Wake Up Call: Bondi Lobbying Ties Spark Concerns Over Nomination

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

• Pam Bondi, president-elect Donald Trump’s pick to be attorney general, could face conflicts of interest due to her lobbying history. After her tenure as Florida attorney general, Bondi lobbied for major corporations like Carnival, Uber, and Amazon, as well as foreign clients such as the government of Qatar. (The New York Times)
• Attorneys general from 21 Republican-controlled states sent a letter to the the American Bar Association warning that its current law school diversity rule and proposed revisions are unlawful. Both versions “impermissibly impose race-based admissions and hiring requirements as a condition of accreditation,” according to the letter. (Reuters)
• Republican lawmakers in Georgia are intensifying efforts to limit civil lawsuits, backed by business groups claiming the state is a “judicial hellhole” driving up insurance costs. Opponents, including attorneys on both sides of the aisle and the Georgia Trial Lawyers Association, contend that there is no clear link between lawsuits and rising premiums and that the proposed changes would hinder justice for injured parties. (The Associated Press)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Batur Oktay joined Davis Wright Tremaine as a partner in its media, entertainment, patent, trademark, and advertising group in Seattle. He joins from Rad Power Bikes, where he was general counsel.
• Mark Clarke joined Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld as a partner and head of its international arbitration practice in London. He joins from Proman AG, where he was group general counsel.
• Vanessa Torres joined Lowenstein Sandler as its chief marketing and business development officer. She joins from Goodwin Procter.
• Crescent Moran Chasteen and Rachel Faye Smith joined Morrison Foerster as co-chairs of its executive compensation and benefits group in Boston.
• Polly Klane joined Corebridge Financial as general counsel. She joins from Citizens Financial Group, where she was general counsel.
• Susan Kayser, Timothy Payne, and David Diorio joined BakerHostetler as partners.
• Fei Shen joined K&L Gates as a partner in its intellectual property practice in Orange County, Calif. He joins from Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton.
• Lori Brown was named chief operating officer of Littler Mendelson.
• Matthew Rossiter joined Lathrop GPM as a partner in its private client services practice group in St.Louis. He joins from from Rossiter & Boock.
• Paul Kaplan joined Greenspoon Marder as a partner in its litigation practice group in New York.
• Daniel Pepper joined Fisher Phillips as a partner in its privacy and cyber team in Denver.
• Clara Feldman joined Blank Rome as a partner and chair of its luxury brands practice in New York. She joins from The Law Office of Clara Feldman.
• Michael Rosenthal, Sonny Cohen, and Binford Minter joined Clark Hill as members in its franchise group in Atlanta.