Wake Up Call: Billboard Lists Top In-House, Firm Music Lawyers

In today’s column, Google won its Supreme Court appeal against Oracle Corp.’s copyright infringement case over Java; Irell & Manella topped Davis Polk’s scale for special associate bonuses; the former chief legal officer to U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh when he was Boston mayor has a few new jobs.

• Leading off, in-house lawyers for Universal Music Publishing Group, which acquired Bob Dylan’s catalog for $300 million in December, figure high on Billboard Magazine’s new list of top music lawyers in-house and at law firms for 2021. Among the long list of legal talent and firms that Billboard cites: Fox Rothschild litigators for work representing music companies and artists, DLA Piper for acquisition work for private equity firm Round Hill Music, and #MeToo lawyer Douglas Wigdor for work representing ousted Recording Academy president/CEO Deborah Dugan. (Billboard.com)
• The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Google didn’t commit copyright infringement when it used Oracle Corp.’s programming code in its Android operating system. (Bloomberg News via BLAW) Goldstein & Russell partner Thomas Goldstein argued the appeal for Google, with help from Keker, Van Nest & Peters, and King & Spalding. Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe argued Oracle. (National Law Journal)
• As Big Law competition heats up for associates, it turns out that some younger lawyers at big firms aren’t leaving for other firms—they’re going solo. (Daily Report)
• Speaking of competition, Irell & Manella announced special bonuses Monday that add extra money to the Davis Polk scale for special associate bonuses. Arnold & Porter and Mckool Smith were among firms that matched the Davis Polk standard, which runs up to $64,000, depending on seniority and is paid out in two installments. (Above the Law)

Lawyers, Law Firms

• Lawyers for fallen Hollywood movie mogul Harvey Weinstein asked a New York state appeals court to throw out his sexual assault conviction. (Bloomberg News via BLAW)
• Longtime Shearman & Sterling arbitration practice leader and partner Emmanuel Gaillard died in Paris, according to reports. Gaillard, who founded Shearman’s international arbitration practice in 1987 and led it until this year, left the firm in February with seven partners and 30 associates to start his own firm. (Law.com International via American Lawyer)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• U.K. elite firm Linklaters promoted its New York-based U.S. antitrust chief, Thomas McGrath, to lead its U.S. practice. McGrath, who’s been at the firm since 2005 and also co-leads its global healthcare group, joins the firm’s executive committee. He replaces Tom Shropshire, who’s leaving the firm after 23 years to become general counsel at Diageo, a beverage alcohol company. (Linklaters)
• Sullivan & Worcester said it brought in, as Boston-based of counsel, former city of Boston corporation counsel Eugene O’Flaherty. O’Flaherty joins Sullivan’s real estate, corporate, finance, tax and litigation practice groups. The LinkedIn profile for O’Flaherty, says he also joined Washington-based lobbying firm Ballard Partners as a partner. (LinkedIn)
• Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher got back partner David Burns, most recently U.S. acting assistant attorney general in the Justice Department’s criminal division. He returns in Washington and will co-chair the firm’s national security practice group and be a member of the white collar defense and investigations and crisis management practice groups. Gibson Dunn also re-hired former Texas Solicitor General Kyle D. Hawkins as a partner in Houston, where he’ll focus on appellate and constitutional law, class actions and commercial litigation. McGuireWoods hired former Justice Department antitrust trial attorney Wrede Smith as a partner in Washington. (McGuireWoods)
• Paul Hasting expanded its three-year-old Century City, Calif., office, getting veteran entertainment and media transactional lawyer Sean Monroe from O’Melveny & Myers. (PaulHastings.com) Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe got back Seattle-based Brian Moran as a partner. (The Recorder) Arent Fox grabbed a four lawyer music-focused copyright team from Akerman, including partners Ross Charap and Matthew L. Finkelstein, who are returning to the firm’s New York office, with counsel Celeste M. Moy and an associate; Fried Frank got longtime Kasowitz Benson Torres restructuring and insolvency lawyer Adam L. Shiff as a partner in New York. (Fried Frank) Baker McKenzie’s director of legal project management, Casey Flaherty, left to join legal tech startup LexFusion as a co-founder and chief strategy officer. (LinkedIn)