Wake Up Call: Trump PAC Money Flows to Jan. 6 Witness Law Firms

In today’s column, a Boies team won a new injunction blocking Louisiana trigger laws that would ban abortions in the state; New York’s state court system case backlog grew by 15% during the pandemic; the UK government proposed a crackdown on “SLAPP” lawsuits.

• Leading off, a new Federal Election Commission disclosure reveals that former President Donald Trump’s political committees have shelled out close to $2.2 million this year to a half dozen law firms representing witnesses before the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection, according to reports. (CNN) More than a million dollars of that went to a firm called Elections, LLC, which was founded by former Trump staff. (The Daily Beast)
• An all-women team of Boies Schiller Flexner lawyers won a new injunction blocking Louisiana trigger laws that would ban abortions in the wake of the US Supreme Court’s ruling striking down Roe v. Wade. The team is working with the Center for Reproductive Rights and local counsel. (American Lawyer)

Lawyers, Law Firms

• The New York State Unified Court System’s pending court caseload is up 15% from the level just before the pandemic started in 2020. (New York Law Journal)
• UK firm Bird & Bird, which says it has about 1,300 attorneys in 29 offices around the world, reported global revenues up close to 10% to 445.6 million pounds ($532.24 million) for its fiscal year ending April 30. The firm said its average profits per equity partner surged 11.1% to 654,222 pounds. (Law.com International) Frankfurt headquartered CMS, which says it has more than 5,000 lawyers in 40 countries worldwide, reported global revenues up 18% to 1.76 billion euros ($1.78 billion) for its financial year ending Dec. 31, 2021. (CMS.law)
• UK libel lawyers had mixed responses to the government’s proposed legal changes to crack down on “SLAPP” lawsuits that the wealthy have used to muzzle journalists. (The Lawyer)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• M&A lawyer Tiffany Pollard, former head of domestic and international mergers and acquisitions at ViacomCBS, now Paramount Global, joined Davis+Gilbert as partner in New York in its corporate and transactions practice; Morgan, Lewis & Bockius hired two former Justice Department officials as partners on its enforcement and litigation bench. Justin Weitz, recently acting principal assistant chief in the DOJ criminal division’s market integrity and major frauds unit, joins in Washington. Kathryn (Kate) Deal, recently assistant US attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, joined in Philadelphia; Manatt, Phelps & Phillips added tax incentive and financing advisers Corenia Riley Burlingame and John Dalton as partners in Washington in its impact investing and community development practice. They were both principals at Miles & Stockbridge; Miller & Chevalier brought in white collar, anti-corruption, and arbitration lawyer Margarita Sanchez as a member in Washington and leader of its international arbitration practice. She arrives from Quinn Emanuel; Hunton Andrews Kurth snagged Winstead commercial real estate attorney Katy D. Carmical as a partner in Dallas. (Hunton Andrews Kurth)
• Pillsbury grabbed veteran Big Law energy dealmaker Greg Hammond as a corporate partner in London. He arrives from Dentons, and has been at Akin Gump and Eversheds Sutherland; Squire Patton Boggs recruited Tom Durrant, the former national corporate practice head at UK listed law firm Gateley Plc, as a partner and to lead its Birmingham office corporate practice; Shearman & Sterling picked up two partners from White & Case in Europe. In London, it added private equity and M&A lawyer Michael Mountain, and in Germany it added finance partner Florian Ziegler for its Munich and Frankfurt offices. (Shearman & Sterling)
• Shearman appointed Meta’s former leader for diversity and talent management, Loretta Pearce, as chief diversity & inclusion officer; Aimbridge Hospitality hired former Wyndham Hotels & Resorts executive and in-house leader Mark Chloupek as chief legal officer. He was recently executive vice president, secretary and general counsel at CorePoint Lodging Inc. (PR Newswire)