Wake Up Call: DOGE Hires Ex-Big Law Trio Amid Mounting Suits

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

• Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency has hired at least three attorneys with Big Law roots as it faces legal challenges. James Burnham, a former Jones Day lawyer who owns a litigation funding company aimed at supporting conservative policy causes, is listed internally as the group’s general counsel. (Pro Publica)
• Davis Wright Tremaine launched a partnership with Stanford University’s legal tech hub CodeX to research and develop artificial intelligence-driven legal tools. Managed by DWT’s research and development unit De Novo, the collaboration aims to enhance AI adoption in the legal industry. (Artificial Lawyer)
• South Carolina State Rep. JA Moore (D) appeared in a television ad endorsing the Roden Law Firm, identifying himself as a legislator and praising the firm for assisting him after a car accident. The ad has drawn scrutiny as ethics laws prohibit using public office for financial gain, though Moore and the firm state he was not compensated for the ad. (The Post and Courier)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Gwenaël Kropfinger joined Proskauer Rose as a partner in its tax department in Paris.
• Richard Brand, Kiran Kadekar, Erica Hogan, and Jaye Kasper joined White & Case as partners in its global mergers and acquisitions practice in New York.
• Rüdiger Lahme and Andreas Ruster joined Willkie Farr & Gallagher as partners in Germany. They join from Quinn Emanuel.
• Franklin Zemel and Alan Poppe joined Fox Rothschild as partners in its litigation department in Florida. They join from Saul Ewing.