A recent flurry of activity among California-based Big Law leadership is the latest indicator that firms continue to have their sights set on the West Coast.

Last October, Morrison & Foerster corporate department leader Eric McCrath stepped into the chair role. This October, global technology practice chair Anthony McCusker is taking the helm at Goodwin Procter. And just this week, Cooley announced its next CEO, Rachel Proffitt, the leader of the firm's San Francisco corporate practice. All three partners are based in Northern California.