Wake Up Call: Florida Attorney General to Cut Off Firms Over DEI

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

• Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier sent a policy memo to some law firms throughout the state, alerting them he wouldn’t hire outside counsel that participate in DEI or ESG policies and programs. The four-page memo states Uthmeier’s office will review firms it currently contracts with for compliance with the policy. (The Palm Beach Post)
• A cyber-attack on the UK’s Legal Aid Agency severely disrupted the legal aid system, leaving many barristers unpaid, legal aid providers overwhelmed, and cases delayed or turned away. With systems still offline months after the breach, lawyers are struggling to access case records or bill for services, prompting some to consider leaving legal aid work entirely. (The Guardian)
• ArentFox Schiff is close to finalizing a deal to lease just more than 75,000 square feet across three floors in Chicago’s Willis Tower. If the deal is completed, the law firm would extend its commitment to the building by more than a decade beyond its 2028 lease expiration but reduce its footprint from the 168,468 square feet it currently occupies. (Crain’s Chicago Business)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Usman Arain joined Willkie Farr & Gallagher as a partner in its private equity practice group in San Francisco and Palo Alto. He joins from Paul Weiss.
• Kristen Young joined Willkie Farr & Gallagher as a partner in its international arbitration practice in Washington. She joins from Boies Schiller.
• David Stauss joined Troutman Pepper Locke as a partner in the firm’s privacy and cyber practice group. He joins from Husch Blackwell.
• Juliet McBride joined Holland & Knight as a partner in its health care regulatory and enforcement practice in Houston. She joins from King & Spalding.
• Brett Pearlman joined Cleary Gottlieb as a partner in its capital solutions and private credit group. He joins from Ropes & Gray.
• Ari Zak joined Simpson Thacher & Bartlett as a partner in its tax practice in New York. He joins from Dechert.
• Yevgeny Fundler was appointed chief legal officer of Build-A-Bear Workshop.
• Bharath Mohan joined McGuireWoods as a partner in its private equity practice in New York. He joins from Paul Weiss.
• Steven Smith joined Thompson Coburn as a partner in the real estate practice in Dallas. He joins from Dorsey & Whitney.
• Kevin Havelda rejoined Frost Brown Todd as a partner in its business litigation practice group in Denver. He joins from Wick & Trautwein.
• Jeremy King joined Lowenstein Sandler as a partner in its insurance recovery group in New York. He joins from Olshan Frome Wolosky.
• Matthew Sadofsky joined Stradley Ronon as a partner in its corporate practice in New York. He joins from Ropes & Gray.
• Seth Mailhot joined Barnes & Thornburg as a partner in its health-care and life sciences practice in Washington. He joins from the Food and Drug Administration.
• Daniel Filstrup, Saher Hamideh, and Matthew Williams joined Thompson Hine in its investment management practice. Filstrup joins from Latham & Watkins. Hamideh joins from Geraci. Williams joins from the Securities and Exchange Commission.