Wake Up Call: Record Gift Goes to University of Washington Law

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

• The University of Washington School of Law landed what may be the largest single law school donation of 2024—a $45 million gift for its existing international leadership program. The gift, from the estate of Stan and Alta Barer, far outpaces other donations to law schools this year. Stan Barer graduated from the law school in 1963 and was an attorney for the U.S. Senate who helped write the 1964 Civil Rights Act before co-founding a group of transportation and distribution companies. (Reuters)
• Trump confidante Mark Martin was tapped by the American Bar Association to be a panelist on a continuing legal education class on election law. The High Point University law school dean is known as the brains behind the theory that the vice president could choose not to certify election results. (Above the Law)
• U.K. law firms are responding to a recently enacted law requiring employers to take a “reasonable steps” to prevent sexual harassment of their workers. Firms are updating training courses and creating new policies to comply with the law. (Law.com)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Adam Herbst joined Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton as a health-care partner in New York.
• Partner Chris Cottrell and associates Michael Szymanski and Xiaoming Gao joined Seyfarth Shaw in its energy transaction practice in Houston. They join from Polsinelli.
• Lindsay Murphy joined Holland & Knight as a partner in its tax, executive compensation and benefits practice in Dallas. She joins from Jones Day.
• Jenny Durkan joined BCLP as a partner in its financial services disputes and investigations practice.
• Elina Alperovich joined Akin as a partner in its private equity transactions practice in New York.
• James Barbaria joined Hinshaw & Culbertson in New York as its new chief financial officer. He joins from Adam Leitman Bailey.
• Jeremy Watson joined Kirkland & Ellis as a partner in its insurance transactions and regulatory practice group in Chicago. He joins from Sidley Austin.
• Max Bonici joined Davis Wright Tremaine as a partner in Washington.
• John Walker joined Jones Day as partner in its tax practice in Sydney.
• Leia Galasso joined Lowenstein Sandler as a partner in its emerging companies and venture capital group in New York. She joins from Buhler Duggal & Henry.
• David Barksdale and Joe Bini joined Nixon Peabody as partner and counsel, respectively, in its affordable housing and real estate practice in Los Angeles office.