Wake Up Call: Judge Recuses in Arizona Case Against Trump Allies

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

• Judge Bruce Cohen, who was overseeing Arizona’s case against allies of President-elect Donald Trump over their alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results, recused himself after it emerged he had emailed colleagues urging them to speak out against conservative attacks on Vice President Kamala Harris’ gender and racial identity. (The Washington Post)
• Former Denver Nuggets center Chris Andersen filed a suit against his longtime attorney and sports agent, Mark Bryant, claiming that Bryant stole money from his bank account, handed Netflix the rights to his life story for free, and shuttered a restaurant owned by his in-laws. (The Denver Post)
• Adam Beckerink, a partner at Duane Morris, was dismissed after his wife, Caitlin Tracey, was found dead in the stairwell of his apartment building and her parents received a temporary restraining order successfully blocking Beckerink from retrieving her body. Her parents allege that Tracey was the victim of domestic abuse from Beckerink and she received an order of protection against him in 2023. Beckerink is not currently facing charges related to her death. (Above The Law)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Michael Wise joined Squire Patton Boggs as a partner and leader of its US antitrust practice in Washington. He joins from Paul Hastings.
• Khoa Do joined Baker Botts as a partner in its corporate department.
• Jeff Witt joined Morris, Manning & Martin as a partner in its employee benefits and executive compensation practice in Washington. He joins from Groom Law Group.
• Laila Paszti joined Polsinelli as a principal in its technology transactions and data privacy practice in San Francisco.