Wake Up Call: Democrats Probe White House Over Big Law Pacts

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

• Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) requested details from law firms and the White House about the legality and alleged coercive nature of their agreements made to avoid Trump-imposed sanctions. In letters sent Sunday, they called the executive orders an “illegal shakedown” and requested records on firm selection, communications, and legal justifications. (The Washington Post)
• David Boies, chairman of Boies Schiller Flexner, may be forced to move the firm from its longtime headquarters. The town of North Castle, NY plans to seize the office building that has housed the firm for over 20 years via eminent domain for a new town hall, police station, and court. (The Journal News)
• In rural Texas, thousands of misdemeanor defendants are routinely denied the right to a lawyer, with some counties appointing counsel in fewer than one out of 10 cases. Over half of rural misdemeanor defendants represent themselves—five times the rate in urban areas—due to underfunded systems, judges with little or no legal experience, and a lack of available attorneys. (The Dallas Morning News)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Adrienne Walker joined Foley & Lardner as a partner in its bankruptcy and business reorganizations practice group and health care and life sciences sector in Boston. She joins from Troutman Pepper Locke.
• Amanda Masselam Strachan rejoined WilmerHale as a partner in its white collar practice in Boston. She joins from the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts.
• Paul Astolfi and Katy McNeil joined A&O Shearman as partners in its energy, natural resources, and infrastructure practice. They join from Mayer Brown.
• Mike Timpone, Kurt Plankl, and Sophia Agathis joined Holland & Knight as partners in its asset finance group in New York. They join from Seward & Kissel.
• Ryan Sears joined Ogletree Deakins as a shareholder in Washington. He joins from Morgan Lewis.
• Phil Selden joined Cole Schotz as a member in its white collar criminal defense and government investigations and litigation departments in its new Washington office. He joins from the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland.
• Mike Tirman joined Honigman as a partner in its real estate transactions practice group and real estate department in Chicago. He joins from Ice Miller.
• Frank Martinez joined Fisher Phillips as a partner in New York. He joins from Prada USA.
• Amanda McGinn joined Littler Mendelson as a shareholder in Washington. She joins from Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.
• Gregory Jaske joined Olshan Frome Wolosky as a partner in its real estate law practice in New York. He joins from Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo.