Vanessa Wu

I’m joining a great panel this Weds to talk about how AI has impacted IP, and what it means for companies looking to innovate. Hope you can join us for a great conversation!

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Lighthouse Legal Search Bay Area & California Quarterly Report - July 2024 Based on our data, in this latest quarter, of all lateral partner moves to major law firms in the Bay Area, 25% were in Litigation, 20% in Corporate, 15% in Intellectual Property, 10% in Labor & Employment, and 5% in Health Care. The top firms adding the most partners this quarter were Gordon & Rees LLP, Sideman & Bancroft, LLP, and WilmerHale. Litigation remains the largest growth practice area, reflecting ongoing high demand, while Corporate and Intellectual Property practices continue to expand due to increased activity in mergers and acquisitions, venture capital, and technology transactions. By Contrast: California as a Whole In California as a whole, the breakdown of lateral partner moves is as follows: 23% in Litigation, 12% in Labor & Employment, 9% in Corporate, 8% in Intellectual Property, and 3% in Banking. This broader state-wide trend shows a higher concentration in Litigation and Labor & Employment compared to the Bay Area, while Corporate and Intellectual Property moves are slightly less prominent. This indicates a robust demand for litigation expertise across the state and a significant focus on employment-related legal services. Firms experiencing the most growth in partner additions statewide this quarter are Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, Ogletree Deakins, and Greenberg Traurig LLP. #LegalIndustry #LateralMoves #LawFirmGrowth #BayAreaLaw #CaliforniaLaw #Litigation #CorporateLaw #IntellectualProperty #LaborAndEmployment #HealthCareLaw #PartnerAdditions #LegalRecruitment #LawFirmTrends #LighthouseLegalSearch

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𝗚𝗠𝗦𝗥'𝘀 𝗖𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘆 𝗧𝗼𝗯𝗶𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗔𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗕𝗲𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗮 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁 GMSR co-managing partner Cindy Tobisman appeared yesterday before the California Supreme Court to argue for the petitioner, Michael Rattagan, in a case against Uber Technologies, Inc.  The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals had asked the Court to decide whether, under California law, claims for fraudulent concealment are exempt from the economic loss rule. In the underlying case, Rattagan alleged that Uber fraudulently concealed information from him when he represented its subsidiaries during a problem-filled launch in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and that the concealed information led to him being arrested and vilified in the media.  The district court held that Rattagan's fraudulent concealment claims were foreclosed by the economic loss rule—a doctrine that prevents a party to a contract from recovering economic damages under tort liability theories—and thus, dismissed his complaint.  The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recognized that there is no controlling California precedent addressing whether fraudulent concealment claims are exempt from the economic loss rule, and the answer would be dispositive in the case, so it certified the question to the California Supreme Court. Law360 wrote about the oral argument, providing some highlights:  "There's nothing about [the doctrine] that we would want to shield people who commit fraud just because there’s a contract in the mix," Tobisman said.  "And in fact it would create some kind of perverse incentives for people to draw somebody into a contractual relationship because then they could have their way with them." The high court's decision is expected within the next 90 days. Click here to learn more: Clough, 𝘈𝘵𝘵𝘺'𝘴 𝘈𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘜𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘋𝘦𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘍𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘈𝘵 𝘊𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘧. 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘵, Law360 (June 4, 2024), https://lnkd.in/gPFm75CJ (subscription required). #SupremeCourt

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Get a Sneak Peek at Axiom's 2024 National Survey of Legal Ops Professionals and Organizations https://lnkd.in/efdTmiUu You'll get an advance peek at the study's results—which might have some surprises you haven't seen in other legal ops research coverage. The full report will be published later this month, but that's no reason to wait. Get a first look at: 🔶 Budgeting and resourcing strategies 🔶 In-house legal team tensions 🔶 Legal tech adoption 🔶 Implementation influence 🔶 AI policies and usage You can download the preview here, at no charge: https://lnkd.in/efdTmiUu This national research was conducted by Wakefield Research and commissioned by Axiom. #LegalOps #LegalOperations #LegalTeams #AI #LegalTech #Survey #Report

