Wake Up Call: Kirkland Looks to Grow Philadelphia Litigation

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

• Kirkland & Ellis is making a significant push into Philadelphia’s litigation scene with the addition of a team from Skadden, led by mass torts partner Alli Brown. While initially focused on mass torts, the firm aims to build a substantial litigation presence in the city. (Law.com)
• Chicago‘s search for its 42nd US attorney comes amid a sharp decline in productivity, with the office ranking last among 94 federal districts in indictments per judge. Morale has suffered due to leadership gaps, a hiring freeze, and political deadlock that has left the office without a Senate-confirmed leader for two years. (Chicago Tribune)
• A Connecticut jury found attorney Robert Fisher Jr. guilty of first-degree manslaughter for fatally shooting Matthew Bromley during a 2021 altercation outside Fisher’s law firm. The incident began when Bromley pulled Fisher from his car and began punching him, claiming that the lawyer had “ruined my life.” (ABA Journal)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Michael Diz joined Davis Polk & Wardwell as a partner in its mergers and acquisitions group in San Francisco. He joins from Debevoise & Plimpton.
• Eric White joined King & Spalding as a partner in its product liability and mass torts practice group in Chicago. He joins from Winston & Strawn.
• Joanna Nicholas joined Clifford Chance as a partner in its global financial markets team. She joins from Mayer Brown.
• Arpita Bhattacharyya and Robert McCauley joined Perkins Coie as partners in its intellectual property and patent litigation practices in Palo Alto, Calif. They join from Finnegan.
• David Navetta joined Troutman Pepper Locke as a partner and co-leader in its privacy and cyber practice group in Chicago. He joins from Cooley.
• Robert Phillpott rejoined Norton Rose Fulbright as a partner in its business practice group in Houston. He joins from Reed Smith.
• Douglas Mintz joined Cadwalader as a partner in its financial restructuring team.
• Agnes Antonian joined Fox Rothschild as a partner in its environmental department in Morristown, N.J. She joins from Connell Foley.
• Geoffrey Forney joined Fisher Phillips as a partner in Portland, Maine. He joins from the Labor Department’s Office of the Solicitor.