Wake Up Call: Wisconsin Senators Probe AG for Outsourcing Work

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

• Wisconsin Republicans are investigating the use of external environmental lawyers in the state attorney general’s office, escalating a challenge to a Bloomberg Philanthropies-backed program that has sparked conservative backlash in several states. The focus of the investigation will be Attorney General Josh Kaul’s use of an attorney whose salary is paid by the New York University School of Law State Energy & Environmental Impact Center. The center provides environmental lawyers to the offices of several state attorneys general, including a number who are engaged in climate lawsuits against the oil and gas industry. (E&E News)
• Quinn Emanuel was born out of necessity rather than grand design after John Quinn and colleagues left a New York firm in 1986 and found themselves scrambling for work in Los Angeles, a struggle that ultimately led them to a litigation-only model, Quinn told UK website Non-Billable in an interview. The firm deliberately targeted claims against major banks that full-service firms avoided due to conflicts, carving out an unmet niche that fueled its growth and sharpened its identity, he said.

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Aman Badyal joined Polsinelli as a shareholder in its tax practice in Los Angeles.
• Kayci Hines joined McGuireWoods as counsel in its restructuring and insolvency practice group in New York. She joins from the Justice Department.

Bloomberg Philanthropies is the charitable organization of Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg Law is operated by entities controlled by Michael Bloomberg.