Wake Up Call: Hegseth Floats Makeover of Military Lawyer Ranks

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

• Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is proposing a sweeping overhaul of the US military’s legal corps after firing the top judge advocates general in the Army, Navy, and Air Force, arguing that military lawyers have become bureaucratic “roadblocks” to commanders. His plan would shift civilian attorneys toward administrative tasks while focusing uniformed judge advocates general—which he calls “jagoffs"—on operational and combat-related legal advice. (The Atlantic)
• Leaders at Fried Frank are pushing back on industry speculation that AI will shrink hiring at major law firms, insisting chatbots won’t replace young lawyers and may even expand opportunities. Rumors had circulated that the New York firm planned to slash incoming associate classes after this year’s entering cohort numbers dropped. (New York Post)
• Disbarred Massachusetts lawyer Benjamin Tariri represented himself in court while facing charges that he embezzled nearly $2 million from clients to fund a gambling addiction. Despite two decades of legal experience, Tariri chose to go pro se, with a standby attorney present but unable to argue on his behalf. (The Boston Globe)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Exclusive: Erin Nealy Cox joined Walmart as chief legal officer. She joins from Kirkland & Ellis.