California Pulse


  • rinehart_michael_102618_4x5.jpg

    Morgan Lewis Hires New CIO From Dechert

    Morgan Lewis has hired a new chief information officer with 15 years of leadership experience at major law firms to strengthen its technology and cybersecurity capacities.

  • iStock-506544548.jpg

    Arizona's Law Firm Experiment Faces Conflict Question

    Advocates for Arizona’s novel alternative business structure program, which allows for non-attorney ownership of law firms, say that firsthand experience with an ABS can provide critical insight on how best to regulate them. However, a pattern of recusals and a recent lawsuit suggest a much messier story about some committee members’ entanglements with the new ABS market.

  • ropes.jpg

    Ropes & Gray Marks 25 Years In SF With Office Move

    Ropes & Gray LLP has relocated its San Francisco office to the heart of the Financial District ahead of the firm's 25th anniversary in the City by the Bay.

  • Calif. Sex Abuse Boutique Sues Wood LLP For Bad Tax Advice

    A West Hollywood boutique law firm formed to represent victims of sex abuse on UCLA's campus has filed a professional negligence and breach of fiduciary duty suit against Robert W. Wood and Wood LLP, claiming in California state court that their allegedly faulty financial advice caused the loss of $2 million in interest.

  • Former Federal Attys Join Kelley Drye In New York, LA

    Two former federal prosecutors have returned to private practice and recently joined Kelley Drye & Warren LLP's New York and Los Angeles offices.

  • victoria-valenzuela.jpg

    Departing AppLovin GC Is Lovin' Her Doubled Comp In 2025

    The chief administrative and legal officer at AppLovin Corp., who plans to leave the role on Aug. 1 as she seeks a seat on the board of directors, earned total compensation of more than $13 million last year, more than twice what she made in 2024.

  • Tia Sherringham.png

    DoorDash Delivers Nearly $7M In Compensation To GC

    DoorDash Inc.'s general counsel saw her compensation increase to $7 million in 2025 from over $5.3 million the previous year, a recent securities filing shows.

  • Insurer Says Firm Owes $2.2M For Botched Representation

    A Wisconsin-based insurer has sued the law firm it hired to defend an auto policyholder in a crash suit, telling a California federal court that the firm's inadequate representation has cost it more than $2.2 million.

  • meghan-elizabeth-heesc.png

    Sanford Heisler Lands DOJ Immigration Judge In San Diego

    Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight LLP has added an attorney who formerly worked for the U.S. Department of Justice, including serving as an immigration judge, to co-lead the firm's national trial practice.

  • Quinn Emanuel May Face More Sanctions In Guardant Fight

    Guardant Health Inc. urged a California federal judge on Monday to make Quinn Emanuel pay nearly $1.3 million on top of $3 million in sanctions already imposed over misrepresentations lawyers made representing its rival Natera Inc., prompting the judge to criticize Quinn Emanuel lawyers for making distinctions so fine they veer into misrepresentation.

  • Black McDermott Atty Says White Men Favored For Partner

    A Black female McDermott Will & Schulte attorney accused the firm of gender, race and pregnancy discrimination in a lawsuit lodged in California state court, saying she has been consistently bypassed for promotion by less-experienced white attorneys and was yanked off casework after taking medical leave following a life-threatening illness during pregnancy.

  • Netflix Eyes $3M In Fees In Suit Where Ramey Drew $95K Fine

    Netflix's attorneys at Baker Botts and Perkins Coie are asking a California federal court to order a Finnish national and his former attorney at Ramey LLP to pay $3 million in fees the streaming giant incurred in defending a patent suit.

  • 2_up_sw.png

    Spencer West's US, UK Heads On American Expansion

    United Kingdom-based distributed law firm Spencer West announced earlier this spring that it has officially launched a practice based in the United States with nearly 20 partners working in a wide range of major markets including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco.

  • stacks-of-money.jpg

    Is $20M Partner Pay Becoming Ubiquitous In BigLaw?

    More BigLaw firms are offering top lateral partner candidates guaranteed compensation of $20 million or more per year, a pay scale that applied to a select few lawyers just five years ago.

  • Chad Fitzgerald Greenberg Glusker.png

    Greenberg Glusker Adds Veteran Entertainment Litigator

    Los Angeles firm Greenberg Glusker LLP has added an entertainment litigator from local litigation boutique Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir as a partner, the firm announced Monday.

