Wake Up Call: Ex-DOJ Lawyer Sues Over Firing, Recorded Remarks

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

• Joseph Schnitt, former acting deputy chief of the Justice Department’s Witness Security Program, is suing to be reinstated after he was fired following a hidden-camera video in which he criticized the department’s expected handling of the Epstein files and Ghislaine Maxwell’s prison transfer. Schnitt argues his comments were made privately, off duty, and without any inside knowledge, making them protected First Amendment speech. His lawsuit claims he was targeted in a deceptive sting by an operative using a dating app, that DOJ violated his privacy rights, and that the department bypassed proper due-process procedures. (Politico)
• Former Justice Department lawyer Erez Reuveni, who was fired after accusing Trump-era officials of misleading courts and urging him to make false claims in immigration cases, joined Democracy Forward, a legal advocacy group challenging the administration’s policies on immigration, poverty programs, and civil rights. Reuveni filed a whistle-blower complaint detailing pressure to ignore court orders and label a mistakenly deported migrant as a terrorist. (Reuters)
• A Nevada County, Calif., prosecutor’s office is under scrutiny after defense lawyers discovered four court briefs—including one used to justify denying bail to a defendant—that were riddled with AI hallucinations. District Attorney Jesse Wilson admits the filings contained mistakes but denies AI was used in the case; defense attorneys have asked the California Supreme Court to investigate what they call a broader pattern of inaccurate, potentially AI-assisted arguments that could jeopardize defendants’ rights. (The New York Times)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Graham McCall joined Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton as a partner in its corporate practice and private equity industry team in Dallas. He joins from Jackson Walker.
• Duncan McKay joined Gibson Dunn as a partner in its fund finance practice in New York.
• Ann Marie Painter and April Goff joined Haynes Boone as employment partners in Dallas. They join from Perkins Coie.
• Maureen Bogue joined Ogletree Deakins as a shareholder in San Francisco.