Wake Up Call: Trump Builds ‘Boutique’ to Fight Criminal Charges

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

• Former President Donald Trump has built “the functional equivalent of a boutique law firm” as he prepares to fight a slew of criminal charges in hearings in Georgia and New York slated for Thursday. Trump’s team includes Todd Blanche, formerly of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft, and former Foley & Lardner partner Christopher Kise. (Washington Post)
• Hogan Lovells has brought on a 23-lawyer finance and M&A team from Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe to work out of its Rome and Milan offices. The team is led by Orrick’s former managing partner for Europe, Patrizio Messina. (Global Legal Post)
• Brianna Schwartz and Alexis Schreiber launched the entertainment law firm S&S, which caters to Gen Z, millennial and Gen Alpha clients to protect artists from “the nefarious implications” of AI. “Just like with any form of technology, if we refuse to embrace it, we risk inhibiting growth and creation,” said Schwartz. (EDM.com)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• Elinor Ramey has joined Lowenstein Sandler as a partner in the private client services and tax groups in Washington, D.C. She joins from Steptoe.
• David Elder, Christopher Centrich, and Patrick Hurley have joined Paul Hastings as partners in Houston. They join from Akin Gump.
• Patrick R. Rizzi has joined Cozen O’Connor as a member with the transportation and trade practice in the Washington, D.C. He joins from Hogan Lovells.
• Melinda Rudolph has joined Troutman Pepper as a partner in the health sciences transactional practice group.
• David Applebaum has joined Baker Botts as a partner in the energy litigation practice group in Houston.
• Rupa Briggs has joined Hogan Lovells as a partner in the corporate and finance practice in the New York office. She joins from Cooley.
• Sarah Kelly-Kilgore has joined Holland & Knight as a litigation partner in Newport Beach, Calif. She joins from Greenberg Gross.
• Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani has announced the opening of a new office in Ventura County, Calif.
• Keeley A. McCarty has joined Fox Rothschild as a partner in the federal government contracts procurement practice group in the Washington, D.C., office.
• Martina Hufnal and Todd Garcia have been appointed to chair the life sciences industry team at Fish & Richardson.
• Nicola Lemay has joined Hogan Lovells as a partner in the corporate and finance practice in the Boston office. She joins from Foley Hoag.