Wake Up Call: Ruemmler Helps Pick Goldman’s Next General Counsel

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

• Kathryn Ruemmler is helping interview candidates to replace her at Goldman. The outgoing general counsel has remained involved in the search for her successor even after announcing plans to step down following scrutiny over her ties to Jeffrey Epstein. Her role in the process has unsettled some inside the bank, especially as Chief Executive David Solomon’s handling of the controversy has already divided senior figures. (Financial Times)
• The Ruemmler controversy is fueling a bigger argument about elite legal culture. In a New York Times guest essay, legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Ankush Khardori argues that Ruemmler’s ties to Epstein reflect a broader system in which top lawyers are rewarded for cultivating powerful relationships and bringing in business, even when the reputational risks are obvious. Drawing on extensive interviews with Ruemmler, Khardori argues the episode says as much about Big Law’s incentives as it does about one executive’s judgment. (New York Times)
• Hawaii’s Supreme Court is tackling a lawyer shortage. A new task force created by the court is examining a thinning legal workforce, with particular concern about rural areas, neighbor islands, and practice gaps that affect access to counsel. The group is looking at ways to strengthen the lawyer pipeline, including outreach to students well before law school. (Hawaii Public Radio)
• Arnold & Porter’s PAC was hit by check fraud. A political committee affiliated with the firm reported that an unknown person used a fraudulent check to pull $40,000 from its bank account in April, according to a federal filing reviewed by NOTUS. The committee told regulators the bank reversed the transaction the next business day and restored the money. (NOTUS)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Mayer Brown said it has hired energy and M&A transactions lawyer Edmund Daniels from McGuireWoods as a partner in Houston, continuing its raid on the rival firm as it aims to rapidly expand in Texas.
• David Aaronson joined McGuireWoods LLP as a partner in its energy M&A and finance practice in Houston. He joins from O’Melveny & Myers.
• Gideon Sharp joined Sheppard LLP as a senior partner in its corporate practice group and private equity industry team in London, where he also will serve as the London office managing partner. He joins from Simmons & Simmons.
• Emilie Woodhead joined Davis Wright Tremaine as a partner in Los Angeles. She joins from Winston & Strawn.