Wake Up Call: Trump’s Higher Ed Fight Lawyer Has Troubled Past

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

• Leo Terrell, once a Democratic civil rights lawyer, reinvented himself as “Leo 2.0” in 2020, embracing Trump and MAGA politics to secure a top Justice Department post leading Trump’s new Task Force to Combat Antisemitism, which has aggressively targeted universities with funding freezes, lawsuits, and sweeping settlements. Terrell’s career, however, is marked by malpractice suits, failed political bids, unpaid debts, and IRS liens, contrasting sharply with Trump’s portrayal of him as a “highly respected” attorney. (ProPublica)
• Bench IQ, a legal tech startup led by Ross Intelligence cofounder Jimoh Ovbiagele, claims it can forecast how judges think and rule, giving lawyers an edge before arguments begin. The platform analyzes a proprietary dataset—likely including federal court transcripts—using AI “agents” to produce reports on judges’ past rulings and tendencies. (Business Insider)
• Tiffany Monroe, the chief people and culture officer for H&R Block, gave her team the go-ahead to take Tuesday afternoon off after Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement. In an email sent shortly after the announcement, Monroe encouraged employees to “Go home. Celebrate love. Speculate about the dress. Argue whether the reception will be held in KC or a castle in Europe.” (Above the Law)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Jeffrey Ruskin joined Jones Day as a partner in its real estate practice in New York. He joins from McDermott Will & Schulte.
• Ron Aizen and Fritz Lark joined Baker Botts as partners in New York. Aizen joins from Paul Weiss and Lark joins from McDermott.
• David Horne joined Fenwick as a corporate partner in Boston. He joins from Gunderson Dettmer.
• Igor Babichenko rejoined McGuireWoods as a partner in its labor and employment practice in Richmond, Va. He joins from Smithfield Foods.