It’s no longer be just tittle-tattle at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer that the Magic Circle firm aims to be counted as a “top player” in the US legal market. The firm’s aggressive expansion into Silicon Valley and conquering of the New York legal landscape has certainly turned quite a few heads among both internal and external observers. This assertive move towards embracing US legal culture is often described as its “Americanization”. (Law.com)
In other legal news, changes are afoot in Saudi Arabia as an amendment is ratified by the governmental body, the Cabinet, which possibly clears the path for global law firms to further penetrate their business into the Middle Eastern nation. This shift could allow foreign law firms to play an advisory role during the Saudi lawmaking process. (Saudi Gazette)
Meanwhile, in a crossover of social media and legal circles, South Carolina-based personal injury and criminal defense attorney Lori Murray has gained popularity as “LawyerLori”, the TikTok “straight shooter”. With a following of nearly 600,000, Murray uses her platform to post short, insightful videos on high-profile crime cases such as the trials of Alex Murdaugh and Kyle Rittenhouse. (The State)
A former prisoner who turned to teaching law, Shon Hopwood was arrested on September 24 on charges of domestic abuse. The Georgetown Law Center professor, acclaimed for his story of transformation featured on CBS News’ “60 Minutes”, is reportedly no longer teaching at the school. (Daily Mail)
In the realm of lateral moves, several notable appointments were made recently. Among these, Erika López joined Baker McKenzie as a private equity and M&A partner in Chicago, leaving Kirkland & Ellis. Val Dahiya became a partner in the capital markets group at Morrison & Foerster, based in Washington D.C. Jim Wiehl moved to BakerHostetler as a partner with the business practice group in Dallas. (Bloomberg Law)