Wake Up Call: Partner Resistance Challenges Office Mandates

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

• Big Law firms are increasingly adopting four-day in-office policies, signaling renewed momentum among top firms to tighten attendance expectations heading into 2026. The moves are part of a broader push to rebuild firm culture and mentorship amid concerns that remote work has weakened engagement, though recruiters say enforcing such mandates remains difficult, especially with partners. Many firms are facing resistance from partners unwilling to give up flexibility, prompting some to overstate attendance requirements or possibly make quiet exceptions for high performers. (Law.com)
• Thomas Goodhead has been ousted from his firm, Pogust Goodhead, amid allegations of lavish spending, misuse of litigation funds, and a toxic workplace culture. An internal probe by DLA Piper reportedly found millions spent on luxury hotels, private jets, yacht parties, and personal expenses, though Goodhead insists all spending was legitimate and denies any wrongdoing. (The Times)
• Kim Kardashian said that her reliance on ChatGPT for law school study sessions often backfired, causing her to fail exams due to the AI’s inaccurate answers. During a Vanity Fair interview, Kardashian—who is awaiting results from her July bar exam—said she uses the chatbot for “legal advice.” (E News)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Anna Gressel joined Freshfields as leader of its artificial intelligence practice. She joins from Paul Weiss.
• Janet Kim and Sean Quinn joined Cooley as partners in its global litigation department in Washington. They join from Freshfields.
• Michael Turo joined Polsinelli as a shareholder in its real estate practice in New York. He joins from Fried Frank.
• Joshua Teahen joined White & Case as a partner in its global mergers and acquisitions practice, global energy industry group, and global private capital industry group in Houston. He joins from Kirkland & Ellis.
• Teresa Goebel, Benjamin Tschann, and Dustin Calkins joined Mayer Brown as partners in its real estate and real estate funds practices in San Francisco. They join from Goodwin Procter.
• Josh McLane joined Weil, Gotshal & Manges as a partner in its transactional tax practice in Los Angeles. He joins from Sheppard, Mullin, Richter and Hampton.
• Matt Rosenbaum joined Holland & Knight as a partner in its international trade group. He joins from the Department of Commerce.
• Brian Lee rejoined Baker Botts as a partner in its corporate and emerging companies and venture capital practices in Palo Alto. He joins from BRV Capital.
• Amy Cassalia joined McGuireWoods as a partner in Raleigh, N.C. She joins from Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton.
• Roy Masuri joined Greenspoon Marder as a partner in its litigation and aviation practice groups in New York.
• Christopher Mendez joined Akerman as a partner in its corporate practice group in New York. He joins from Crowell & Moring.
• Walter Miller joined Cole Schotz as a member in its real estate department in Dallas.
• Barbara Russell rejoined Littler as a shareholder in its labor practice group in San Francisco.
• Susan Natland, Jessica Sganga, and Katherine McMorrow joined BakerHostetler as partners in its intellectual property practice group.
• Samara Shepherd joined Vinson & Elkins as a partner in its investment funds practice in Houston. She joins from Kirkland & Ellis.
• Robert Higdon Jr. and John David Koesters joined Baker Donelson as shareholders in its government enforcement and investigations group in Raleigh, N.C. They join from K&L Gates.
• John Oberdorf III joined Fried Frank as a fund finance partner in New York.
• Marc Battle joined Taft as a partner in its government resource and response group in Washington.