Wake Up Call: Suicide ‘Rocks’ Baker McKenzie’s Sydney Office

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

• Australian police made a “routine” check of Baker McKenzie’s Sydney office after an associate committed suicide off of firm premises. The death of the associate, who hasn’t been publicly named but was identified as male in one news account, left colleagues “devastated” and the firm offering additional human resources assistance. (Australian Financial Review)
• Miami City Attorney Victoria Méndez was ousted from her post after a 4-1 City Commission vote spurred by “controversy and criticism” of her performance, including insubordination and disrespect, one commissioner said. The panel relegated Méndez to a transitional role and promoted her chief deputy, John Greco, to become interim city attorney. (Miami Herald)
• DLA Piper’s decision to offer new parents 12 weeks of leave starting in May, dropped from 18, could signal a “broader retrenchment” in the work-life benefit expansions made in 2022. Though other firms have yet to follow suit, “Big Law is a lock-step world, so it’s not something to rule out.” (Axios)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• Mark Simpson has joined Cooley as a partner in the antitrust and competition investigations and disputes practice in the London office. He was the London head of antitrust and competition at Norton Rose Fulbright.
• Anson Loi has joined PKF O’Connor Davies as a partner in the New York office.