Wake Up Call: LSAT Ends Online Option Over Cheating Concerns

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

• The Law School Admission Test will be administered only at in-person testing centers following the upcoming June exam, with limited exceptions. The move away from remote testing, which the Law School Admission Council first introduced during the COVID pandemic, comes amid escalating concerns over cheating. The council in August said it was suspending the online LSAT in mainland China after receiving reports of systemic cheating. (Reuters)
• Barnard College hired Cleary Gottlieb partner Joon Kim, who led the investigation into former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s sexual harassment allegations, to review the school’s potential connections to Jeffrey Epstein. Barnard said it has never accepted money from Epstein and is unaware of direct institutional ties but retained independent counsel “out of an abundance of care.” (The Columbia Spectator)
• Kirkland & Ellis ended its premium “Kirkland Concierge” service, a perk that gave lawyers 24/7 access to personal assistants who handled tasks like booking travel, making restaurant reservations, arranging home services, and buying gifts. Launched in 2018 to help lawyers focus on billable work and improve work-life balance, the firm-wide program was discontinued last summer, leading to layoffs in the UK and US. (FN London)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Melissa Raciti-Knapp joined Vinson & Elkins as a partner in its finance practice in New York. She joins from Freshfields LLP.
• Stephanie Sheridan, Meegan Brooks, Christopher Stretch, and Whitney Miner joined Ballard Spahr as litigation partners in San Francisco. They join from Benesch LLP.
• Salim Rahim joined Morgan Lewis as a partner in its tax practice in Washington. He joins from Baker McKenzie.
• Patrick Valenti joined Winston & Strawn as a partner in its private investment funds practice in Chicago. He joins from Kirkland & Ellis.