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Probably 70% of my recruiting practice is for BigLaw. That may be lower than many of my MLA colleagues. Why do I do so much work with mid-sized and smaller firms? A few reasons. In California we are spoiled for choice when it comes to boutiques -- both subject matter focused firms, and full-service boutiques are local institutions here. So, there are a lot of options! A lot of people don't want to work in BigLaw anymore/again/ever. My job is candidate-focused, so it's my job to find a role that matches what people want. It's definitely not my job to wedge them back into BigLaw because I don't have other options to offer them. In the last week MLA has begun a relationship with 3 new boutiques in Northern California, and the list grows all the time. Smaller firms allow associates to broaden out their practices -- their litigation teams do ALL kinds of work, because they don't have critical mass to have specialist strike teams. This model exists across corproate too - smaller firms' corporate teams may include M&A, ECVC, funds, tech trans... Being a generalist is appealing on its face but is also a great path to an in house role. Many, but not all, smaller firms offer better work/life balance. They may also be a more comfortable format for lawyers who want to know their colleagues more closely. So, don't rule out a smaller firm -- you may be surprised if you speak to them at just how much it sounds like the right fit.

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Looking for ways to limit the cost of your legal tech hiring and the potential burnout of your law firm's technology team while you hire? Don't miss out on the smart, capable, and fast learning legal tech candidates right in front of you while you're waiting for your unicorn. Read ESP Legal's blog for more on this and other ways to mitigate the cost of legal IT hiring: https://loom.ly/eUUcQN0

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Small sample size but I have begun advising startup companies (typically in the legal, privacy or compliance space) over the last few years. I have found that it always works better when I pair up with 1-2 other people who I know bring different POVs and we can play ideas off of one another. I think startups who have advisors on board don't use them this way enough. Even if the advisors don't know one another, I highly recommend introducing them and doing product/feature discussions with them all @ once. Or discussing GTM, funding or other areas together = it pays off.

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When thinking about the evolution of legal ops and where we’re headed in the future, Frances Pomposo of Splunk underscores that “Data is going to be a motivator in everything.” CLOC (Corporate Legal Operations Consortium) #CLOC #CGI2024 #legaldata #legaloperations #legalops

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The California Privacy Protection Agency (CPPA) has released proposed regulations for the DELETE Act. Key points: 📋 Data brokers must register with CPPA and disclose certain information 🔍 New definitions for "direct relationship," "minor," and "reproductive health care data" 🏢 Each data broker business must register independently, regardless of subsidiary status Notable clarifications: • "Direct relationship" defined as intentional consumer interaction within the past 3 years • "Minor" means a consumer known to be under 16 • Detailed definition of "reproductive health care data" provided ❗️ The CPPA is accepting written comments until August 20, 2024. This could significantly impact businesses handling consumer data in California. Are you prepared for these changes? #CaliforniaPrivacy #DataProtection #DELETEAct #CPPA #DataBrokers

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Check out this important update! The FTC and the People of the State of California are taking action against NGL Labs, LLC and its associates for deceptive practices, including collecting personal information from children under 13 without parental consent. It's crucial to ensure that children are protected online. #FTC #California #AI #OnlineSafety #ProtectingChildren https://lnkd.in/eZ2Hzyri

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In this week’s compliance update, we’re diving into California’s two-pronged approach to regulate artificial intelligence (AI) in employment and other sectors. The California Civil Rights Council recently held a public hearing on proposed amendments to the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) to address discrimination from automated decision systems. These rules broadly define automated decision systems and require employers to prevent adverse impacts and bias. Testimony at the hearing urged the Council to refine definitions and scope, especially concerning employment agencies, the concept of screening (currently undefined), and simple automation driving processes, not decisions. California lawmakers are also considering AB 2930, which targets "algorithmic discrimination" across industries like employment, education, and healthcare. This bill mandates annual impact assessments, notification requirements, governance programs, and policy disclosures for employers using AI. Who will cross the finish line first in the race to regulate AI? Check out my Forbes piece, where I cover both measures and their impacts on employers: https://lnkd.in/gVTw_-c8 Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more background screening news! #ComplianceUpdate #AIRegulation #EmploymentLaw #CaliforniaLegislation #BackgroundScreening #AIInEmployment

