Wake Up Call: UnitedLex Revenue Soars to Record $350 Million, Report Says

• A little more than a year after LeClairRyan announced a partnership with UnitedLex, the Richmond-Virginia, based law firm is bankrupt and headed for oblivion. On the other hand, the alternative legal services UnitedLex provider is thriving, according to this report from London. (The Lawyer)

• Fast-fashion chain Forever 21 Inc., represented by Kirkland & Ellis, filed for bankruptcy protection, with estimated liabilities between $1 billion and $10 billion. The Chapter 11 filing allows the L.A.-based company to keep operating while it works out a plan to pay its creditors and, maybe, turn around the business. (BN)

• Morgan Lewis & Bockius chair Jami McKeon is about to kick off her second five-year term as one of a handful of women who lead a top-earning U.S. law firm. In a recent interview, McKeon, who’s made diversity a top priority as leader, said she plans to promote 18 women to partner when her new term starts tomorrow. (BLAW via BLB)

• Katten Muchin Rosenman recently said it plans to expand its focus on the finance industry. Now the firm is set to lose a nine partner environmental group to Baker Botts and close small offices in the San Francisco Bay Area and Austin, according to an internal memo. (BLAW via BLB)

• Volkswagen is getting ready to fight the largest legal claim of its kind in modern German history: a collective action over its diesel emissions test cheating scandal. The action uses a new legal procedure aimed at easing collective redress for German consumers harmed by large companies. But lawyer Chistopher Rother, whose firm, Hausfeld LLP, in late 2017 sued VW on behalf of 15,000 individual plaintiffs for 357 million euros ($390 million), says German plaintiffs can still fare better with individual claims. He says he’s raised more than 100 million euros from private equity firms to fund his approach since May. (FT.com)

• Former Fox News star Bill O’Reilly, represented by Hoguet Newman Regal & Kenney partner Andrew Bourne, got a New York judge to throw out a lawsuit by an ex-producer who said O’Reilly defamed her. (BN)

• The attorney for the whistleblower whose complaint sparked a House inquiry into impeaching President Donald Trump says he has “serious concerns” that Trump’s comments have put his client in danger. (NBCNews.com)

• Law firms are asking for around $28 million in fees and expenses from a $143 million class action settlement with about 175,000 residents and business owners affected by Sept. 13, 2018 natural gas explosions in Merrimack Valley, Massachusetts that caused an estimated $1 billion in damages. (EagleTribune.com) (Associated Press via USNews.com)

• A federal judge Friday night issued a preliminary injunction to block a Trump administration policy that sought to expand fast-track deportations for undocumented immigrants without allowing them due process. The American Civil Liberties Union, American Immigration Council, and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett sought the injunction. (NPR.org)

Lawyers, Law Firms, Deals

• Plato Cacheris, a prominent Washington white collar defense lawyer in the Watergate and Iran-contra scandals, as well as President Bill Clinton’s affair with White House intern Monica S. Lewinsky, died last week at age 90. (WaPo)

• More than 20 Big Law firms have signed on to a pro-bono project developing model laws and regulations aimed at helping cities and states fight climate change. (BLAW via BLB)

• Winston & Strawn advised Arthur J. Gallagher & Co., a global insurance brokerage, risk management, and consulting services firm, on its acquisition of LSG Insurance Partners. (PR Newswire)

Laterals, Moves, Promotions

• Campos Mello Advogados, an independent Brazilian firm that collaborates with DLA Piper, brought in litigator Domiciano Noronha de Sá as a partner and head of its patent and life sciences litigation practice in the country. He arrives in Rio de Janeiro, bringing nine other attorneys from his former firm, as well as a big client portfolio. (DLAPiper.com)

• L.A.-based cannabis start-up Shryne Group Inc. hired its former outside counsel at Arent Fox, John Malone, to be its general counsel. (Corporate Counsel)

• NASCAR Holdings Inc. has a new top lawyer. The Daytona Beach, Florida-based stock car racing promoter said sports law attorney Tracey Lesetar-Smith, a former Orrick associate, will become general counsel and senior vice president to replace longtime GC Karen Leetzow. (Corporate Counsel)

Legal Actions, Bankruptcies, Decisions

• Legendary comic artist Stan Lee’s business partners tanked his company to win the rights to his intellectual property in bankruptcy, his daughter alleges in a California federal suit. (BLAW)

Legal Education

• More than 30 law schools now accept the Graduate Record Examination for admissions in lieu of the Law School Admission Test. (Above The Law)