Wake Up Call: Fried Frank’s Mechanic Top NYC Real Estate ‘Fixer’

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

• Longtime Fried Frank real estate practice chair Jon Mechanic has become Manhattan’s “uber” real estate attorney, helping build a team from a handful of lawyers to more than 100. Mechanic “now ranks among the most influential figures of the property world you’ve probably never heard of, a fixer who has made himself into an institution.” (Financial Times)
• The Illinois comptroller has fired one of its lawyers over antisemitic remarks the attorney allegedly made on Instagram. A spokesperson for Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza said legal counsel Sarah Chowdhury was “immediately” let go after the office became aware of the exchange. (Reuters)
• A Cleary Gottlieb facilities manager in London has been jailed for six years for submitting fake invoices to suppliers worth more than 1 million pounds. Paul Fitzsimmons used the stolen money to facilitate “an extravagant lavish lifestyle” for him and his partner that included high-end performance cars and designer clothes, according to City of London police. (RollOnFriday)
• Twenty leading Israeli law firms and the Israel Bar Association are asking international law firms for assistance in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas. The Israeli firms say the initiative was designed to enlist “major law firms and leading lawyers” worldwide willing to help when needed with matters in their specific practice areas. (Global Legal Post)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• Diane E. Vuocolo has joined Ballard Spahr as a partner in the litigation department and bankruptcy and restructuring group. She joins from Greenberg Traurig.