Wake Up Call: Jenner Cybersecurity Co-Chair Joins White House

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

• Jenner & Block announced that partner and data and cybersecurity practice co-chair Aaron Cooper left to join the White House as deputy legal advisor to the National Security Council. Cooper had earlier roles as lead investigative counsel in the US Senate Select Committee investigating Russian interference in the 2016 US elections. He’s a former Justice Department senior counsel in the criminal division’s computer crime and IP section. (Jenner.com)
• Cravath Swaine & Moore, Big Law’s standard setter for associate pay, topped the Vault 100 ranking as the most prestigious law firm for an eighth-straight year. The ranking is based on a survey of more than 23,000 law firm associates. (PR Newswire)
• Some 90% of the nearly 70 law firms responding to real estate services firm Savills’ recent “Return-to-Office Survey” said they have implemented policies regarding office attendance for attorneys. The majority said they mandate or suggest three days per week of in-office attendance. (Savills.com)
• Caterpillar Inc. announced that chief legal officer and general counsel Suzette M. Long will retire Dec. 31 after 18 years at the company. Vice president and deputy GC Derek Owens, a former federal prosecutor, will become senior vice president and GC July 1. He’ll step up to CLO and GC effective Jan. 1, 2024. (Caterpillar.com)

Lawyers, Law Firms

• Hogan Lovells said that, effective July 1, partner Ajay Kuntamukkala, co-head of its international trade and investment group, will become Washington office managing partner. Corporate and finance partner Michael Kuh will become New York office managing partner. Northern Virginia office managing partner Carine Stoick will add DC office administrative partner to her roles, the firm said. (Hogan Lovells.com)
• Fenwick & West hired Gibson Dunn to defend its work advising now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX, including from the company’s indicted founder Sam Bankman-Fried. (Reuters)
• An incoming first-year law student at Cardozo School of Law in New York figured out a way to get into the NBA draft, although he’s never played college or high school basketball. (New York Post)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• Akerman added corporate lawyers William Hoy, Mario Fallone, and Edward Stone as partners in New York to expand its M&A, private equity and venture capital practices, while Diana Clarkson joined as partner in its tax practice. All four arrive from upstate New York firm Harter Secrest & Emery. (Akerman)
• Buchalter Nemer brought in veteran Big Law labor and employment partner Chris Mason as shareholder and commercial real estate attorney Christine Claffey as senior counsel, both in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Buchalter.com)
• Snell & Wilmer hired technology transactions and aviation attorney Eli Mansour as partner in San Diego. He arrives from Procopio Cory Hargreaves & Savitch, according to his LinkedIn profile. (SWLaw.com)
• Right Networks, a cloud service provider for accountants and professionals, hired experienced tech company in-house lawyer Adam Collicelli as its first in-house general counsel. A former Ropes & Gray attorney, he was recently deputy GC and assistant secretary at cybersecurity software company Datto. (RightNetworks.com)

Technology

• Online dispute resolution platform Immediation said it’s providing a customized version of its platform for the London-based Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution to replace its case management system. (Businesswire)

Legal Education

• Howard University named civil rights lawyer Sherrilyn Ifill as its inaugural Vernon Jordan endowed chair in civil rights to launch Howard Law School’s 14th Amendment Center for Law & Democracy. She was most recently president of the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, Inc. (The Dig)
• Texas Southern University Thurgood Marshall School of Law reinstated the tenure of its ousted dean Joan Bullock, who sued the school for gender bias and retaliation after she was fired. (Texas Lawyer)