Wake Up Call: DHS Accused of Surveilling Maine Legal Observers

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

• Legal observers in Maine are suing the Department of Homeland Security, alleging the agency used facial recognition and license plate readers to surveil and intimidate them while they monitored ICE operations. The plaintiffs, represented by Protect Democracy Project, Dunn Isaacson Rhee, and Drummond Woodsum, claim agents scanned their faces and vehicles, threatened to add them to a domestic terrorist watchlist, and warned them that they could appear at their homes. (Politico)
• Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher cannot evade an arbitrator’s ruling in favor of prominent former partner Mark Perry, a California appeals court ruled, ending a legal battle over Perry’s compensation and benefits nearly four years after he left for a rival firm. Perry joined Weil Gotshal & Manges in 2022 after nearly 28 years at Gibson Dunn and sued his former firm in 2024 to enforce an arbitrator’s holding that he should be considered retired, not resigned, and is entitled to retirement payments once he stops competing with the firm. (Reuters)
• Former Michigan state lawmaker and prosecutor Derek Miller was reprimanded by the state Attorney Discipline Board for misconduct tied to his tenure as chief of operations under former Macomb County prosecutor Eric Smith, who was convicted of misusing public funds. Miller pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for failing to account for county money, received a fine and community service, and later had the conviction dismissed under an agreement with prosecutors. The board ordered him to pay $1,036. (Macomb Daily)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Lindsay Flora joined Weil, Gotshal & Manges as a partner in its banking and finance practice in New York. She joins from Dechert.
• David Greene joined Weil, Gotshal & Manges as a partner in its private funds group in New York and Washington. He joins from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.
• Jonathan Janow joined Steptoe as a partner in its antitrust practice in Washington. He joins from Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney.
• Brendan McNallen joined Orrick as a partner in its energy and infrastructure team in Seattle. He joins from Reed Smith.
• Catherine Hein joined A&O Shearman as a partner in its international trade group in Washington. She joins from Latham & Watkins.
• Joseph Gatti joined Morgan Lewis as a partner in its structured transactions practice in Washington. He joins from Amherst Residential.
• Nicholas Gerlach joined Nixon Peabody as a partner in its tax team in San Francisco.
• Howard Wizenfeld joined Wiggin and Dana as a partner in its intellectual property practice in New York. He joins from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft.
• John Fisher and Tomas Rua joined Covington & Burling as partners in its mergers and acquisitions practice group.
• Alexander Moss and Injune Park joined Honigman as partners in its private equity practice in Chicago. They join from Benesch, Friedlander, Coplan & Aronoff.