Wake Up Call: Dechert Sues Former Lawyer for Salary Overpayment

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

• Dechert is suing former senior project attorney Kathleen Fay, seeking to recover more than $90,000 for an alleged salary overpayment. The firm claims Fay continued to receive her regular salary for seven and a half months after her contract ended in 2023, despite not performing billable work. When Dechert discovered the mistake, it demanded repayment, but Fay disputed the allegations, accusing the firm of unethical behavior. (Law.com)
• The market for non-traditional legal services reached a record $28.5 billion, with independent companies making up the majority, at $25.1 billion in 2023, according to a report by Thomson Reuters. The industry is seeing growing demand for cost-effective, high-volume legal work and specialized services, with many law firms and corporate legal departments turning to alternative legal service providers. (Reuters)
• Simon Law Group in New Jersey is facing a legal malpractice lawsuit, with clients alleging that managing partner Britt Simon misrepresented his involvement in their case. The clients claimed Simon promised to personally handle their real estate dispute, but instead sent an inexperienced attorney to court hearings. Despite paying over $70,000, the clients said they saw little progress and eventually hired a new attorney who discovered discrepancies in the case, including the absence of their names as plaintiffs. (Law.com)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Marc Nichols joined DLA Piper as a partner and co-chair of its transportation practice in Washington. He joins from the Federal Aviation Administration.
• Evan Roberts joined Milbank as a partner in its global corporate and mergers and acquisitions group in Los Angeles. He joins from Kirkland & Ellis.
• Craig Cohen joined Dechert as a partner in its global tax group in New York.
• Bart Kempf joined Orrick as a partner in its environmental practice in Washington. He joins from Bradley Arant Boult Cummings.
• Christopher Mangin joined Paul Hastings as a REIT tax partner in Washington. He joins from Vinson & Elkins.
• Zina Saeed joined CliftonLarsonAllen as general counsel in Chicago. She joins from Lemme Insurance Brokerage and Consultants.
• Jason Northcutt joined Nelson Mullins Riley and Scarborough as a partner in its private equity group in Washington. He joins from Akerman.
• Tammy Terry and Lisa Margonis joined Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough as partners in its intellectual property practice in Houston. They join from Osha Bergman Watanabe & Burton.
• Renata Ramalhosa joined Kobre & Kim as regional managing director for Latin America based in São Paulo. She joins from Beta-i Brasil.