Wake Up Call: Former Dykema Partner May Face Prison Over Taxes

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

• Former Big Law partner Eric Lenzen, who worked stints at Husch Blackwell and then Dykema Gossett, has agreed to plead guilty on tax-related charges and “may be heading to federal prison” as a result. Dykema hired Lenzen in 2022, despite Husch having already placed him on leave in May of 2021 to address “financial, tax, and personal problems.” Lenzen is no longer listed on Dykema’s website. (Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel)
• The Italian firm that has functioned as Shearman & Sterling’s affiliate in the country since 2021—Studio Legale Associato Shearman & Sterling—has been “dismantled” as a result of Shearman’s combination with Allen & Overy to create the new A&O Shearman. Studio Legale had 29 lawyers in offices in Rome and Milan when the merger was announced last year. (Law.com)
• A live TV broadcast inside the headquarters of Tunisia’s bar association captured “dramatic scenes” when masked men entered to arrest lawyer Sonia Dahmani over remarks critical of the government’s migrant policy. Dahmani ‘s detention is thought to be predicated on the controversial “Decree 54,” the September 2022 law that can result in prison terms of up to five years for those who use the Internet to spread “false news,” data, and rumors. (BBC)
• Chelsea Darnell joined Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison as partner on its corporate team in New York City. She comes from Kirkland & Ellis.
• Marcia Fudge, former secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Biden, has joined Taft as partner and firmwide chair of public policy.
• Jeffrey Rudd joined Ogletree Deakins as a shareholder in the firm’s Chicago office. He comes from Jackson Lewis.
• Damon Pitt has joined Venable LLP as a partner in the commercial litigation practice in the Los Angeles office.
• Rebecca Matthews has joined Frost Brown Todd as partner in its bankruptcy and restructuring practice group in Dallas.
• Jeff Morton has joined Haynes and Boone LLP as a partner in the firm’s intellectual property practice group in Orange County, Calif. He joins from Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch LLP.
• Elizabeth Atkinson joined Baker Donelson as shareholder in the firm’s offices in Baltimore and Falls Church, Va.
• Manaf Triqui has joined Orrick as a partner in its French finance practice in Paris.
• Michele Choe has joined the Denver office of Dinsmore & Shohl LLP as a new partner.