Wake Up Call: Kirkland Said to Unload Associates Amid Slowdown

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

• Kirkland & Ellis, the world’s biggest law firm by revenue, has laid off as many as 20 to 25 corporate associates in Texas following performance reviews, according to a report. The report cites four sources familiar with the cuts, including people who said the firm is facing a slowdown in corporate work and an overfull roster of transactional associates hired during last year’s demand boom. (American Lawyer)
• Facebook parent company Meta is appealing a Washington state fine of nearly $25 million for repeated and intentional violations of the state’s campaign finance disclosure laws. (Broadcast Law Blog)
• Former Attorney General Bill Barr is planning to launch a law and consulting boutique firm with former Kirkland partner and Facebook general counsel Ted Ullyot, a report said. (Axios)

Lawyers, Law Firms

• New York Mayor Eric Adams and his top counsel, former WilmerHale partner Brendan McGuire, yesterday announced a fellowship to bring in junior attorneys from private law firms to work pro bono to fill vacant legal jobs at city agencies. New York City is reportedly facing a shortage of attorneys caused by low pay and lack of flexibility on working from home. (The City)
• In California, a new program will recruit retired judges to serve as civil mediators in trial courts. (The Recorder)
• Deal update: Latham & Watkins represented banks and direct lenders in financings to support Blackstone’s acquisition of a 55% stake in Emerson Electric Co.’s climate technologies unit that valued the business at about $14 billion. Latham’s team included New York partners Paul Bonewitz, Gene Mazzaro, Daniel Seale, and Conray Tseng. (Lw.com)
• The US attorney’s office in the Eastern District of Virginia launched a criminal investigation into allegations that the NFL’s Washington Commanders football team engaged in financial improprieties, according to a report citing two anonymous sources. (ESPN)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• Womble Bond Dickinson’s Washington office added two new partners. Antitrust veteran Lee Van Voorhis joined its business litigation group. He arrives from Jenner Block, where he was co-chair of the global antitrust and competition law practice and a member of the corporate, litigation, gaming, and private equity practices. International disputes and privacy lawyer Katie Hyman joined Womble’s trademarks, copyrights, and transactions group. She arrives from Rimon and previously spent 11 years at Akin Gump. (WombleBondDickinson.com)
• Proskauer Rose brought back M&A and private equity partner Liam Arthur in London. (Proskauer Rose)
• Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner hired DLA Piper commercial real estate finance attorney Martin Wilmsen as a partner in Frankfurt, Germany. (BCLPLaw.com)
• Norton Rose Fulbright’s Dubai office brought in English-qualified capital markets partner Hamed Afzal from Akin Gump. (NortonRoseFulbright.com)
• Former General Electric executive and top lawyer Alex Dimitrief, a former longtime Kirkland & Ellis partner, took a job as senior vice president and general counsel at Sotera Health Company, provider of sterilization, lab testing, and advisory services. Dimitrief is recently a partner at law firm advisory Zeughauser Group and law school lecturer. (SoteraHealth.com)
• Alternative dispute resolution services provider JAMS said retired Illinois county court presiding judge Grace G. Dickler joined its Chicago panel as a neutral. (JAMSadr.com)

Technology

• Lawyers bemoaned Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter but not many say they’re leaving. (Legaltech News)

Legal Education

• Brigham Young University’s law school launched a global business law program set to kick off with a series on the “future of antitrust.” (PR Newswire)