Wake Up Call: Girardi Begins Prison Sentence as Dementia Worsens

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

• Tom Girardi began serving his seven-year federal prison sentence after years in an assisted living facility. The Bureau of Prisons is weighing whether to place him in a specialized dementia unit—such as one in Massachusetts, which has faced staffing and safety issues—or a standard prison medical center. (Los Angeles Times)
• Lawyers for the Chicago Housing Authority used a fake case generated by ChatGPT in a post-trial motion seeking to overturn a $24 million verdict for two children allegedly poisoned by lead paint in CHA housing. CHA’s law firm, Goldberg Segalla, admitted the error, calling it a serious lapse, and said it violated their AI policy. (Chicago Tribune)
• The Wisconsin Legislature has spent over $26 million in taxpayer money on private legal fees since 2017. Citing distrust in the Democratic attorney general, Republican lawmakers have increasingly relied on outside counsel to defend GOP-backed laws, especially following a 2018 lame-duck law that expanded their authority to hire private lawyers. Troutman Pepper Locke was the highest paid firm, raking in $10.6 million. (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Chris Chamberlain joined Morrison Foerster as a partner in its national security group in Washington. He joins from the Commerce Department‘s Bureau of Industry and Security.
• Richard Hanson joined Simpson Thacher & Bartlett as a partner in its securitization and structured products practice in London. He joins from Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft.
• Jason Kreps joined Clark Hill as a member in its corporate practice in Pittsburgh.
• Clay Marquez and Meghan McMeel joined Crowell & Moring as partners in its litigation group in San Francisco. They join from Amazon.
• Viking Tao joined Bradley Arant Boult Cummings as a partner in its corporate and securities practice group in Dallas.