California Pulse


  • State Farm Attys Admit Filing Motions Full Of AI Hallucinations

    A law firm representing State Farm has admitted that its pretrial motions contained citations to nonexistent cases and legal quotes, errors that were seemingly "hallucinations" generated by AI software designed for lawyers and caught by the plaintiff's attorneys as they prepared for trial in a California state court case about fire damage coverage.

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    University Of California Head Atty To Retire After 2 Decades

    The University of California announced that the institution's top lawyer will retire in June after spending the past 20 years serving as its chief legal officer.

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    AI Drives Spike In Pro Se Filings But Not Courtroom Success

    Artificial intelligence appears to have led to a drastic spike in federal pro se litigation, according to scholars, but the technology isn't necessarily helping these self-represented litigants find success in court.

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    Latham Leads List Of Client Service 'All-Stars,' Report Says

    Latham & Watkins LLP, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP and Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP all delivered exceptional client service in a fast-changing, high-pressure era where "the business decision is also the legal decision," a new report by BTI Consulting Group says.

  • Women Sue Couple Over 'Rent-A-Womb' Surrogacy Scheme

    Five women have sued an Arcadia, California, couple and their attorneys in state court stemming from an alleged "rent-a-womb" scheme where the women were tricked into becoming surrogates.

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    AALS Task Force to Examine Accreditation, Bar Admission

    The Association of American Law Schools has announced the formation of a national task force that will examine issues related to the accreditation of law schools and the viability of alternative ways to earn admission to the bar.

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    Trial Firm Reid Collins To Award 3rd Set Of Associate Bonuses

    Texas-based trial boutique Reid Collins & Tsai LLP is planning to dole out a third round of bonuses for the year to associates, raising their total bonus pay to between $130,000 and $170,000 on the year so far, with another round expected later in 2026.

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    Kahana Feld Grows In California With Sacramento Launch

    Kahana Feld LLP announced that the firm has opened its seventh California office in the state capital of Sacramento, where it added an experienced litigation partner from Haight Brown & Bonesteel LLP.

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    Synopsys GC To Step Down To Study Theology

    California-based electronic design automation company Synopsys said Wednesday its general counsel will leave that post by the end of 2026, or earlier if a successor is named.

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    Deal Reached In Class Action Over Botched Calif. Bar Exam

    A settlement has been reached in a proposed nationwide class action brought by bar applicants against the proctor of the botched February 2025 California bar exam, one month after the California State Bar settled its claims against the proctor.

  • Ogletree Says Equinox Owes $1.4M In Unpaid Legal Bills

    Ogletree said Monday that fitness company Equinox owes nearly $1.4 million in fees and expenses for the firm's work representing it in an employment matter in Los Angeles, according to a complaint filed in California federal court.

  • Calif. Subclass Added To Fox Rothschild Data Breach Suit

    A California resident seeking to represent a subclass of Golden State data breach victims on Tuesday asked to add a new California Consumer Privacy Act claim to a proposed Pennsylvania class action first filed against Fox Rothschild LLP in June, after prominent ransomware group Silent Ransom Group targeted the firm.

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    Kilpatrick Adds 3rd Reed Smith IP Litigator In San Francisco

    Months after adding two Reed Smith LLP intellectual property attorneys in San Francisco, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP announced Tuesday that the firm has hired another Reed Smith IP litigator to further expand its patent litigation team in the Bay Area.

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    OpenAI Employment Counsel Rejoins Munger Tolles

    An employment lawyer with OpenAI has rejoined Munger Tolles & Olson as of counsel in its Los Angeles office after a year with the tech company.

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    Mayer Brown, Scissero Partner On Structured Product Service

    Mayer Brown LLP announced on Tuesday a new partnership with the artificial intelligence-backed legal services provider Scissero that will center on the issuance of structured products.

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    Spa Fights 9th Circ.'s 'Swinging Dicks' Order At High Court

    The Ninth Circuit's rejection of a spa's religious objections to serving transgender customers is incompatible with several major precedents, according to a U.S. Supreme Court petition filed Monday in litigation that soared in prominence when dozens of circuit judges decried a salacious dissent.

  • CREXi Can't Stay CoStar Case For Quinn Emanuel DQ Appeal

    A California federal court rejected a bid Monday from Commercial Real Estate Exchange Inc., or CREXi, for a stay in CoStar's copyright case while CREXi looks to undo the disqualification of its attorneys from Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP.

  • Cannabis Clients Sue Atty Over Missed Deadline In $5.7M Suit

    Los Angeles cannabis entrepreneurs are suing their former attorney for legal malpractice in California state court, claiming that she caused the permanent end of their $5.7 million fire damage lawsuit against a landlord who they say allowed a "local transient" to start a fire on a neighboring property.

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    Salesforce, Goldman Sachs Lag In Raising Say-On-Pay Votes

    Based on investors' say-on-pay advisory votes, California builder Tutor Perini did the best job at convincing more shareholders to approve their executive pay packages at this year's annual meetings, while Salesforce and Goldman Sachs did the worst job, according to a new study.

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    Ellenoff Grossman Explores Outside Investment Via MSO Deal

    Ellenoff Grossman & Schole LLP is exploring taking on outside capital via a managed services organization to invest in technology and expand headcount, a firm co-founder confirmed Monday.

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    Inside Lowenstein Sandler's Summer Associate AI Challenge

    For one day last month, summer associates at Lowenstein Sandler LLP paused their work to square off in a new kind of artificial intelligence training: the firm's inaugural "AI Draft and Detect Challenge," a competition highlighting the opportunities — and limits — of legal AI.

  • Google Is 'Last Bastion' Of Reviewers' Free Speech, Court Told

    A Connecticut law firm's efforts to force Google to unmask users who left potentially defamatory online reviews pose a question of "constitutional magnitude," a Hartford state judge heard Monday as the company tried to move a pre-litigation discovery bid to the West Coast.

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    Ballard Spahr Taps Longtime Litigator To Lead LA Office

    Ballard Spahr LLP announced Monday that an experienced litigation partner who has been with the firm for more than 15 years has been named the new office managing partner in Los Angeles.

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    Paul Weiss Lands Life Sciences Pro From Wilson Sonsini

    Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP announced Friday that it has added an attorney from Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati PC to bolster its capacity to handle life sciences transactions.

  • CoStar Fights CREXi Bid To Stay Suit Over Quinn Emanuel DQ

    CoStar is urging a California federal court to reject a bid by Commercial Real Estate Exchange Inc., or CREXi, to pause a copyright suit while CREXi asks the Ninth Circuit to undo the disqualification of its Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP attorneys, arguing the stay request is "unsupported by law."

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Expert Analysis

  • Weighing Opportunities, Risks Of PE Investment In Law Firms Author Photo

    Though law firms and private equity firms appear to be strange bedfellows, such combinations may offer opportunities for ailing midsize firms — which must be weighed against risks to culture, brand and growth prospects, say directors at FTI Consulting.

  • 3 Forces Reshaping The Legal Buyer-Seller Relationship Author Photo

    This year's Buying Legal Council Conference highlighted three emerging forces in how buyers and sellers operate in the legal ecosystem — artificial intelligence, data and preferred panels — and organizations would be well advised to combine them into an integrated framework for transparency, performance and collaboration, says Matthew Prinn at RFP Advisory Group.

  • 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.

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    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.

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    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.

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