Wake Up Call: Clyde & Co Merges With Boston Insurance Boutique

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

• Big UK firm Clyde & Co, which has about 2,600 lawyers across 60 offices worldwide, said it’s adding a Boston office via a merger with Hermes, Netburn, O’Connor & Spearing. The 14-lawyer boutique specializes in insurance coverage, surety and fidelity, and civil litigation. Clyde, focused on insurance, energy, trade and commodities, infrastructure and transport, says the Boston office, working with its existing New York and New Jersey offices, will boost its ability to support businesses and insurance companies in the Northeast. (ClydeCo.com)
• Insurers notched a new win in court on their denial of Covid-19-related business interruption claims. The Connecticut Supreme Court rejected arguments by several Connecticut health-care facilities that had claimed losses because of the pandemic. (Connecticut Law Tribune)
• Former New York State assistant attorney general Armen Morian has joined the legal team defending former President Donald Trump and family against fraud litigation filed by New York’s attorney general, according to a report. According to his LinkedIn profile, Morian was in the AG’s office for 13 years and was in the investor protection bureau prosecuting financial fraud when he left in 2019. (Daily Beast)

Lawyers, Law Firms

• At least two Big Law firms are advising on real estate private equity firm Northwind Group’s $313 million loan to a new luxury residential condominium skyscraper in lower Manhattan. Polsinelli is advising Northwind, according to a statement. Hogan Lovells said it’s representing real estate development company Bizzi & Partners, which is in the borrower joint venture with Fortress Investment Group and U.S. Immigration Fund, LLC. (PR Newswire)
• Headcount of the Philadelphia region’s 100 biggest law firms rose 3.4% overall in 2022 but this year has declined about 1.7% to a collective 6,056 attorneys. That’s according to a recent survey, which found many of the firms plan to hire lawyers this year. (Philadelphia Business Journal)
• Saint Louis, Missouri-headquartered Armstrong Teasdale said it’s opening an office in Orange County, California. It poached Lewis Brisbois labor and employment practice vice chair Julie O’Dell as litigation group partner and to lead the new West Coast outpost. (ArmstongTeasdale.com)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• Jones Day grabbed Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner real estate attorney Matthew Peel as partner in London. (JonesDay.com
• Greenberg Traurig picked up litigator Ryan Smith as shareholder in Orange County, California, from Allen Matkins. His practice focuses on real estate, commercial, and trusts and estates litigation. (GTLaw.com)
• Eckert Seamans added real estate lawyer Kimberly Tague as member in Pittsburgh from Strassburger McKenna Gutnick, where she was real estate group chair. (EckertSeamans.com)
• Holland & Knight recruited former Coral Gables, Florida, city attorney and prosecutor Miriam Soler Ramos as partner in Miami in its real estate and land use practice. (HKLaw.com)
• Cole Schotz recruited retired New Jersey Appellate Division Judge Garry S. Rothstadt as of counsel based in Hackensack, serving as mediator and arbitrator. (ColeSchotz.com)
• Schulte Roth & Zabel hired London-based tax lawyer Dan Roman as partner. He’s been partner at three of the Big Four firms and was recently head of tax at Paratus Group of Companies, an energy insurance company. (SRZ.com)
• BakerHostetler added health-care attorney Jenny Givens as partner in Dallas, Texas. She arrives from Gray Reed & McGraw. (BakerLaw.com)
• Pryor Cashman said Paul Cossu, former art law attorney at the firm, returned as partner. (PryorCashman.com)
• EU-based Dronamics, which calls itself “the world’s first cargo drone airline,” said it hired tech-industry in-house veteran Pete MacIntyre as chief legal officer and executive committee member. (Dronamics.com)
• Flexible lawyer services company Axiom’s CLO Catherine Kemnitz added “chief strategy and development officer” to her roles. (Legal Dive)

Promotions, Effective Feb. 1

• Brown Rudnick promoted 11 attorneys to partner; Greensfelder Hemker & Gale promoted four attorneys to officer. (Greesnfelder.com)