Wake Up Call: Class Action Targets Houston Immigration Firm

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

• A Houston immigration firm is facing a proposed class action over alleged false abuse claims. Meneses Law is being sued by a former client who seeks to represent others allegedly steered into petitions under the Violence Against Women Act, a federal law that can provide immigration relief to abuse survivors. The suit claims the firm used a high-volume model to shape clients’ stories into abuse narratives and relief on nonlawyer staff in intake and sales roles. The firm denies wrongdoing and says the allegations are part of an effort to exploit fear in immigrant communities. (Houston Chronicle)
• DOE lawyers undercut Energy Secretary Chris Wright in court. Attorneys for the Energy Department acknowledged in federal court that politics played a primary role in canceling certain clean-energy grants in Democratic-leaning states, even as Wright told Congress the opposite. A judge relied on that concession to restore 11 grants and avoid a trial that could have exposed internal communications through discovery. (Washington Post)
• A DC lawyer beat a speed-camera ticket after a three-year fight through multiple appeals. Matt Ricciardi persuaded the DC Court of Appeals to throw out his $100 citation after arguing the city could not prove his exact speed with the enough certainty because of the camera’s stated margin of error. The ruling could give other drivers a basis to challenge tickets issued at the low end of the city’s speeding thresholds. (NOTUS)
• A Florida man is accused of showing up to a traffic stop and posing as a lawyer. Deputies in Brevard County say Derek Schaufus arrived during a 3 a.m. drug-related stop, identified himself as the driver’s attorney, questioned officers about procedure and probable cause, and claimed to be licensed in Florida and Georgia. He now faces charges including unauthorized practice of law. (WKMG-TV)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Gemma Roberts joined Morgan Lewis LLP as a partner in its private equity practice in London. She joins from Goodwin LLP.
• Matthew Sperry joined Pillsbury LLP as a partner in its private client and family office practice. He will work out of the Miami, London, and New York offices, and joins from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft.
• Jennifer Jambor-Delgado, Leslie Joyner, and Alexander Spellman joined Jackson Lewis as principals in its Los Angeles office. They join from Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani.
• Thomas Song joined Buchalter LLP as a partner in its labor and employment practice group in Orange County. He joins from Constangy, Brooks, Smith & Prophete, according to his LinkedIn profile.