Wake Up Call: Neil Gorsuch’s Quest to Fix Native American Law

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

• Justice Neil Gorsuch is emerging as the Supreme Court’s most forceful critic of the federal government’s sweeping “plenary power” over Native American tribes, urging a return to a constitutional order that treats tribal nations as true sovereigns. In a dissent from the Court’s refusal to hear Veneno v. United States, Gorsuch called for overturning the 1886 Kagama decision, which entrenched federal authority over internal tribal affairs based on overtly racist reasoning. (The New Republic)
• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is facing criticism from environmental activists and Democratic state lawmakers for approving permits that benefited clients of Davis Polk, the law firm employing her husband. Critics argue the decisions create at least the appearance of a conflict of interest, given the firm’s ties to the pipeline and cryptocurrency ventures involved. Hochul’s office rejected the claims as unfounded, noting that the firm did not represent either company in securing the permits. (The New York Times)
• Irwin Mitchell is eliminating its litigation assistant role, putting 56 UK staff members at risk of redundancy as the firm restructures its legal support model. The firm says most affected staff will be redeployed into team PA or paralegal roles, citing technology upgrades—including increased use of AI and a new case management system—as reasons for the shift. (RollOnFriday)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Sara McLean joined Akin as a partner in its False Claims Act practice and regulatory group in Washington. She joins from the Justice Department.
• Joywin Mathew joined Squire Patton Boggs as a partner in its financial services practice group in Dubai. He joins from DLA Piper.