Wake Up Call: Sidley Raises London Pay for Second Time in 2024

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

• Sidley Austin has boosted pay rates for its newly qualified London associates to 175,000 pounds, marking the second time in 2024 it’s raised its pay “amid the ongoing junior salary wars.” The raise, which takes effect July 1, follows its pay hike in January from 159,500 to 166,500 pounds, and sees it move into an “elite group” of US firms at the top of the market. (Global Legal Post)
• The generative AI startup “Harvey” has made a name for itself in its short but “thrilling” life as one of OpenAI’s first legal industry partners. Yet its “stealth strategy,” high-profile clients, and “staggering” amounts of VC funding have resulted in a marketing buzz within law firms—and “suspicion of its technological capabilities from its early investors and legal tech professionals alike.” (Law.com)
• A Los Angeles city prosecutor claims her boss, LA City Attorney Hydee Feldstein Soto, retaliatied against her for reporting “legal and ethical violations,” including that Feldstein Soto based some prosecutorial decisions on “perceived political gain.” Michelle McGinnis and her attorney also say McGinnis took heat after reporting “inappropriate” workplace alcohol consumption. (Los Angeles Times)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• Mike Katz has joined Manatt, Phelps & Phillips as a financial services partner in its New York office.
• Matthew Pepping has joined Dykema Gossett as a member of the firm’s insurance industry group in its San Antonio office. He joins from Chasnoff Valkenaar & Stribling.
• Robert Sarfatis has joined Polsinelli as a shareholder with the corporate M&A practice who will split his time between the firm’s offices in Dallas and Park City, Utah.