In the latest legal developments, Delta Air Lines has enlisted the services of renowned attorney David Boies to pursue legal action against CrowdStrike and Microsoft Corporation. The litigation stems from a significant IT outage that recently caused millions of devices running Microsoft Windows to crash, leading to widespread flight cancellations. This move by Delta to hire Boies underscores the potential high stakes and complexity involved in this legal fight, given the fallout from the tech failure (CNBC).
In other news, the legal industry is abuzz following the unfortunate death of a partner at Pinsent Masons. This incident has sparked wider discussions about the impact of corporate culture on mental health and whether the high starting salaries often offered are worth the associated stress and pressures. According to LawCare, a legal mental health charity, requests for support have risen by 14% over the past year, with many complaints pointing to workplace bullying (The Guardian).
Meanwhile, Burns & Levinson is in the midst of merger talks despite the recent departure of nearly half of its attorneys. The firm may find it challenging to attract an Am Law 200 partner in the current scenario but could still find a merger partner interested in entering the Boston market (AmLaw).
Additionally, three former employees of Seton Hall Law School have pleaded guilty to orchestrating a $1.3 million fraud scheme against the university. The defendants admitted to diverting payments from vendors, purchasing substantial amounts of gift cards, and forming a shell company to bill the university for services not performed (NJ.com).
The legal profession continues to see significant lateral moves and hires. Key recent appointments include:
- Alexander Klett, Sebastian Dexheimer, and Christoph Mikyska have joined Morgan Lewis in Germany as partners. Klett joined from Reed Smith (Bloomberg Law).
- Christopher Healey has joined Davis Polk & Wardwell as a registered funds partner from Simpson Thacher & Bartlett.
- Peter Meyer has rejoined Faegre Drinker as a partner in the product liability and mass torts group in Indianapolis, coming from Exactech (Bloomberg Law).
- James English joined Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner’s energy transition team from Clark Hill (Bloomberg Law).
- Garrett Reuter, Jr. became a partner at Husch Blackwell in its financial services and capital markets industry group, based in the St. Louis office (Bloomberg Law).
For further details on these stories and more, visit the Bloomberg Law website.