Wake Up Call: Proskauer Posts More Record Revenues, Profits

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

• Proskauer Rose followed up on 2021’s record results with new high marks in 2022, according to a report based on preliminary data. The New York-founded firm said work on large transactions, trials, and other big matters propelled gross revenues up 6.1% to a record $1.24 billion for the year. Its average profits per equity partner rose 6.4% to $3.74 million, also a record. (American Lawyer)
• Although law firm rate hikes are in the news, a large number of lawyers in a recent 12-month period saw rates hold flat on average and some even saw them go down, according to a new report. The data suggests corporate legal departments have room to bargain on rates. (WoltersKluwer.com)
• The New York Unified Court System should expand use of remote proceedings, improve use of technology such as electronic filing, and increase staffing, according to a new report looking at lessons learned from the pandemic. (New York Law Journal)

Lawyers, Law Firms

• Kirkland & Ellis was the top law firm advising on private equity funds in a recent 12-month period, measured both by aggregate value and total number of funds, according to Private Equity International. Debevoise & Plimpton came in second and Simpson Thacher third. (Private Equity International)
• In-house lawyers for UK private equity firms and alternative funds on average out-earn in-house lawyers at UK companies in all other sectors, according to a report by recruitment company Taylor Root. (Law.com International)
• UK elite firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer is advising German media company RTL Deutschland on its plans to cut around 700 jobs in a restructuring of its magazine business. (Juve.de)
• A Las Vegas lawyer was fined $335,000 for his tactics in representing a woman who accused soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo of rape. (Associated Press)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• Cryptocurrency company Blockchain.com promoted vice president and deputy GC Tim Lubans to general counsel. Based in New York, Lubans is a former Clifford Chance regulatory attorney and BlackRock managing director. (Medium.com) Blockchain.com’s Hamburg-based former head of legal Sven Niederheide moved to chief compliance officer in December, when crypto platform Kraken poached the former holder of that job, CJ Rinaldi. (BLAW)
• Katten Muchin Rosenman recruited Kirkland partner India Williams as partner and co-chair of its new ESG risk and investigations practice. Katten partner Johnjerica Hodge is the practice’s other co-chair. They’re both in Washington. (Katten.com)
• DLA Piper picked up Baltimore-based antitrust and business litigator David Hamilton as partner. According to his LinkedIn profile, Hamilton arrives from Womble Bond Dickinson, where he was partner and Baltimore office managing partner. (DLAPiper.com)
• Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders snagged Squire Patton Boggs dealmakers Wayne Bradley and Ann-Marie Notaro as corporate partners in Atlanta. (Troutman.com)
• Freshfields appointed New York-based partner Allison Liff and London-based partner Alex Mitchell as global co-heads of its leveraged finance group. (Freshfields.com)
• The consortium set to oversee the construction, financing, and operation of John F. Kennedy International Airport’s The New Terminal One project announced hires of new leaders including real estate in-house attorney Julie Cho as general counsel. A former Sullivan & Cromwell attorney, she arrives recently from real estate investment conglomerate The Lam Group. (Metropolitan Airport News)
• 3D printing technology company Carbon hired Karrie Rexford, former in-house leader at Medicare broker Health IQ, as senior vice president and GC. She earlier spent 17 years in-house at medical device company Align Technology and worked at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati as a paralegal. (PR Newswire)
• Customer experience management platform Sprinklr promoted deputy GC and chief compliance officer Jacob Scott, former Ropes & Gray associate, to GC and corporate secretary, effective March 16. (Businesswire)

Promotions

• Carlton Fields elected eight attorneys to shareholder. (CarltonFields.com)