Wake Up Call: Morgan Lewis Adds 14 Lawyers in Seattle Launch

In today’s column, Big Law firms have been mostly quiet about SCOTUS’ decisions eliminating reproductive rights; lateral hiring slowed at Florida firms last year; a Philadelphia attorney was suspended for posting nude photos of his then-wife online.

• Leading off, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius said it expanded in the Pacific Northwest with the launch of a Seattle office staffed by a 34-member team, including 19 lawyers. Fourteen attorneys came from litigation boutique Calfo Eakes, including its founding partners Patty Eakes and Angelo Calfo, who will co-lead the new office, Morgan Lewis said.
• The office will advise on a wide range of commercial and intellectual property litigation, employment disputes, and white-collar criminal defense and investigation matters. Calfo Eakes litigators Alicia Cullen, Damon Elder, Harold Malkin, and Molly Terwilliger are joining Morgan Lewis as partners, with two of counsel, five associates, and one senior attorney. Five Morgan Lewis lawyers who were working remotely in Seattle are also joining the office. (MorganLewis.com)
• In the wake the US Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade, pro-choice lawmakers are working to codify abortion rights and legal protections in Democratic-run states. (Financial Times) In the first few days post-verdict, out of over 30 Big Law firms asked if they would cover costs for employees seeking abortions, only Ropes & Gray and Morrison Foerster said they would. (Reuters) Morgan Lewis said it’s analyzing the impact of state laws regulating abortion access to be able to advise clients and Reed Smith said it created a working group to offer such advice; Willkie Farr & Gallagher said it will continue to work pro bono to defend reproductive rights. (Willkie.com)
• After two years of growth, lateral hiring slowed at big Florida law firms in 2021 as a talent war constricted supply. (Daily Business Review)

Lawyers, Law Firms

• Lathrop GPM, which has close to 400 lawyers, said it’s relocating its Minneapolis office to the IDS Center building in late 2023/early 2024. The office will adopt a hybrid hoteling model. Also, the lease structure allows the firm to collect input from attorneys and staff for six months before determining the final design of the space. (LathropGPM.com)
• Executives told a recent survey by Womble Bond Dickinson that they’re optimistic they’re prepared for new state consumer privacy laws set to take effect next year. However, fewer than half of respondents could identify specific steps they’d taken to comply. (WombleBondDickinson.com)
• Pennsylvania’s Supreme Court suspended a Philadelphia attorney for three years for posting nude photos of his then-wife on a website. (Legal Intelliencer) Former Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani was slapped in a Staten Island grocery store while out campaigning for his son, who’s running for governor. (Deadline)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• Willkie’s Paris office brought in corporate and financial attorney Fabrice Veverka as a partner. He arrives from Viguié Schmidt & Associés, where he was co-managing partner; Quarles & Brady hired Greenberg Traurig transactional business law attorney Amanda Leese as a partner in Washington; Miller & Chevalier recruited former Willkie securities enforcement and litigation attorney Sandra Hanna as a litigation member in Washington and leader of the firm’s securities enforcement practice. She was recently a partner at SEC enforcement boutique Bruch Hanna; Snell & Wilmer picked up corporate and securities partner Rachel Simon from Rutan & Tucker in Orange County, California. (SWLaw.com)
• Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton said energy regulatory attorney Benjamin Smith joined the firm in Raleigh, North Carolina, as counsel. He was previously associate general counsel at the North Carolina Sustainable Energy Association; civil litigation defense firm Tyson & Mendes added insurance defense partner Susan Mason in San Diego and casualty and liability insurance partner Charles Reynolds in Tampa; Jones Walker added corporate and health industry attorney Andrea Ferrari as a partner in Miami. She was a partner and chief diversity and inclusion officer at Healthcare Appraisers, Inc.; Greensfelder, Hemker & Gale added trust and estates attorney Pete Palumbo as counsel in St. Louis. (Greensfelder.com)