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I appreciate the #OregonAG office providing some more guidance ahead of July 1 effective date of the #OCPA. Note: The requirement to provide a list of specific 3rd parties to which the business has disclosed their personal data is only in response to request. The list is not required to be included in a public privacy notice/policy. This clarifies somewhat conflicting statutory language in the Notice requirements in §5(4)(e) of the OCPA. The AG's #FAQ: What level of detail is required in a privacy notice? What information must be included regarding personal data shared with third parties? Privacy notices should be written in clear, straightforward language geared towards consumers. ORS 646A.578(4) describes all topics that should be contained in a controller’s privacy notice. If a controller shares personal data with third parties, the privacy notice must list all categories of personal data, including the categories of sensitive data, that are shared. The law also requires that the privacy notice state the categories of third parties data is shared with. There should be enough detail to give consumers a meaningful understanding of the types of businesses, or processing expected, but not so much as to render the privacy notice unclear/unreadable. For example, categories of Third Parties described in a sufficiently granular level of detail include, but are not limited to: “analytics companies,” “data brokers,” “third-party advertisers,” “payment processors,” “lenders,” “other merchants,” and “government agencies.” Link to FAQs: https://lnkd.in/e8TgXhCN #OCPA #Privacy #ComprehensiveStatePrivacyLaw #PrivacyCompliance #PrivacyNotice #PrivacyProgram SafeGuard Privacy Wayne Matus Michael Simon, CIPP-US/E, CIPM Susan Myers Richy Glassberg Cem Gokhan Matt Anderson Rachel Walkden Daniel Cox Jason Heki ☁️ Marc Goldberg

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#technologylaw #remote #inhousecounsel #lawyerjobs (I find a strange satisfaction in making a complete phrase using hashtags!)

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Being solo legal means you get to do a little bit of everything. But when your company makes compliance tech, everything gets much bigger. And honestly, that is one of my favorite parts of my job. Working with our engineering team to drive product decisions. Leading our client experience and making sure they are getting the most from our platform. Don’t get me wrong, I love marking up a contract as much as the next person. But it really doesn’t compare to being on a call and hearing from a customer how much they love what you’ve built. But customers can’t get on the platform until the contracts are signed, so back to redlining.

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Amendment to Colorado Privacy Act – “sensitive data” to include “biological data”   The Colorado Privacy Act (CPA) protects the privacy of consumers by establishing specific requirements for entities that process consumers’ personal data. On April 17, 2024, the House (House Bill 24-1058) approved an amendment to the CPA, expanding the definition of “sensitive data” to include “biological data” and “neural data”. Per the House Bill, "biological data" means data generated by the technological processing, measurement, or analysis of an individual's biological, genetic, biochemical, physiological, or neural properties, compositions, or activities or of an individual's body or bodily functions, which data is used or intended to be used, singly or in combination with other personal data, for identification purposes. "biological data" includes neural data. [Section 6-1-1303(2.5)] "Biological data" will include “neural data”.  The term “neural data” has been defined as information that is generated by the measurement of the activity of an individual's central or peripheral nervous systems and that can be processed by or with the assistance of a device. [Section 6-1-1303(16.7)] This amendment will take effect 91 days after final adjournment of the general assembly, unless a referendum petition has been filed. You can find a list of Universal Opt-Out Mechanisms that have been recognized to meet the standards of the CPA on the Attorney General's website (https://lnkd.in/gd34KC42).    

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Kudos to the California Lawyers Association for publishing the inaugural Privacy Law Journal. I especially appreciated the 'California Privacy Law And The Impact On Adtech' article by Daniel M. Goldberg and Bram Schumer. Check it out! https://lnkd.in/g7CSu9Yk #ccpa #cppa #privacy

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Hot off the press from Collision Conf, LogicMonitor just dropped a game-changer for IT teams–Edwin AI! If you're tired of... 👎 Drowning in a sea of alerts 👎 Spending hours on root cause analysis 👎 Feeling like a firefighter instead of a strategist ...then Edwin AI is the super ITOps teammate you've been waiting for. Powered by #GenAI, Edwin is working behind the scenes 24/7, so you can: ✅ Streamline incident response: Solve problems faster and free up your team for higher-impact work. ✅ Proactively prevent issues: Get ahead of the curve with AI-powered insights and recommendations. ✅ Unlock new levels of efficiency: Automate repetitive tasks and optimize your IT environment like never before. Edwin AI is the future of IT operations, and it's here to transform how your team works. Ready to take your IT game to the next level? Let's chat about how Edwin AI can revolutionize your operations! 👇

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