCs Sold Stock In August? Carlyle Group And More

    General counsel Jeffrey W. Ferguson, who has been with the Carlyle Group for 26 years, cashed in some $19 million worth of stock in August.

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    OnlyFans' Parent Says AI-Tainted Briefs Are Unsalvageable

    The online platform OnlyFans' parent company said that a bid to correct legal briefs in a proposed class action against the company should be denied, arguing that the decision to use artificial intelligence to create mistake-riddled documents is severe misconduct and the briefs should be struck instead.

  • California Powerhouse: Keker Van Nest & Peters

    California-based Keker Van Nest & Peters LLP's trial attorneys secured high-profile wins for a variety of big-name clients, including Netflix and Sutter Health, while also representing OpenAI in closely watched litigation over copyright fair use in generative artificial intelligence, earning the firm a spot among À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ's 2025 Regional Powerhouses.

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    Polsinelli Emerging Companies Ace Rejoins Pillsbury In SF

    Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP is expanding its venture capital team, welcoming back an emerging companies specialist most recently with Polsinelli PC as a partner in its San Francisco office.

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    Ex-Latham Atty Who Quit Over Trump Deal Joins Stoel Rives

    Former BigLaw associate Sam Wong, who publicly quit Latham & Watkins LLP earlier this year in response to a deal it reached with the Trump administration to avoid executive orders targeting the firm, said he has joined Stoel Rives LLP, where he will be advising clients on energy projects, regulatory matters and more. 

  • Silvergate's $37.5M Investor Settlement Gets Final OK

    Investors of failed, cryptocurrency-focused Silvergate Bank secured a California federal judge's final approval Wednesday for their $37.5 million settlement of claims alleging the bank misrepresented its safeguards against onboarding customers like the collapsed, fraud-ridden crypto exchange FTX.

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    Segal McCambridge Adds 36 Attys In Calif. Firm Tie-Up

    Segal McCambridge Singer & Mahoney Ltd. continues its expansion on the West Coast, announcing it has added 36 attorneys by combining with Los Angeles-based Chapman Glucksman PC.

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    Mid-Law Mergers: Some Eye Gains, Others Under Pressure

    Mid-Law firms are increasingly eyeing tie-ups despite this year's lag in mergers, although industry observers note that some firms are jumping on opportunities while others are seeking a lifeline.

  • California Powerhouse: Hueston Hennigan

    Hueston Hennigan once again showed why it's the go-to firm for high-stakes litigation by securing a defense verdict this year for Disney in a copyright case over the blockbuster film "Moana" and a Ninth Circuit win upholding Monster Energy's $311 million false advertising trial judgment, placing it on À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ's 2025 California Powerhouses list.

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    Covington IP Atty Joins WilmerHale In San Francisco

    WilmerHale announced Wednesday that an experienced intellectual property attorney has joined the firm's San Francisco office after nearly 15 years at Covington & Burling LLP.

  • Stoel Rives Gets Pot Co. Fraud Case Sent To Arbitration

    A California federal judge has sent a nonalcoholic cannabis beer company's claims alleging it was duped by Stoel Rives LLP and its clients into spending $2.2 million on an illicit business to arbitration, saying it can't escape a valid arbitration clause by refusing to participate.

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    More K&L Gates Attys Jump To Arnold & Porter In LA, Seattle

    Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP continues to grow its West Coast team, announcing Wednesday two more longtime K&L Gates LLP attorneys have joined as partners — a labor and employment expert in Seattle and a business litigation pro in Los Angeles.

  • Girardi Co-Attys Can't Revive Elder Abuse, Fiduciary Claims

    A California state appeals court has found that claims of financial elder abuse and aiding and abetting a breach of fiduciary duty brought by two of Tom Girardi's co-counsel against his son-in-law were correctly dismissed, as was an aiding and abetting claim against a company run by Girardi's estranged wife.

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    Legal Rates Surge Moderates, But Pressure Remains High

    As legal departments face mounting pressure to manage costs, increases in hourly billing rates from law firms appear to be moderating, with the first few months of 2025 presenting a snapshot of this reality, according to a recent report from Wolters Kluwer's ELM Solutions.

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    The Top In-House Hires Of August

    Legal department hires in the last month included high-profile appointments at the Association of Corporate Counsel, GE Vernova, and a California legal legend joining an AI startup named Anthropic. Here, À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ Pulse looks at some of the top in-house announcements from the past few weeks.

  • California Powerhouse: Cooley

    Cooley LLP's California-based partners have helped major tech clients like Google, Meta and OpenAI score major privacy and IP litigation wins over the past year, while guiding Harvey AI and other companies in nine-figure offerings and big-ticket transactions, earning the firm a spot on À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ's annual list of Regional Powerhouses.

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    2 Attorneys Return To Weil From Latham, Norton Rose

    Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP announced Tuesday that it has continued its boomerang hiring streak with the addition of two partners who began their legal careers at the firm, including another intellectual property lawyer from Latham & Watkins LLP.

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    Pierson Ferdinand Adds 8 Partners Across 6 Markets

    Fast-growing Pierson Ferdinand LLP announced Tuesday that it has added eight partners across five U.S. markets and in London, enhancing the firm's capabilities in litigation, employment and corporate law.

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Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Series

    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
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    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 À¶Ý®ÊÓÆµ 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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    My Nonpracticing Law Job: Librarian Author Photo

    Lisa A. Goodman at Texas A&M University shares how she went from a BigLaw associate who liked to hang out in the firm's law library to director of a law library herself in just over a decade, and provides considerations for anyone interested in pursuing a law librarian career.

  • Legal Briefs Can Benefit From Cleaned Up Case Citations Author Photo

    Federal courts have recently been changing the way they quote decisions to omit insignificant details and string cites, and lawyers should consider adopting this practice to enhance the readability of their briefs — as long as accuracy stays top of mind, says Diana Simon at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law.

  • 5 Best Practices For Firms Designing DEI Programs Author Photo

    Nikki Lewis Simon, chief diversity, equity and inclusion officer at Greenberg Traurig, discusses best practices — and some pitfalls to avoid — for law firms looking to build programs aimed at driving inclusion in the workplace.

  • Former Minn. Chief Justice Instructs On Writing Better Briefs Author Photo

    Former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea, now at Greenberg Traurig, offers strategies on writing more effective appellate briefs from her time on the bench.

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