Wake Up Call: Sullivan & Cromwell Goes to Court for Trump Appeal

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

• Sullivan & Cromwell was enlisted by President Donald Trump to lead the appeal of his 34-count criminal conviction for falsifying business records related to hush money payments to Stormy Daniels. The firm’s team, led by co-chair Robert Giuffra and including multiple former Supreme Court clerks, argued that presidential immunity should have barred much of the evidence used at trial. (Business Insider)
  
• The Justice Department has sidelined seasoned career lawyers by reassigning them to a “rubber room,” an isolated office where they’ve been given menial tasks or no work at all. The attorneys, including career civil rights, environment, and national security lawyers, were assigned to the Sanctuary Cities Working Group—a project they say was designed as a sham to push them out as they said they spend their days completing jigsaw puzzles or streaming TV shows. (CBS News)
  
• Texas lawyer Neal Prevost has carved out a booming practice representing homeowners duped by deceptive solar panel sales. Once semi-retired, Prevost launched his solar practice after hearing repeated horror stories from customers—many elderly, disabled, or low-income—tricked by door-to-door salespeople making false promises about tax rebates, blackout protection, and energy resale. (The Dallas Morning News)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Jonathan Riley joined Norton Rose Fulbright as a partner in its corporate finance practice in Dallas and Chicago. He joins from Holland & Knight.
• Edward Southgate joined Morgan Lewis as a partner in its structured transactions practice in New York. He joins from Dechert.
• Christopher Richardson joined Paul Hastings as a partner in its energy and infrastructure practice in Houston. He joins from 8 Rivers Capital.
• Brian Rose and Allison Pearce joined Troutman Pepper Locke as partners in its private equity and investment funds practice group in Houston. They join from Porter Hedges.
• Natasha Cooper rejoined McGuireWoods as a partner in its government investigations and white collar litigation practice group in Atlanta. She joins from the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia.
• Jim Hauser joined Fenwick as a partner in its executive compensation and employee benefits practice in Boston.