Wake Up Call: Trump Threatens ABA’s Law School Accreditor Status

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

• The Trump Administration said in an executive order that it is considering revoking the American Bar Association’s status as the federally recognized accreditor of law schools. The president said he was directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to assess whether to suspend or terminate the ABA as the government’s official law school accreditor, citing its “unlawful ‘diversity, equity, and inclusion’ requirements.” (Reuters)
• Civil rights attorney Fred Gray, known as the “chief counsel” of the Civil Rights Movement, was honored with a statue outside the Alabama State Bar Association in Montgomery. Gray played a pivotal role in major civil rights victories, including the Selma-to-Montgomery marches and the lawsuit over the Tuskegee Syphilis Study. (Associated Press)
• Another immigration attorney, this time based in Los Angeles, received an email from the Department of Homeland Security telling her to leave the country “immediately,” even though she is a US citizen. Harriet Steele is one of multiple immigration lawyers who have received such emails despite being US citizens. (KTLA 5)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Claire Davies joined Polsinelli as a shareholder in its food and drug practice in Denver.
• Keith Melman joined Barnes & Thornburg as a partner in its corporate department in Los Angeles. He joins from Mars Science & Diagnostics, where he was associate general counsel.