  • Jim_Shaughnessy_headshot.jpg

    DocuSign Legal Chief Stays Steady With $7 Million In Comp

    DocuSign Inc.'s legal leader saw his compensation remain roughly the same in fiscal year 2026 compared to the previous year, bringing home nearly $7 million compared to just over $7 million in fiscal year 2025, a recent securities filing shows.

  • LegalLions.png

    Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

    Winston & Strawn LLP leads this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after a New York federal jury found that Live Nation and its Ticketmaster subsidiary harmed competition in the live entertainment sector by willfully monopolizing ticketing services.

  • iStock-2192171204.jpg

    How Firms Can Remain Vigilant Amid 'Silent Ransom' Attacks

    Even though cybercriminal organization Silent Ransom Group has been around since 2022, law firms are still falling victim to the group’s social engineering and phishing schemes. Here’s what cybersecurity leaders say law firms need to know about the group and how to protect themselves.

  • David Hyman.png

    Netflix's Longtime Legal Leader Sees $2M Pay Dip In 2025

    Netflix's longtime legal chief saw his compensation drop by nearly $2 million last year, dipping to $15.4 million compared with almost $17.3 million in 2024, according to a recent securities filing.

  • clouse-flowers.png

    Ex-Hogan Lovells, Wilson Sonsini Attys Join Calif. Bench

    Gov. Gavin Newsom filled judicial vacancies in California state and appeals courts, including appointing former lawyers from Hogan Lovells and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC for state court seats in Silicon Valley, his office has announced.

  • Alaska-Hawaiian Merger Judge Mulls DQ Over O'Melveny Ties

    The parties in a consumer lawsuit challenging Alaska Airlines' 2024 acquisition of Hawaiian Airlines have been notified that the federal judge recently assigned to the case intends to disqualify himself unless they sign a waiver over one of his retirement accounts being tied to O'Melveny & Myers LLP, which is representing Alaska Airlines.

  • Voir Dire: Law360 Pulse's Weekly Quiz

    Partnership promotions, BigLaw hires and firm merger votes helped make this another action-packed week for the legal industry. Test your legal news savvy here with Law360 Pulse's weekly quiz.

  • Ramey Says Sanctions Violation Was 'Misunderstanding'

    William Ramey, an intellectual property attorney sanctioned in several federal jurisdictions, told a California federal judge Thursday that any violations of a previous sanctions order regarding his ability to practice law in the state were due to "good-faith misunderstanding of the scope of the court's order — not willful disregard."

  • iStock-2228596286.jpg

    Companies Are Quietly Signing ESG Deals With Investors

    Activist investors are being cautious by introducing far fewer proposals during the 2026 proxy season, and some companies are being equally wary by negotiating deals behind closed doors rather than allowing shareholders to vote on issues, according to data in an annual proxy review released Thursday.

  • hiring.jpg

    BigLaw Hiring Heats Up In Q1 As Firms Chase Partner Talent

    Large U.S. law firms started 2026 with a surge in lateral moves that boosted partner hiring to the highest level in six years, but softened on associate additions, according to new data from legal intelligence provider Firm Prospects.

Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the California Pulse archive.

Expert Analysis

  • 5 Steps For GCs To Drive Generative AI Experimentation Author Photo

    As legal departments face mounting pressure to do more with less, general counsel should lead a structured process for adopting generative artificial intelligence tools to transform productivity, manage risk and align with enterprise priorities, says Maesea McCalpin at Gartner.

  • How Attys Can DIY Their Own System For Professional Growth Author Photo

    Amid law firm layoffs of business development staff, lawyers cannot depend solely on their firms to foster their professional growth, and must instead create their own initiatives for building community, says Lana Manganiello at Practice Growth Partner.

  • The Augmented Lawyer: In-House, Outside Counsel AI Collabs Author Photo

    As artificial intelligence changes the dynamic between in-house and outside counsel, both internal and external legal teams must thoughtfully reimagine how to mutually leverage AI tools to collaborate and deliver successful outcomes, say Karineh Khachatourian at KXT Law and Diane Honda at Redis.

