Wake Up Call: Accused Ex-Greenberg Media Leader Finds New Home

In today’s column, Cadwalader opened an office in Dublin, the latest Big Law firm to open in Ireland because of Brexit; for-profit Florida Coastal School of Law is facing two new possible threats to its existence; a former federal prosecutor and Seyfarth Shaw worklaw attorney is Brooklyn’s first Korean-American federal magistrate judge.

• Leading off, former Greenberg Traurig entertainment and media practice leader Joel Katz has taken a job as senior counsel at Barnes & Thornburg in Atlanta. Katz, who was a top official at the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, left Greenberg in January amidst sexual harassment and other allegations against him by the academy’s ousted chief, Deborah Dugan. As of Wednesday morning, Katz’ LinkedIn profile still lists him as “managing shareholder” at Greenberg Traurig, where he spent about 22 years. (Billboard.com)
• Atlanta-based corporations Coca-Cola Co. and Delta Airlines Inc. have both publicly condemned Georgia’s new voting law, which Democrats say restricts voting, while Major League Baseball has moved its All-Star Game out of the state over the law. Meanwhile, with Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell warning U.S. chief executives to stay out of politics, Big Law firms with headquarters in the state have so far stayed mum about the law, a report says. (Daily Report)
• Sheppard Mullin, Fish & Richardson, and Alston & Bird Tuesday joined the dozens of Big Law firms that have announced special bonuses that match the Davis Polk scale which runs up to $64,000, paid in two installments, depending on year of seniority. Alston is also offering salary increases to associates outside major U.S. markets. (Above the Law) Akin Gump is offering a 529 College Savings plan to partners and employees. (Above the Law)

Lawyers, Law Firms

• Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft opened an office in Dublin, Ireland, to expand its EU footprint after Brexit; Meanwhile, Brussels law firms with trade practices are expecting an increase in work fueled by policy changes and uncertainty stemming from disruption to trade relations between the U.K. and the European Union after Brexit. (Law.com International)
• Former federal prosecutor and Seyfath Shaw worklaw attorney James Cho was named to an eight-year term as magistrate judge for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn, the district’s first Korean American judge, a report says. Cho was president of the Asian American Bar Association of New York and the Korean American Lawyers Association of Greater New York. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher recruited former Maryland federal prosecutor Robert K. Hur as an investigations, white collar defense, and litigation partner in Washington. He spent close to a year as a Justice Department principal associated deputy attorney general and was earlier a litigation partner at King & Spalding (GibsonDunn.com)
• Goodwin Procter hired life sciences partners Can Cui, from Morrison & Foerster in San Francisco and Steven Green from Latham & Watkins in Silicon Valley; Morgan, Lewis & Bockius grabbed Hogan Lovells life sciences industry veteran Suzanne Filippi as a corporate partner; Littler hired HR specialist Melissa Cee as its new chief talent officer; Wilson Sonsini hired Shearman & Sterling Austin office founder and venture capital partner Matt Lyons for its emerging companies practice in Austin. (WSGR.com)
• Boutique antitrust firm Bona Law PC hired former Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton partner Pat Pascarella, who was a Justice Department antitrust lawyer and later chief antitrust counsel at AT&T Inc. for 13 years, as a partner in Dallas-Ft. Worth. Bona Law also got former Winston & Strawn counsel Jim Lerner as partner and litigation director in New York. (Businesswire)

Technology

• Decision automation company BRYTER took in $66 million in a recent Series B funding round, giving it a total investment of $90 million, which Artificial Lawyer called a record for a legal tech company. Contract lifecycle management company ContractPodAi launched “Cloud” in an expansion aimed at streamlining in-house legal processes beyond contract management, among other functions. (Artificial Lawyer)

Legal Education

• The for-profit school Florida Coastal School of Law is facing two new possibly existential crises. First, the U.S. Department of Education halted its access to federal student financial aid. Second, the ABA’s Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar directed the school to file a teach-out plan, in a possible prelude to emergency action against the school. (ABAJournal)