Wake Up Call: Ex-Kirkland Lawyer Emerges as Law Firm Matchmaker

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

• After leaving Kirkland & Ellis in 2021, Jon Henes carved out a lucrative niche in the world of distressed debt by informally matchmaking elite bankruptcy lawyers with law firms. Henes has become a behind-the-scenes figure as firms compete for talent with massive pay packages—sometimes exceeding $20–30 million annually—amid a broader shift away from traditional partnership models. (Financial Times)
• Federal prosecutors’ offices across the country are facing leadership turmoil as the Trump administration repeatedly attempts to install loyalists as US attorneys without Senate confirmation, only to have courts reject those moves. In response, the administration has often reassigned disqualified appointees to second-in-command roles, allowing them to continue effectively running offices—leaving at least 10 districts led indefinitely by acting deputies. (Politico)
• A federal judge disciplined attorneys bringing a discrimination lawsuit against the Phoenix Suns for using AI and presenting fabrications of cases and quotes in their court filings. He rebuked the attorneys for what appeared to be AI hallucinations in their filings to the court, and for not checking their documents before filing them. (AZ Central)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Michael Stiff joined Holland & Knight as a partner in its private wealth services group in Denver. He joins from BakerHostetler.
• William Kloos rejoined McDermott Will & Schulte as a partner in its transactions practice group in New York. He joins from Cerberus.
• Adriana Zhan joined Clifford Chance as a partner in its tax, pensions, and employment group in New York.
• Alexander Ott joined Winston & Strawn as a partner in its litigation department in Washington.
• Shawn Kim joined Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough as a partner in its corporate group in Los Angeles. He joins from Hanwha Group.
• Michael Mancusi joined Barnes & Thornburg as a partner in its financial innovation and regulation practice in Washington.
• Alex Weniger-Araujo and Andrei Sirabionian joined McGuireWoods as partners in its capital markets practice in New York.
• Michael Grygiel and Kelly McNamee joined Foley Hoag as partners in its First Amendment and media practice in New York.