Wake Up Call: Epstein Effect for SDNY Lawyers Is Document Review

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

• Most of the lawyers in the US Attorney’s Office in Manhattan are reviewing documents in the Justice Department’s Jeffrey Epstein investigation. Legal experts say vetting these documents for public release may significantly disrupt the office’s daily work. (The New York Times)
• Large and midsized law firms face an economic contraction this year, according to a Thomson Reuters report. Demand for legal services is expected to slow, and billing rate increases may concern clients. (Reuters)
• Grand juries are making a comeback under President Donald Trump. They’ve become a common barrier for US prosecutors attempting advancing the president’s controversial policies or his retribution attempts against perceived political foes. (POLITICO)

Laterals, Moves, In-House:

• Rupert Bondy joined WilmerHale as a partner in London, where he will co-chair the firm’s crisis management and strategic response group. He previously worked for UnitedHealth Group.
• David Oppenheimer, David Varne, and Lucy Oddy joined Latham & Watkins as partners in London. All three previously were partners at A&O Shearman.
• Alessandro Capogrosso joined Ropes & Gray as a partner in its Milan office. Capogrosso joins from PedersoliGattai.
• Nekia Hackworth joined Jones Day as a partner in its investigations and white collar defense practice in Atlanta. She joins from the Securities and Exchange Commission.
• Robert Lavet has been named SoFi Technologies’s new chief legal officer. Lavet is coming out of retirement, after serving as SoFi’s general counsel until mid-2024.
• Emily Chen joined McDermott Will & Schulte as a partner in New York. She joins from Kirkland & Ellis.