Wake Up Call: Spurned by Trump, Ex-U.S. Attorney Joins Skadden

In today’s column, some Big Law firms in the U.K. plan to make a new round of cost cuts, including layoffs, as government support for jobs dries up and the economic recovery sputters; some former Trump administration lawyers have landed judgeships or coveted spots as partners at Big Law firms, but for others the job search has been tougher, a report says; Ropes & Gray’s women-focused forum played a key part in the firm’s progress boosting women’s share of its equity partnership to a Big Law-leading 31%; the number of minority and women general counsel at top U.S. companies hit a 15-year record last year; phishing attacks on law firms have soared since firms shifted to remote work in March; a trial lawyer credits a sugary, caffeinated soda with helping him get through a 14-hour Zoom hearing.

• Leading off, former U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia, Jessie K. Liu, who was ditched by President Trump as his nominee for a top Treasury Department post earlier this year, has joined Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom as a litigation partner. Trump withdrew his Treasury nomination of Liu, a former white collar partner at Morrison & Foerster and Jenner & Block, amid Republican complaints about her office’s handling of Trump-sensitive cases, including some inherited from special counsel Robert Mueller. (National Law Journal)

• In 2019, Liu was Trump’s pick to be the Justice Department’s No. 3 attorney, but she withdrew as the nominee following questions about her conservative credentials by some influential Senate Republicans. (BLAW)

• Buffalo, New York-based insurance defense firm Goldberg Segalla, which laid off some personnel this spring, said it plans to rehire certain employees across its departments and restore partner draws and salaries of senior administrative leaders to pre-pandemic levels. It follows moves by several other firms to roll back pay cuts in the U.S. (New York Law Journal)

• By contrast, several Big Law firms in the U.K. that implemented furloughs, salary freezes, and pay cuts early in the Covid-19 crisis are starting a new round of cost cuts, including layoffs, as government job support dries up and the economic recovery sputters, this report says. (Financial Times)

• Reed Smith said yesterday that it plans to keep its U.S. personnel working remotely until at least early next year due to Covid-19. The move comes as many Big Law firms are grappling with when they can safely reopen their physical offices. (BLAW)

• Meanwhile, cyber security has become much more difficult for firms that shifted lawyers and staff to remote work in March, as phishing attempts targeting firms have skyrocketed. (American Lawyer)

• Florida-based GrayRobinson told staff they’re getting bonuses for hard work during the pandemic. (AbovetheLaw.com)

• A trial lawyer says Mountain Dew helped him endure a recent 14-hour Zoom hearing with the Chicago Zoning Board of Appeals in a suit seeking to stop a cannabis dispensary from opening in an upscale neighborhood. (Law.com)

Lawyers, Law Firms

• Work experience in the White House or a federal government agency is usually a plus for lawyers seeking a high-paying Big Law partnership, but attorneys leaving the Trump administration might not all get the same welcome, says this report. (Business Insider)

• Female lawyers made up 31% of Ropes & Gray’s equity partnership in 2019, tops among Big Law firms for the year, according to recent ALM Intelligence data. While the firm’s female chair, one-tier partnership structure, and approach to clients are among likely explanations for Ropes’ progress on gender parity, its women’s affinity group looks to be a key factor, says this report. (American Lawyer)

• The number of minority and women general counsel at top U.S. companies hit a 15-year record last year, but more progress is needed, a report says. (Corporate Counsel)

• Summer hiring of top lawyers seems to be holding steady amid the Covid-19 recession, this round-up of recent appointments finds. (Corporate Counsel)

• The Florida Bar and Citizens Property Insurance company, among other parties, are accusing a Coral Gables litigator of insurance fraud. (Daily Business Review)

• The Boy Scouts, which filed for bankruptcy in February, hit a roadblock yesterday in its efforts to prevent plaintiffs lawyers from advertising to recruit alleged victims of sex abuse in the organization. (WSJ)

• Hogan Lovells and Littler Mendelson are the latest firms to announce that they will give employees paid time off to vote or participate in other civic-minded activity on election day, Nov. 3. (American Lawyer)

• Paul Weiss advised Atlanta-based private equity firm Roark Capital on its investments in US Sports Camps, which runs over 1,200 youth sports camps across 48 states, including as the licensed operator of Nike Sports Camps. No deal terms were disclosed. (Businesswire.com)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• Arnold & Porter expanded its bankruptcy and restructuring practice, adding former Proskauer Rose partner Maja Zerjal Fink in New York. (BLAW)

• Zoom Video Communications Inc. has a new general counsel: Jeffrey True, who spent most of the past decade as the top lawyer for a California cybersecurity company. (BLAW)

• Robinhood Markets Inc. is bringing on two new chief compliance officers as it copes with customer complaints and regulatory scrutiny. (BLAW)

• WilmerHale partner Yung-Hoon “Sam” Ha joined patent litigation boutique Desmarais as head of its patent trial and appeal board practice. (New York Law Journal)

• Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck added veteran government relations attorney Kristin Lee as a shareholder in its Cheyenne, Wyoming, office. Her previous roles include director of regulatory and legislative affairs in Wyoming at telecom company CenturyLink, and commissioner of the Public Service Commission of Wyoming. (BHFS.com)

• Litigation funder Legalist recently added former litigator Nic Echevestre, who was an Cooley associate and Dinsmore & Shohl of counsel, as an investment counsel based in San Diego. (Legalist.com)

Legal Education

• The University of Akron and Cleveland State University are mulling a merger of their law schools. (Law.com)