Wake Up Call: Who is the US Attorney Prosecuting James Comey?

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

• Lindsey Halligan, a former insurance lawyer with no prosecutorial background, was sworn in this week as interim US attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia and quickly secured an indictment of former FBI director James Comey over allegedly false congressional testimony about the 2016 Russia probe. Halligan, who rose rapidly in Trump’s orbit after meeting him in 2021, previously pushed to remove what she called “improper ideology” from Smithsonian museums and served as one of Trump’s personal attorneys. (The Washington Post)
• Kathryn Nester, a veteran criminal defense attorney and former top federal public defender in Utah and San Diego, has been appointed to represent Tyler Robinson, the man accused of fatally shooting conservative activist Charlie Kirk on Sept. 10. Nester has handled several high-profile cases, including representing polygamous sect leader Lyle Jeffs, synagogue shooter John Earnest, and Utah doctor Michael Kirk Moore. (Reuters)
• Robert B. Barnett, a longtime partner at Williams & Connolly, died at 79. Barnett brokered multimillion-dollar book and media deals for leaders from Hillary Clinton to Sarah Palin and advised countless journalists and commentators. Over more than four decades, he also helped prepare presidential and vice-presidential candidates for debates—often standing in as their opponents—and played a behind-the-scenes role in bridging Democratic Party divides. (CNN)