Wake Up Call: California Bar Weighs Strict AI Ethics Rules

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

• California bar regulators are proposing a slate of AI-related ethics changes that would, among other things, require lawyers to independently review and verify any AI-generated output used in client matters. The proposed amendments would also address when lawyers must disclose AI use to clients, how confidentiality rules apply to AI tools, lawyers’ duty to check AI-generated citations, and firms’ obligations to supervise both lawyers and staff using the technology. (LawSites)
• Former Chicago immigration judge Carla Espinoza is suing the Trump administration, alleging she was fired because of her prior work representing immigrants as well as her race and sex. The lawsuit says the Justice Department violated her First Amendment and equal-protection rights when it terminated her during her probationary period, and it challenges the administration’s broader position that immigration judges can be fired without cause under Article II. (Chicago Tribune)
• Foreign investors get a special tax break for financing lawsuits against US companies, according to an opinion piece by Michael Toth, director of research at the University of Texas’ Civitas Institute. He argues litigation funders can structure their investments to qualify for capital-gains treatment, while foreign funders may avoid US taxes entirely, and he urges Congress to close what he calls a loophole that subsidizes lawsuits against American businesses. (Wall Street Journal)
• North Carolina’s elections director hired prominent GOP lawyer Phil Strach to defend the state Board of Elections in a voting case even though Strach was simultaneously representing clients suing the board in four other matters. The arrangement included a waiver acknowledging potential conflicts, drawing objections from Democratic board members who said they should have had a say before any such waiver was signed. (NC Newsline)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Sebastian Chan and Eli Humphries joined McDermott Will & Schulte LLP as partners in its Energy & Project Finance practice.
• Clark Stockton Lord joined Greenberg Traurig as a shareholder in its public finance & infrastructure practice in Houston.
• Ryan Goer and Bryan Walpole joined Dentons US as partners in its real estate practice in Charleston, SC.
• Remy Lerner joined Norton Rose Fulbright as a partner in its energy, infrastructure, and natural resources practice in Dubai.
• Mandip Singh Sagoo joined Norton Rose Fulbright as a partner in its insurance disputes practice in London.
• Jayme Long, Stephanie Peatman, and Alexander Giraldo joined Norton Rose Fulbright as partners in its product liability and consumer disputes practice in Los Angeles.
• Paul Rosie joined Goodwin as a partner in its life sciences group in Boston.
• Norm Armstrong Jr. joined Cooley LLP as a partner and chair of its global antitrust and competition practice in Washington, DC.
• Ken Sanocki joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati as a partner in its Energy and Climate Solutions practice in San Francisco.
• Zeeshan “Zee” Ahmedani joined Proskauer as a partner in its private funds group in Los Angeles.
• Michael Elkin, Sean Anderson, and Jennifer Golinveaux joined Alston & Bird as partners in its IP litigation group.
• Nicola Chesaites joined Arnold & Porter as a partner in its antitrust/competition litigation practice in London.
• Patrick Degnan joined Polsinelli’s Phoenix office as a shareholder in its corporate mergers & acquisitions practice.
• Adam Wanee joined Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough as a partner in its corporate group.
• Katharine Lennox joined Littler as a shareholder in its unfair competition and trade secrets practice group in Rochester, NY.
• Sean Coyle and Vijay Choksi joined Blank Rome as partners in the corporate, M&A, and securities group and the cannabis industry team in West Palm Beach.
• David Van Atta joined Womble Bond Dickinson as a partner in its real estate practice group in San Francisco.
• Eric Muñoz joined Womble Bond Dickinson as a partner in its finance, bankruptcy, and restructuring practice group in Houston.
• Michele Glessner, Madison McCraw, and Samuel Merritt joined Womble Bond Dickinson as partners in its intellectual property practice in Charlotte.
• Oliver Olah joined Nixon Peabody as a partner in its corporate practice in New York City.
• Beth Ann Lennon joined Ballard Spahr as partner in the firm’s Denver and Portland offices.
• Marc Williams joined Kilpatrick as a partner in its financial institutions team in Seattle.
• Alison Fethke joined Epstein Becker Green as a member in its health care and life sciences practice in Chicago.
• Jeannette Rovira joined Seward & Kissel as a partner in its banking, payments, and fintech practice in Washington, DC.
• Jenna Levy joined Herrick, Feinstein as a partner in its corporate department.
• Valerie Sorensen-Clark joined Grunfeld, Desiderio, Lebowitz, Silverman & Klestadt as a partner in New York.
• Tami Stark joined Sher Tremonte LLP as a partner in its New York office.