Wake Up Call: BakerHostetler Sued By Swiss Oil Trading Company

Welcome to Bloomberg Law’s Wake Up Call, a daily rundown of the top news for lawyers, law firms, and in-house counsel.

• BakerHostetler has been sued by a Swiss oil trading company over claims that Los Angeles-based partner Jeffrey Berg had vouched for a man who falsely claimed to be a CIA operative. The recently dissolved company, Paramount Energy and Commodities SA, was sanctioned in February by UK officials over claims the group assisted in the “unfettered” trade of Russian oil. (Reuters)
• A new 250-lawyer firm called Harris Beach Murtha has been created by combining Harris Beach, a Rochester, NY-based firm with offices throughout upstate New York, and Murtha Cullina, with offices in New England and New York state. The merged firm is set to become “a powerhouse in the region’s legal industry,” a release from the firms said. (The Central New York Business Journal)
• Kelly Duford Williams, once a “rising star” in San Diego legal circles, has pleaded not guilty to using ID and credit cards she allegedly stole from people affiliated with a nonprofit group that assists disabled adults. Williams—a fugitive for a brief stint before US Marshals found her in Washington and returned her to California—was disbarred in May of 2023 for knowingly making false police reports, according to a Bloomberg Law report. (NBC 7 San Diego)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• Anne Peetz has joined Reed Smith as a partner in its global corporate group in Houston. She joins from Kirkland & Ellis.
• Georgie Messent has joined Squire Patton Boggs as partner in the environmental, safety, and health practice group in the London office. She joins from PwC.
• D. Porpoise Evans has been appointed office managing shareholder of Littler’s Miami office.
• Robin Nunn and Jennifer Park have joined Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough as partners.
• Adam Cohen and Mark Chorazak have joined Skadden in the Washington, D.C., and New York offices, respectively, as partners and co-heads of the financial institutions regulatory group.
• Ellie Pinnells has joined Squire Patton Boggs as a partner and will lead the litigation team in Birmingham, England. She joins from Fieldfisher.
• Scott Lashway and Chris Lisy have joined Mintz as members in the Boston office in the data and privacy litigation and investigations practice.
• Donell Andre Hicks has joined Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani as a partner in the construction practice group in Seattle.
• Chris Hastings has joined Squire Patton Boggs as a partner in the financial services practice group in London. He joins from Eversheds Sutherland.
• Richard Robbins has been appointed Reed Smith’s first director of applied artificial intelligence.