Wake Up Call: Immigration Lawyers Call Bond Hearings a Sham

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

• Immigration lawyers say bond hearings are becoming performative. Attorneys are increasingly turning to habeas petitions to win bond hearings for clients held for months by ICE, only to see immigration judges set unusually high bond amounts or deny release altogether. Lawyers interviewed by KPBS said the practice has become more common under the Trump administration, adding to concerns that immigration courts are no longer acting as meaningful checks on detention decisions. (KPBS)
• Day Pitney stepped aside after an ethics fight involving a retired Connecticut chief justice. The firm withdrew from a long-running contract dispute after opposing counsel sought to disqualify it over work performed by Richard Robinson, who had previously heard the case while leading the state Supreme Court. Day Pitney acknowledged a professional-conduct violation but argued Robinson’s role in the later appeal was too limited to justify removing the entire firm. Its withdrawal canceled a scheduled evidentiary hearing on the disqualification request. (Hartford Courant)
• A Pittsburgh startup wants to match clients with lawyers using AI. ATJustice offers a free referral service that asks users to describe their legal issues, then uses artificial intelligence to identify possible lawyer matches based on location and need before a licensed attorney reviews the recommendations. The company says it is trying to make legal help easier to find at a time when many people facing civil problems go without counsel. (Axios)
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s longtime lawyer has won Israel’s state comptroller post. Michael Rabello was elected after a disputed Knesset vote that had to be rerun amid allegations that lawmakers were pressured to document their ballots despite secrecy rules. Rabello has represented Netanyahu and his wife in multiple legal matters, and opposition parties are expected to challenge the result in court. (The Media Line)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Sarah Ridel joined Skadden LLP as a partner in its energy and infrastructure projects group in Houston. She joins from Pattern Energy Group.
• Stephen Lee and Brian Raynor joined Willkie Farr & Gallagher as partners in its private equity practice group. Lee is based in Los Angeles while Raynor is based in San Francisco. They join from Goodwin Procter.
• Josh Strathman rejoined Dechert LLP as a partner in its global finance practice in Los Angeles. Strathman was formerly at Latham & Watkins.
• Hayden Haynes joined K&L Gates as a government affairs counselor in its public policy and law practice in Washington, DC. He joins after almost a decade as the head of Speaker Mike Johnson’s office.
• Aram Afsharian, Melissa Bickel, Ian Bausback, John Eustermann, Rachel Mandelberg, and Michelle Watkins joined Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani as partners in its Northern California offices. Afsharian joins from Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Bausback joins from Google, Eustermann joins from California BioEnergy, Mandelberg joins from Beach Law Group, Watkins joins from Hawkins Parnell & Young, and Bickel joins from Yolo County Superior Court.
• Christopher Lightner joined Womble Bond Dickinson as a partner in its patent prosecution and litigation practice group in Atlanta. He joins from Alston & Bird.
• Johnny Wang joined Littler LLP as a shareholder in its St. Louis office. He joins from Enterprise, according to his LinkedIn profile.
• Ricardo Martinez joined Eversheds Sutherland as a partner in its US finance practice in New York. He joins from Hogan Lovells.