Wake Up Call: Bryan Cave Launches Women’s Leadership Program

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

• In connection with International Women’s Day, transatlantic firm Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner today announced it is launching a professional development program aimed at helping women lawyers build their leadership communication skills. The 12-week program, BCLP Podium, brings together 12 junior partners from the firm with 12 in-house lawyers at clients including BT, Credit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank, Emerson, National Grid, Bayer AG, and Enterprise Holdings for training led by communications company Ginger. The program starts in the firm’s London and New York offices. (BCLPLaw.com)
• Sullivan & Cromwell billed FTX $16.9 million for 14,569 hours of work in January on the crypto exchange’s bankruptcy case, according to a report citing court filings. Sullivan figures among law firms, investment banks, and consulting companies that billed FTX a combined $34.18 million for the month, the report said. (Coin Telegraph)
• Entry level hiring by Top 200 law firms plunged 33% in 2022 from the previous year, as part of a “natural correction” in legal hiring after the talent war that followed the pandemic, according to a new report from Leopard Solutions. (LeopardSolutions.com)
• UK-founded Linklaters is increasing pay for its associates and managing associates in Europe, ranging from 150,000 euros ($158,121) for first-year associates and up to 200,000 euros for eighth-year associates. Associates can also get bonuses ranging from 10,000 to 40,000 euros, depending on year, according to this German-language report. (Azur-Online.de)

Lawyers, Law Firms

• Atlanta-based Kilpatrick Townsend said it is expanding into Chicago and Phoenix by acquiring the offices of Chicago-based L&G Law Group LLP. A total 28 legal professionals, including 14 attorneys of which three are partners, are joining Kilpatrick. It’s also getting one partner in Chicago from Walker Morton. (KilpatrickTownsend.com)
• Simpson Thacher named partner Sas Mehrara head of the firm’s real estate practice. (STBLaw.com)
• A Louisiana federal judge suspended Houston-based law firm McClenny Moseley & Associates from practice for allegedly making misrepresentations to insurers over damage caused to homes by hurricanes. (Claims Journal)
• Big Japanese firm TMI Associates opened an office in Paris. (Law.com International)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• Alston & Bird poached three real estate partners from Dentons in Dallas, Texas. The group—Dentons’ former US corporate practice group chair and Dallas office managing partner Donald Hammett, Raleigh Johnston, and Lane Folsom—joins Alston’s real estate investment trust practice. Hammett is now a co-leader of Alston & Bird’s REITs and funds team. (Texas Law Journal)
• Norton Rose Fulbright hired Morgan Stanley in-house attorney Christian Lambie as a capital markets partner in London. He earlier spent 16 years as a partner at Allen & Overy. (NortonRoseFulbright.com)
• Dykema Gossett brought in corporate oil and gas attorney Megan Knell as a member in Dallas, Texas. She arrives from Harris Finley & Bogle. (Dykema.com)
• Perdue Farms named food industry in-house veteran Catherine Muldoon as its chief compliance officer. She arrives from Baldor Specialty Foods Inc., where she was general counsel and was previously chief legal officer at logistics transportation company BDP International. (Meat + Poultry)
• New York Life Insurance Company promoted in-house lawyer Sandi Tillotson, currently vice president for corporate compliance, to chief compliance officer and senior vice president. (Businesswire.com)
• Tech in-house veteran Efraim Harari, recently chief legal officer and chief of staff at cybersecurity company SentinelOne, took a job at asset intelligence platform Armis, which is preparing for a possible initial public offering. (PR Newswire)

Promotions

• Houston, Texas-based Bracewell LLP promoted five attorneys to senior counsel. (Bracewell.com)