Wake Up Call: Media Lawyers Hit With AI-Generated Complaints

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

• AI is generating a new kind of headache for media lawyers. Nicki Schroeder, group general counsel of UK publishing giant Reach, told Global Legal Post that her team is seeing a rise in AI-generated complaints, including automated defamation, copyright, privacy, and “right to be forgotten” claims that are often unfounded or legally flawed. (Global Legal Post)
• Small law firms in England and Wales are showing their strongest confidence in five years despite ongoing economic pressures. The Times reports that 62% of high-street firms expect business growth this year, while many also reported rising fee income and broad-based demand across practice areas. Still, firms cited attracting new business, meeting compliance obligations, retaining talent, and pressure from clients to cut fees among their biggest challenges. (The Times)
• Florida lawyers may soon pay more to file ads for review. The Florida Bar says advertisement filing fees, unchanged for 20 years, are set to rise July 1 if approved by the state Supreme Court, increasing to $250 for timely submissions and $750 for late-filed ads. The bar also plans to launch an online system in July that would let lawyers submit ads through their member profiles and track the status of current and past filings. (Florida Bar News)
• A partner in the UK sparked criticism after using TikTok to offer paid mentoring sessions for aspiring and junior lawyers. Legal Cheek reports that the partner advertised 45-minute sessions for £75 through their personal account before the post disappeared and the account was made private. The move drew backlash from online commenters, while the partner’s firm, RPC, said it takes its professional responsibilities and reputation seriously and pointed to the firm’s own mentoring and community programs. (Legal Cheek)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Paul Hastings is hiring litigation partner Roberto Gonzalez, a former Paul Weiss partner based in Washington who spent his early career in high-level government roles.
• Jon Brose joined Cooley as a partner in its tax practice in New York.
• Clarissa Howley Mills joined Holland & Knight as a partner in its regulatory practice group in Dallas.
• Anthony Scali joined Fox Rothschild as a partner in its litigation department in New York.
• Kim Harvey Looney joined Epstein Becker Green’s healthcare and life sciences practice as a member in Nashville.
• Luisa Gutierrez joined Adler & Stachenfeld as a partner and co-chair of its condominium and cooperative practice.