Wake Up Call: Inside the Little-Known World of Judges for Hire

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

• Across about 30 states, litigants are increasingly paying retired judges or experienced lawyers to preside over public, appealable trials—offering faster resolutions and specialized expertise than overburdened courts can provide. Though costly, supporters say the system delivers “justice on demand,” while critics, including the ACLU, warn it risks creating a two-tiered system favoring the wealthy. (The Wall Street Journal)
• Denmark’s tax authority suffered a major blow after its multiyear effort to recover billions from an alleged dividend tax fraud collapsed, leaving taxpayers with a £400 million legal bill. The case, once touted as one of Europe’s biggest financial frauds, accused a hedge fund trader of engineering fake share ownership schemes to claim tax refunds on dividends that were never paid. But UK courts found the tax authority’s evidence weak and its arguments inconsistent, exposing how ill-prepared the agency was to confront complex, cross-border financial tactics. (European Business Magazine)
• Morgan & Morgan voluntarily dismissed a lawsuit against Disney that sought to proactively defend its use of the early Mickey Mouse film “Steamboat Willie” in an advertisement. The firm asked a Florida federal court to dismiss its case without prejudice. Neither the firm nor Disney commented on the dismissal, including whether the lawsuit was settled. (Reuters)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Aubry Daerden joined Crowell & Moring as a partner in its corporate group in Brussels. He joins from DLA Piper.
• Anna Irion joined Baker Botts as a partner in its global projects department in Houston. She joins from Jackson Walker.
• Doug Wick has joined Baker McKenzie as a partner in its tax practice in Chicago. He joins from the IRS.
• George Fatula joined White & Case as a partner in its global project development and finance practice and global energy industry group in Washington.
• Junko Suetomi joined Greenberg Traurig as a shareholder in its global trade practice in Tokyo. She joins from Baker McKenzie.
• Ashok Lalwani and Chi Pan joined Greenberg Traurig as shareholders in Singapore. Lalwani joins from Baker McKenzie. Pan joins from Goodwin.
• Anders Nilsson joined Reed Smith as a partner in its global corporate group in Abu Dhabi. He joins from Bird & Bird.
• Brian Paul Gearing joined Pillsbury as a partner in its intellectual property practice. He joins from Crowell & Moring.
• Jordan Chisolm joined Vedder Price as a shareholder in its finance and transactions area in Miami. He joins from Cozen O’Connor.
• Jeffrey Wolf joined Buchalter as a shareholder in its litigation and franchise law practice groups in Scottsdale. He joins from Quarles and Brady.
• Paul Lukas joined Jackson Lewis as a principal in its trials and appeals group in Minneapolis. He joins from Nichols Kaster.