In a noteworthy development, former Big Law partner Eric Lenzen, previously with Husch Blackwell and Dykema Gossett, has agreed to plead guilty to tax-related charges. Lenzen might be heading to federal prison as a result. He was initially placed on leave in May of 2021 by Husch to address “financial, tax, and personal problems” before being hired by Dykema in 2022, according to the
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. As of now, Lenzen is no longer featured on Dykema’s website.
In other news, the Italian firm functioning as Shearman & Sterling’s affiliate—Studio Legale Associato Shearman & Sterling, has been dissolved owing to Shearman’s merger with Allen & Overy. Studio Legale, boasting 29 lawyers in Rome and Milan offices, is being dismantled in the aftermath of the merger announcement in the previous year as reported by
Law.com.
In an international highlight, a live TV broadcast inside the Tunisia bar association’s headquarters captured the arresting moments when masked men detained lawyer Sonia Dahmani due to her criticism of the government’s migrant policy. Her detention is suspected to be based on the controversial “Decree 54,” a law that can cause prison terms of up to five years for those who use the internet to spread “false news,” data, and rumors. For more on this, check the
BBC report.
There are also several noteworthy movements within law firms. New York City law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison welcomed Chelsea Darnell as the partner on its corporate team. She joined them from Kirkland & Ellis. Former Secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development under President Biden, Marcia Fudge, joined Taft as the partner and firmwide chair of public policy. These and other attorney movements can be found on
Bloomberg Law’s Wake Up Call.