Wake Up Call: As Covid Chapter 11 Filings Soar, Prepared Firms Cash In

In today’s column, Big Law firms put in a collective 5.4 million hours in pro bono work last year and are expecting a pandemic-fueled surge of pro bono cases this year; in 2019, Jenner & Block topped the national pro bono scorecard; the FCC appointed an acting top lawyer to fill in for its general counsel, who’s taking paternity leave. McDermott’s ex-practice chief for its alcohol regulatory and distribution group took a job as top lawyer of a brewers’ trade association; a Florida lawyer showed up for a sentencing hearing wearing a hazmat suit; Florida changed its bar exam date again.

• Leading off, new data show commercial Chapter 11 filings spiked26% in 2020’s first half as retail companies—such as J. Crew, Neiman Marcus and J.C. Penney—sought bankruptcy protections from the Covid-19 economic slowdown. Big Law firms that anticipated an increase in restructuring work before the pandemic arrived early this year, are well-placed to reap what they planted. Firms including Kirkland & Ellis; Wachtell; Paul Weiss; and Latham & Watkins are set to make millions in fees. (American Lawyer)

• Big Law firms put in a collective pro bono effort of 5.4 million hours in 2019, according to American Lawyer’s latest annual data. Jenner & Block tops the national pro bono scorecard for 2019, based on its average number of pro bono hours per lawyer and its percentage of lawyers who performed more than 20 hours of pro bono work. Covington & Burling; Hughes Hubbard; WilmerHale; and Orrick rounded out the rest of the top five. (American Lawyer)
• Law firms are expecting a pandemic-fueled surge of pro bono cases related to housing and employment, even as lawyers deal with their own challenges related to remote work. (American Lawyer) Firms are teaming up to make the most of their pro bono impact. (American Lawyer)

• Boies Schiller Flexner got millions of dollars in federal aid that was intended to bolster payrolls through the pandemic, new data show. Boies tops a list of dozens of major law firms—also including Kasowitz Benson Torres; Stroock; and Sullivan & Worcester, and others—that got money from the Paycheck Protection Program, according to data released yesterday by the Small Business Administration. (BLAW)

• With Covid-19 cases soaring in Florida, a Miami criminal defense lawyer showed up for a federal sentencing hearing dressed in a full hazmat suit. One judge later commented on Twitter that next time he should wear a tie over the suit. (Daily Business Review)

• New York’s state court system says people planning to visit their courthouses should expect a temperature check and Covid-19 screening questions. (New York Law Journal)

Lawyers, Law Firms

• In its 38-year history, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has never had a Black judge, and it has only had a few Black law clerks. (BLAW)

• In-house counsel should make sure their companies’ diversity and inclusion programs open up the applicant pool rather than risk an unfavorable court ruling that their efforts amount to affirmative action, lawyers said. (Corporate Counsel)

• Leadership spots in federal multidistrict litigation proceedings tend to go to men, but women lawyers are making progress, recent research suggests. (Law.com)

• Chicago-based Seyfarth Shaw formally launched a Seattle office with a team of 13 lawyers, including seven partners. (American Lawyer)

• Wachtell is advising Uber Technologies Inc. in a $2.65 billion acquisition of the meal delivery service company Postmates, Inc., which is represented by Latham & Watkins. (BLAW)

Laterals, Moves

• Former Bristol Myers Squibb vice president and associate general counsel Jonathan Wasserman joined Hogan Lovells as a Washington-based member in its litigation, arbitration and employment practice, in its life sciences and health care group. Wasserman, a former DOJ trial attorney, spent eight years as senior legal director at Schering-Plough Corp., which is now part of Merck & Co. (HoganLovells.com)

• McGuireWoods’ London office got energy litigation partner Simon Hems from Ince, where he was a partner. He specializes in advising on disputes involving major contractors and service companies in the oil and gas industry. (McGuireWoods.com)

• Former Milbank partner Katherine Goldstein, a veteran federal securities prosecutor, landed at Akin Gump in New York, as a white collar and investigations partner. (BLAW)

• Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer poached Willkie Farr & Gallagher business and corporate litigation practice group chair Mary Eaton in New York. After 18 years at Willkie, she joins Freshfields as partner and co-head of its new securities & shareholder litigation practice. (BLAW)

• Cozen O’Connor grabbed Sidley Austin real estate partner Mitchell Poole as a member in Santa Monica, California. According to his LinkedIn, Poole spent close to 15 years at Sidley. (Cozen.com)

• FisherBroyles, which describes itself as the world’s first and biggest “distributed” firm, said it added two partners from rival distributed firms. Commercial transactions partner Ari Levine rejoins in Philadelphia and London, after leaving for RimonLaw under a year ago. Intellectual property attorney Gary Rinkerman joins in Washington as a partner from Culhane Meadows. According to his LinkedIn, Rinkerman was previously at Drinker Biddle & Reath and earlier was a senior International Trade Commission investigator. (FisherBroyles.com)

• Sidley Austin promoted four private equity specialists in London and Munich after losing two key partners in its European practice. (Global Legal Post)

In-house

• MyoKardia, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, hired health care and life sciences industry in-house veteran Denelle Waynick as general counsel and corporate secretary. She arrives most recently from biopharmaceutical multnational UCB, where she was vice president, U.S. general counsel & head of global enterprise risk management. She’s previously been at Actavis (now AbbVie) and Schering-Plough. She worked as chief of staff for the New Jersey Attorney General’s office and started her legal career as a corporate associate at Paul Hastings. (Yahoo! Finance)

• The Federal Communications Commission appointed deputy general counsel Ashley Boizelle, a former Gibson Dunn associate, to fill in as acting general counsel while FCC top lawyer Thomas M. Johnson Jr. is on paternity leave from July 13-Sept. 4. (TVTechnology.com)

• After over 21 years at McDermott, Will & Emery, including as head of its alcohol regulatory and distribution group, Marc Sorini, took a job as general counsel at the Brewers Association, a Maryland-based trade association for micro-brewers. (Brewbound.com)

• International spirits company Quintessential Brands Group promoted former Freshfields associate Jacqueline Drury to general counsel, based in London. (LinkedIn)

• Maryland-based specialty chemicals company WR Grace & Co. and the Bank of Hawaii Corp. are in the market for new top lawyers as their longtime in-house leaders prepare to leave. (BLAW)

• U.S. Technologies, a cashless payments and software services company for the self-service retail market, hired veteran tech industry in-house leader Davina Furnish as its first general counsel, based in Atlanta. She arrives from E*Trade, where she was director and associate GC and previously spent over 10 years at Concurrent Computer Corporation, including as general counsel, SVP, and corporate secretary. (Vending Market Watch)

Legal Education

• The Florida Board of Bar Examiners rescheduled its one-day online bar exam to Aug. 19 to avoid a conflict with the state’s primary election. (Daily Business Review)