Wake Up Call: Lawyer Revolt Disrupts London Diesel Lawsuit

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

• Pogust Goodhead has asked a London judge to let it withdraw as lead solicitor in a multibillion-pound “dieselgate” lawsuit against 14 carmakers after internal turmoil and a staff exodus. The move follows the ousting of co-founder Tom Goodhead by the firm’s funder, US hedge fund Gramercy, which has since tightened its financial control with over $600 million in funding. Several senior lawyers, including those leading the emissions case, have resigned over concerns about Gramercy’s influence. (Financial Times)
• The Utah Supreme Court approved a rule providing an alternative path to license attorneys, following similar rules in Oregon and Washington. The rule requires applicants to accrue 240 hours of supervised legal practice under a qualified attorney, complete law school-required coursework, and to take a written performance exam administered by the Utah State Bar. (Utah News Dispatch)
• Oregon attorney Jessica Molligan acted unethically and in bad faith by filing a bogus disability access lawsuit against local business AB Hollywood to extract attorney fees, a federal judge ruled. The suit was one of more than 50 nearly identical Americans with Disabilities Act filings in Oregon tied to Molligan, who allegedly used disabled clients as “case generators.” (The Oregonian)
• Best Best & Krieger announced that partner Charity Schiller will become the firm’s next managing partner, effective Nov. 17. Schiller, a member of BBK’s environmental law and natural resources practice and a member of the firm’s executive committee, will succeed Eric Garner, who has served as managing partner since 2005. (BBK)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Sarah Hogan, Jenna Ventorino, and Stephen Abreu joined Cooley as partners in its life sciences corporate partnering and licensing practice. Hogan and Ventorino join from WilmerHale. Abreu joins from Sidley Austin.
• Tyler Bridegan joined Womble Bond Dickinson as a partner in its privacy and cybersecurity practice in Houston. He joins from the Texas Attorney General’s Office.
• Sarah Naseman joined Frost Brown Todd as a partner in its commercial finance practice group in Houston. She joins from Porter Hedges.
• Julio Freyssinier Isoard joined Holland & Knight as a partner in Mexico City. He joins from Kuri Breña, Sanchez Ugarte y Aznar.