Wake Up Call: Fenwick Delays First-Year Associate Start Dates

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

• Silicon Valley firm Fenwick & West is delaying the arrival of its first-year associates and giving them a $15,000 stipend to tide them over. The news comes as other big corporate firms consider a similar move to deal with a steep drop in their work. Fenwick is postponing the start date for first-year corporate and technology transactions associates to Jan. 16, 2024. Its entry-level litigation and tax associates will start on Oct. 16, 2023, according to a report. (Above The Law)
• Diversity is improving at US law firms at a significant rate, but there are still roadblocks to progress, according to survey report. (American Lawyer)
• Klaris Law, a New York-based boutique media, entertainment, technology, and intellectual property firm, announced it’s merging with Nevin Law Group, a Broadway production law practice, effective June 5. (Deadline)

Lawyers, Law Firms

• Former Sullivan & Cromwell Chair Ricardo A. Mestres Jr., who joined the firm in 1961 and became a partner in 1968, was senior counsel there when he died Monday at age 89. (Legacy.com)
• New Haven, Connecticut-headquartered Wiggin and Dana said it launched a cannabis practice group led by corporate partner Jack Sousa and including at least a half dozen attorneys. (Wiggin.com)
• Nixon Peabody named health-care litigation partner Dan Hurteau as managing partner of its office in Albany, New York. Hurteau, who joined the firm in 1992, is deputy leader of its complex disputes practice. He takes over as OMP from cybersercurity and privacy litigation partner Andrew Rose. (NixonPeabody.com)
• Kirkland & Ellis helped a defunct oil and gas industry client get a class action lawsuit thrown out in North Dakota federal court. (Texas Lawyer)
• Authorities cited DNA evidence for the arrest of a New Jersey lawyer charged in a series of rapes that occurred in Boston 15 years ago. (Boston.com)
• A New York City lawyer caught on TikTok allegedly snatching a wig from a woman’s head has lost his job as associate. (New York Post)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• Baker Botts hired energy private equity veteran Clay Brett as partner in Houston. He arrives from investment firm Millennial Energy Partners, where he was partner, and previously spent time at Willkie Farr & Gallagher and Bracewell LLP. (BakerBotts.com)
• McDermott Will & Emery poached financial regulatory and transactional lawyer Jonathan Ching from Linklaters LLP as partner in New York. He’s a former Jones Day of counsel and has been in-house at Bear Stearns and at JPMorgan & Chase. (MWE.com)
• Gibson Dunn announced via email that it recruited two antitrust lawyers for its Washington office. Arriving as of counsel, Ryan Foley was recently at pharmaceutical giant Novartis as senior corporate counsel, antitrust Americas. He’s joined by associate Zoë Hutchinson, who was at Latham & Watkins. (GibsonDunn.com)
• London-headquartered Ashurst LLP announced via email that it added former BBC in-house IP transactions attorney Sunny Kumar as partner in the city and UK head of IP. Kumar arrives recently from K&L Gates, where he was special counsel, and was earlier at Clifford Chance. (Ashurst)
• Kroll, a corporate investigation and risk consulting firm previously known as Duff & Phelps, promoted general counsel Edward Forman to chief legal and risk officer and deputy GC Christopher Matteson to general counsel and secretary to the board. (Businesswire)

Technology

• The former president at legal tech company Reynen Court launched a new company he says can help law firms safely try out generative artificial intelligence. (Reuters)
• Legal tech company Immediation announced that it’s partnering with a Kansas county district court on a solution that helps speed resolution of family court disputes. (Immediation.com)