The Bureau of Land Management will implement a five-day temporary closure of all public use from Oct. 2 – 6, for all 40,000 acres of public lands within Stoddard Valley Off-Highway Vehicle Recreation Area in San Bernardino County. The temporary closure is necessary to provide for competitor and spectator safety during the annual California 300 off-road race and to protect natural and cultural resources. Johnson Valley Off-Highway Recreation Area and nearby trails in limited use areas, will remain open to the public for recreation.  

“The safety of participants and spectators is our top concern,” said BLM Barstow Field Manager Marc Stamer.  “Please cooperate with race officials and local law enforcement officers to ensure the safety of everyone involved in this event.” 

Visitors to the event must access the approved spectator areas through designated access points provided by California 300.  

The BLM has approved a five-year public land closure for up to nine days a year through 2028. The temporary closure complies with the management plan for the area. Additional information and a map of the closure area for the 2024 race event is available online and at the BLM’s California Desert District Office and Barstow Field Office. The BLM encourages the public to Tread Lightly on public lands. 

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Law Firms

Fourth BigLaw firm closes office in China

By Debra Cassens Weiss

March 6, 2024, 8:16 am CST

Perkins Coie is closing its Shanghai office while emphasizing that it remains committed to its China practice and clients.

Perkins Coie still has a Beijing office that opened in 2002 and a China intellectual property agency that opened in 2019, report Law360 and Law.com. Law.com also mentions a Taipei, Taiwan, office that Perkins Coie opened in 2011.

The Shanghai office shutdown affects two lawyers and two patent consultants, the articles report. Three other Perkins Coie partners are connected to the Shanghai office, but they primarily work in the United States.

Perkins Coie is the fourth law firm to announce an office closure in China within the last eight months, according to Law.com. Other firms that recently closed offices in mainland China are Proskauer Rose, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, and Latham & Watkins.

“The move comes amid a flurry of movement among BigLaw firms in China,” Law360 reports, “with the majority of those firms closing offices or conducting layoffs and a handful adding new offices as the country faces an ongoing economic slump and a downturn in mergers and acquisitions activity.”

Linklaters laid off 30 lawyers in Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong in September. Kirkland & Ellis reportedly laid off nine lawyers in those same locations, according to a report yesterday. Kirkland & Ellis refused to confirm or deny the report in a statement issued to Law360.

“However, we would note that our Asia capital markets team, with eight partners and over 30 fee earners, continues to be one of the largest in the region,” the Kirkland & Ellis statement said.