In a significant legal move, attorneys from Bartlit Beck and Kaplan Fox & Kilsheimer are planning to request legal fees estimated at $122 million. This hefty sum concerns their representation of consumers in a settlement with Alphabet’s Google regarding its app store. Even with this large fee request, the firms maintain that around $500 million would still remain for consumers in the settlement. This news was reported by Reuters.
Separately, but equally pertinent for legal professionals, the Oregon Liquor and Cannabis Commission are still in the process of determining whether Beverly Hills-based Venable partner, Matthew Portnoff, was aware that the marijuana grown on his farm in 2019 had found its way into the black market. The agency has yet to conclude whether Portnoff directly authorized this deviation or was a victim of fraud. This was disclosed by the Willamette Week.
Moreover, there are growing expectations surrounding U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams. Dubbed as “relentless” by many, his range of targets spans several sectors and includes figures such as U.S. Senator Robert Menendez and crypto fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried. A profile focussing on more of his pursuits is featured in New York Magazine.
Lastly, there have been recent shifts within the legal fraternity as well. Jeeseon Ahn has moved from Milbank LLP and joined McDermott Will & Emery as a partner in the transactions practice group in New York, while Barnes & Thornburg has welcomed Leslie K. Eason as a partner in the labor and employment department in Atlanta. Both lateral hires were reported by Bloomberg Law.