  • Ask A Mentor: How Do I Adjust To In-House After BigLaw? Author Photo

    Sirisha Gummaregula at QuisLex offers advice on navigating the challenges that come with taking on an in-house counsel role after leaving law firm life, including learning your company's business goals and leading with empathy and collaboration.

  • Adapting Legal Thought Leadership To An AI World Author Photo

    As potential clients with legal questions increasingly rely on summaries generated by artificial intelligence, attorneys must rethink their content strategy to make sure AI chatbots and search overviews cite their thought leadership, say Ioana Good and Adrien Maines at Promova and Nancy Myrland at Myrland Marketing.

  • 10 Practical Tips For Attorneys Navigating High-Profile Cases Author Photo

    Complex corporate litigation now often unfolds under the glare of a parallel trial in the court of public opinion, requiring attorneys to adopt a cohesive strategy for legal filings, leadership communications and narrative control, says Monica Smith at Integer PR.

  • Series

    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Tailor Your Personal Style Author Photo

    In an industry where competition for clients is fierce, a thoughtful approach to personal style can give you the confidence to walk into any room and own it, the magnetism to make connections that matter, and the tools to highlight your deeper professional values, says Leslie Berkoff at Moritt Hock.

  • What GCs Value Most: 7 Tips For Landing The Client Pitch Author Photo

    In today’s competitive legal market, successful attorneys treat the pitch process with general counsel like the beginning of a relationship, not a one-off sale — showing up with curiosity, commercial awareness and the ability to engage in a meaningful way from the start, says Andrew Dick at The L Suite.

  • Making Legal Cents: Strategy That Stays In Motion Author Photo

    Instead of lurching between year-end strategic planning season and springtime panic mode, firms need a framework that helps them identify what clients and the market need throughout the year, and then actually adjust course, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.

  • Roundup

    Legal Tech Talks Author Photo

    Company founders, attorneys and other professionals working in the legal tech space share their journeys into the industry, challenges they face when working with law firms and legal departments, and common misconceptions about technology.

  • 4 Tips For Attys To Turn An Interim Job Into A Long-Term Role Author Photo

    As some attorneys seek interim roles amid economic uncertainty, big-picture thinking and a few proactive steps can help to turn those short-term assignments into long-term positions, says Amy Vanderhoof at Major Lindsey.

  • The Augmented Lawyer: AI Exercises For Junior Attorneys Author Photo

    As artificial intelligence tools become increasingly adept at handling entry-level legal tasks, firms and organizations must consider new ways to train and mentor junior attorneys to prepare them for leadership in an AI-integrated profession, say attorneys at KXT Law.

  • Series

    Biz Development Tip Of The Month: Embrace LinkedIn Author Photo

    Attorneys who recognize LinkedIn as a powerful professional platform can gain significant competitive advantages in business development via strategic content creation, meaningful industry discussions and consistent visibility within target markets, says Agatha Mouillet at Horvitz & Levy.

  • Guidance For Attorneys As Tariffs Reshape Legal Hiring Author Photo

    As law firms and in-house legal departments grapple with the uncertainty of evolving tariff policies, attorneys at all career stages should consider how to lean into these shifts to best position themselves for long-term opportunities, says Rena Barnett-Matthews at Attorney Career Coach.

  • How Firms Can Plan For Succession Of Admin Professionals Author Photo

    Many law firms are familiar with the need for attorney succession plans, but it’s also essential to plan for the succession of administrative professionals — from human resources personnel to finance leaders — to ensure continuity of critical day-to-day operations, say Eryn Carter and Travis Armstrong at the Association of Legal Administrators.

×

Law360

Law360 Law360 UK Law360 Tax Authority Law360 Employment Authority Law360 Insurance Authority Law360 Real Estate Authority Law360 Healthcare Authority Law360 Bankruptcy Authority

Rankings

NEWLeaderboard Analytics Social Impact Leaders Prestige Leaders Pulse Leaderboard Women in Law Report Law360 400 Diversity Snapshot Rising Stars Summer Associates

National Sections

Modern Lawyer Courts Daily Litigation In-House Mid-Law Legal Tech & AI Small Law Insights

Regional Sections

California Pulse Connecticut Pulse DC Pulse Delaware Pulse Florida Pulse Georgia Pulse New Jersey Pulse New York Pulse Pennsylvania Pulse Texas Pulse

Site Menu

Subscribe Advanced Search About Contact