The DC Council recently made headlines by voting to engage the services of prestigious law firm Latham & Watkins. The firm has been brought on board to assist in an investigation concerning councilmember Trayon White Sr., who is currently embroiled in federal bribery charges following his arrest last month. Specific compensation details for Latham & Watkins have not yet been disclosed, but the investigative report is anticipated by December. For more information, refer to the Washington Post’s coverage.
In other notable legal news, the California Bar is set to introduce field test questions in its revamped exam. Participants may receive up to 40 bonus points in the experimental section, though not all test-takers will be eligible for this adjustment. Further details are available on Above the Law.
High-profile women’s rights attorney Gloria Allred is now representing a New York woman in challenging beauty pageant regulations that exclude mothers from participating. Allred has a history of successfully overturning similar rules, including a notable case involving the Miss California pageant. The Associated Press provides more on this development.
Amid an internal restructuring at Google, Makesha Patterson has been promoted to head of general litigation. Patterson, a veteran of 13 years at the tech giant, assumes this role during a period marked by considerable turnover in Google’s legal department. Read more on this at Law.com.
Laterals, Moves, In-House
- Gabriella Orengo Lyons joined Norton Rose Fulbright as a partner in its corporate, mergers and acquisitions, and securities practice in Dallas.
- Keith Schomig joined Paul Hastings as a partner in the national security and global trade controls practices in Washington. He joins from White & Case.
- Tyler Thompson joined Reed Smith as a partner in its emerging technologies practice.
- Benjamin Chew joined Sheppard Mullin as a partner in its business trial practice group in Washington. He joins from Brown Rudnick.
- Jeff Kiburtz joined Pillsbury as a partner in its insurance recovery and advisory practice in Los Angeles. He joins from Covington & Burling.
For a detailed roundup of these stories and more, see the full article on Bloomberg Law.