Welcome to Bloomberg Law’s Wake Up Call, a daily rundown of the top news for lawyers, law firms, and in-house counsel.
- Susman Godfrey is pushing legal fees to a new high, setting top hourly billing rates at $4,000 for 2026 for partners Neal Manne and Bill Carmody, up from $3,000 last year. Manne said most of their work is done on contingency or fixed-fee arrangements. “If there’s someone out there who bills at a higher rate than Bill and me on hourly cases, please let us know so we may raise our rates,” Manne said. (Reuters)
- The Florida Bar plans to appeal a judge’s recommendation to lightly discipline attorney Daniel Uhlfelder, extending a nearly five-year legal battle stemming from a 2020 lawsuit he filed against Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) over COVID-19 beach closures. A referee appointed by the Florida Supreme Court had recommended only an admonishment and an ethics class, but the Bar has signaled it will ask the high court to review that finding, potentially seeking harsher punishment. (The Tampa Bay Times)
- A southern Colorado school district may move to replace its longtime law firm amid concerns over its lead attorney’s role in launching what supporters dubbed the state’s “first public Christian school.” The Pueblo 70 school board will vote on whether to seek proposals for new legal counsel after some members questioned attorney Brad Miller’s political and religious agenda and potential conflicts of interest tied to Riverstone Academy, a publicly funded school created to test Colorado’s ban on religious public schools. (ChalkBeat)
Laterals, Moves, In-House
- Beth Taylor joined Dentons as chief legal officer. She joins from Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft.
- Payom Pirahesh joined Willkie Farr & Gallagher as a partner in its private equity practice group in Los Angeles. He joins from Sidley Austin.
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