Wake Up Call: New York Reports Highest Bar Pass Rate in a Decade

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

• The 10,000-plus candidates who sat for the July administration of the New York bar examination, the largest bar jurisdiction in the country, had the highest passing rate for the exam since 2013 at 69%. New York is one of 31 states to report higher pass rates than last year. (Reuters)
• Kamala Harris early in her career as a prosecutor faced a choice: pursue the death penalty for a gang member convicted of killing a police officer or uphold her campaign promise against capital punishment. She opted for the latter, securing a life sentence without parole, a decision that has since alienated her from law enforcement. (The Washington Post)
• Over 100 students at the University of Chicago’s law school have signed an open letter asking for changes to be made to its strict class recording policies to make them more in line with those of other elite schools. The letter alleges that students have been denied access to recordings for cases of illness and surgeries. (Above the Law)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Scott Chase and Kerry Johnson joined Paul Hastings as capital markets partners. Chase joins from Goodwin Procter. Johnson joins from DLA Piper.
• Sally Laing rejoined Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld as an international trade partner in Washington. She joins from the office of Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden.