Wake Up Call: Hegseth Says Fired Military Lawyers Were Unfit

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 defended his decision to fire the military’s top lawyers, arguing they were not “well-suited” to provide recommendations on lawful orders. Hegseth emphasized wanting a “meritocracy” in military leadership but has not clarified how the lawyers were evaluated. (Associated Press)
• Scotland has dropped its investigation into McClure solicitors, determining no criminality in the firm’s sudden collapse in 2021, which left thousands of clients facing legal complications. The closure of the firm, which specialized in wills and trusts, left some homeowners unable to sell properties and others with significant legal costs. Despite allegations of misleading practices, McClure’s former managing director attributed the firm’s failure to the Covid-19 pandemic. (BBC)
• Houston Attorney Eric Dick faces a potential Texas State Bar investigation for filing an affidavit allegedly signed by a deceased witness. US District Court for the Southern District of Texas Judge Andrew Hanen questioned the affidavit’s legitimacy after noting the witness had died months earlier, but Dick’s firm claims it was actually signed by the witness’s son, who shares the same name and took over his father’s business. Dick has accused Allstate of exploiting the mix-up to tarnish his reputation. (Houston Public Media)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Damien Diggs joined Winston & Strawn as a partner in its litigation department and government investigations, enforcement, and compliance practice in Dallas. He was previously the US attorney for the Eastern District of Texas.
• Frank Favia joined Mayer Brown as a partner in its global litigation and dispute resolution practice in Chicago. He joins from Sidley Austin.
• Amy Candido joined Simpson Thacher & Bartlett as a partner and head of its intellectual property litigation practice in Palo Alto, Calif.
• Kyle Fox, Richard Dusenbury, and John-Paul Haskins joined Perkins Coie as partners in its mergers and acquisitions and private equity practices. They join from Greenberg Traurig.
• Susannah Howard joined Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati as a partner in its litigation department and employment and trade secret litigation practice in Palo Alto, Calif. She joins from O’Melveny & Myers.
• Ken Marlow, Wells Beckett, Stephen Page, and Spencer Green joined McDermott Will & Emery as partners in its health and life sciences practice group in a new office in Nashville. They join from K&L Gates.
• Andrés Barroso joined Baker McKenzie as a partner in its transactional team in Mexico City.
• Thomas Allen joined K&L Gates as a partner in its energy, infrastructure, and resources practice in Washington. He joins from Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton.
• Laura Maher joined Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough as a partner in its corporate practice in Boca Raton, Fla.
• Melanie Bartlett joined Foley Hoag as a partner in its tax practice in Denver.
• Christopher Cascino joined Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney as a shareholder in its labor and employment section in Tampa.
• David Rody and Aaron Zelinsky joined Zuckerman Spaeder as partners in Baltimore. They join from the Justice Department.
• Shiloh Theberge, Tara Walker, and Pawel Binczyk joined Fisher Phillips as employment partners in its new office in Portland, Maine.
• Eric Boden joined Duane Morris as a partner in its trial practice group in New York. He joins from the US attorney’s office for the District of New Jersey.
• Garth Hire joined Duane Morris as a partner in its trial practice group in San Francisco. He joins from the US attorney’s office for the Northern and Central Districts of California.