Wake Up Call: Paul Weiss Carries On in Proud Boys Church Case

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

• Paul Weiss remains at the center of a politically fraught legal battle as it continues representing the Metropolitan AME Church pro bono in its civil case against the Proud Boys, even after striking a deal with President Donald Trump to lift an executive order that threatened the firm’s security clearances and government contracts. Though the agreement required Paul Weiss to forgo DEI policies and commit $40 million in pro bono work aligned with Trump-supported causes, the firm has maintained its long-standing commitment to the church’s lawsuit, helping secure more than $3.1 million in judgments and court orders transferring Proud Boys trademarks and assets. (Financial Times)
• Forty-nine Democratic lawmakers are urging congressional appropriators to fully fund the judiciary’s Defender Services program after a severe cash shortfall left about 12,000 private Criminal Justice Act attorneys unpaid for more than four months this year. In a letter led by Sen. Peter Welch and Rep. Suzanne Bonamici, the lawmakers warn that underfunding public defense has already halted trials, pushed defenders into debt, forced case refusals, and even prompted one judge to dismiss a case. (Reuters)
• A federal appeals court temporarily blocked the University of Florida from reinstating Preston Damsky, a law student expelled by the school after he posted statements online advocating a “White nation-state.” The 11th Circuit issued an administrative stay, halting a district judge’s order that Damsky be allowed to return while a three-judge panel considers the case. UF reissued a trespass warning the same day, arguing in its emergency motion that Damsky’s rhetoric has fueled “fears of extralegal violence” on campus. (Tallahassee Democrat)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Victoria Ferres and Sami Ben Dechiche joined Morgan Lewis as investment management partners in Dubai. Ferres joins from A&O Shearman. Dechiche joins from Simmons & Simmons.
• Dara Lynn Freytag joined Holland & Knight as a partner in its private wealth services group in Boston.
• Javad Mostofizadeh rejoined WilmerHale as a partner in its corporate practice group in San Francisco. He joins from Latham & Watkins.
• Anu Balasubramanian, Jamie Holdoway, and Chetan Sheth joined Goodwin as partners in its private equity practice in London.