Wake Up Call: Willkie Launches London Arbitration Practice

In today’s column, Diversity Lab launched a new program that puts more focus on improving diversity at law firms’ practice level; the SEC named CFTC Commissioner Dan Berkovitz as its next general counsel; SoftBank made its first legal tech investment.

• Leading off, Willkie Farr & Gallagher said Wednesday that it recruited a six-lawyer team in London from WilmerHale to launch a new international arbitration practice in the city. Leading the team, with five associates, is longtime WilmerHale partner Duncan Speller, who joins Willkie’s litigation and compliance, investigations & enforcement practice groups. New York-headquartered Willkie said Speller’s arrival continues the firm’s growth of its disputes practice both locally and globally. The new London-based arbitration practice “has plans for significant further expansion (partners and associates) over the short term,” Willkie said in an email. (Willkie)
• As federal appeals courts slowly reopen for in-person hearings, judges are considering requests to continue live audio streaming of arguments post-pandemic to promote public access. (National Law Journal)
• Diversity Lab’s Mansfield rule program asks firms to boost the diversity of their leadership recruiting. Its new “Do Something Hard” initiative asks 50 participating firms to take actions to boost diversity at practice or firmwide level. For example, one commitment asks a firm’s practice group leaders to ensure that at least one diverse partner serves in a lead role and receives equitable credit for originating or expanding work or relationship. (American Lawyer)

Lawyers, Law Firms

• The Biden administration named Commodity Futures Trading Commission member Dan Berkovitz, a former WilmerHale lawyer, to become general counsel for the Securities and Exchange Commission. He replaces John Coates, the Harvard Law vice dean and former Wachtell partner who was appointed GC in June; President Biden’s latest nine U.S. attorney nominations include, among others, McGuireWoods litigation partner Michael Easley for the Eastern District of North Carolina and Hogan Lovells Denver office managing partner Cole Finegan for the District of Colorado. (WhiteHouse.gov)
• UK elite firm Slaughter and May elected M&A head Roland Turnill to take over from Steve Cooke as its next senior partner when Cooke steps down in May 2024. The 131-year-old firm last week elected London-based litigation partner Deborah Finkler to become its first-ever managing partner, starting May 2022. (Global Legal Post)
• Alabama-based Bradley Arant said it has more than doubled its office space in Dallas and has tripled its head count in the city since opening there in 2019. (Dallas Morning News)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• Goodwin Procter grabbed private equity partners Gregory G. Cage and Zachary Lupu from Kramer Levin in New York; Sidley Austin poached a team of three health care and FDA compliance partners from Hogan Lovells, all three of whom have served as associate chief counsel in the Food and Drug Administration’s chief counsel’s office. James Johnson, who led Hogan Lovells’ FDA good manufacturing practice compliance practice, and Chris Fanelli join Sidley’s Washington office. Scott Kaplan joins in Boston. (Sidley.com)
• Baker McKenzie said it hired Dentons’ London-based global chief talent officer Jay Connolly to become its chief people officer in October. It’s the latest Big Law hire of a talent leader, after Arnold & Porter and Saul Ewing earlier this month; financial services firm Murphy & McGonigle said litigation shareholder Kate McGrail, the firm’s chief diversity, equity & inclusion officer, is its new Virginia office managing partner. Litigation shareholder Andrew Melnick is its new office management partner for its New York headquarters. Both attorneys will also serve on the firm’s executive committee. (MMLawus.com)
• Sony Interactive Entertainment hired away an Amazon in-house leader, Stephanie Burns, to be its new senior vice president and general counsel based in San Mateo, Calif. She’s spent over 15 years at Amazon, and has also been top lawyer at StubHub; health-care management company Transcarent hired former JPMorgan Chase in-house leader Erica Davila, currently top lawyer at health-care marketplace ZocDoc, to be its general counsel. (Transcarent.ai)

Technology

• Japanese conglomerate SoftBank Group Corp. made its first legal tech investment with an undisclosed amount in MarqVision, an IP protection startup created by Harvard Law graduates, according to a report. (Artificial Lawyer)