Wake Up Call: Ex-Big Law Partner Joins Tesla Litigation Team

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

• Tesla Inc. hired longtime Morgan Lewis partner Brian Jazaeri as its new head of litigation, according to Jazaeri’s Twitter feed and a report in an electric vehicle publication. (Electrek) Tesla earlier this year hired a general counsel and several Big Law attorneys to build the “hardcore litigation department” announced by Elon Musk in 2022. One of those hires, Quinn Emanuel litigation associate Allison Huebert, joined as Tesla’s managing counsel for litigation. (BLAW)
• U.S. News & World Report has for a second time this month delayed the release of its new law school rankings, this time “indefinitely.” Reports cite inquiries from law schools over inaccurate information in data appearing in a draft version of the rankings. (Law.com) (Above The Law) (TaxProf.typepad.com)
• As global companies face a new set of geopolitical and economic risks, the roles of their chief legal officers are evolving to confront them. (Financial Times)

Lawyers, Law Firms

• Cooley LLP and Davis Polk & Wardwell are among six law firms advising on Singapore-based crypto miner Bitdeer Technologies Holding Co.'s Nasdaq listing via a merger with a special purpose acquisition company. (China Business Law Journal)
• A majority of “young lawyers” would like the current generation of law firm leaders to step aside to let someone younger take over, according to a new survey report from legal recruiter Major, Lindsey & Africa and Above the Law. (HubSpot.com)
• Lawyers for former employees of the National Football League’s Commanders are asking the league to require any sale of the team to depend on owner Daniel Snyder not suing people who participated in investigations regarding the team. (Associated Press)
• Republican-proposed bills in the Texas Legislature would create two new state-wide courts. Supporters say they would improve efficiency and fairness in the court system, but opponents say they’re unnecessary and politically motivated. (Texas Tribune)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft hired King & Spalding structured finance attorney Ryan McNaughton as partner in New York in its securitization and structured finance practice. Cadwalader said McNaughton expects a number of former colleagues to join him. (Cadwalader.com)
• Schulte Roth & Zabel picked up a five-lawyer intellectual property litigation team in New York from Stroock & Stroock & Lavan led by partners Tim Gilman and Chris Gerson. (SRZ.com)
• Finnegan LLP added longtime Foley Hoag trademark and copyright attorney Jenevieve Maerker in Boston as of counsel. (Finnegan.com)
• Fox Rothschild picked up Wilson Elser commercial litigator Rory Greebel in New York as partner. (FoxRothschild.com)
• Linklaters hired Mayer Brown environmental attorney Lauren Bachtel as senior counsel in New York. She’s a former attorney in the US Department of the Interior and was in-house at the American Wind Energy Association. (Linklaters)
• Holland & Knight brought in a former city attorney for the city of Doral, Florida, Luis Figueredo, as real estate partner in Miami. (HKLaw.com)
• Ropes & Gray brought in former Emory University senior vice president and general counsel Steve Sencer as counsel in its health care and educational institutions practices. (RopesGray.com)
• Cloud commerce marketplace Pax8 hired former Cooley partner and Flextronics top lawyer Carrie Schiff as its first-ever chief legal officer. (GlobeNewswire.com)
• Cardurion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. named veteran biotech in-house lawyer Stephen Migausky, a former WilmerHale corporate attorney, as senior vice president and general counsel. (Businesswire)
• Presiden Biden nominated US Agency for International Development general counsel Margaret L. Taylor as Department of State legal adviser. (WhiteHouse.gov)
• The New Jersey Senate Democratic office named former Fox Rothschild attorney Abbey True Harris its chief counsel. She was recently in-house at CURE Auto Insurance. (NJBiz)

Promotions

• Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer promoted 44 attorneys to counsel. (Freshfields.com)