Wake Up Call: Lawyer Accused of Misusing Client Trust Account

Welcome to Bloomberg Law’s Wake Up Call, a daily rundown of the top news for lawyers, law firms, and in-house counsel.

• A San Antonio lawyer is facing two lawsuits alleging he used client trust accounts to collect millions of dollars for investment deals that never paid out. One plaintiff claims Edward Valdespino used his IOLTA account to receive $5 million in exchange for a promised $50 million return, while another suit alleges he and Waco firm Naman, Howell, Smith & Lee induced a New York couple to wire $1 million with promises it would grow to $10 million in 45 days. Valdespino denies the allegations, and the firm says it had no involvement in the transaction tied to the federal suit. (ABA Journal)
• An Atlanta lawyer is balancing courtroom work with a second role as an extra on CBS soap opera Beyond the Gates. Jessica Thomas told CBS Atlanta she found the opportunity after being laid off last fall, applied through a Facebook group, and now is juggling legal work with appearances on the show as she pursues a long-held acting dream. (CBS News)
• A Filipino lawyer who says he was sexually abused by a priest as a teenager has become a rare public advocate for clergy-abuse survivors in the country. The New York Times profiles Michal Gatchalian, whose efforts to hold the priest accountable went nowhere in the courts despite the priest later admitting in an affidavit to touching him inappropriately. Gatchalian, now 45, co-founded a group in 2020 that provides legal advice and support to other survivors as he pushes for greater accountability within the Catholic Church in the Philippines. (New York Times)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Marco Caffuzzi joined Latham & Watkins as a partner in its real estate practice in New York.
• Ryan Rohlfsen joined Latham & Watkins as a partner in its white collar defense & investigations practice in Chicago.
• Katherine Hanniford joined Baker McKenzie as a partner in its data & cyber practice in Washington, DC.
• Philip Cheveley is joining Morgan Lewis as a partner in its corporate practice in London.
• Matthew Douglas joined Greenberg Traurig as a shareholder in its Denver office.
• Gerald Brant, Jeffrey Kochian, Brittany Harrison, and Jonathon Hamill joined Akin as partners in its private equity practice in New York and London.
• Josh Frankel joined Proskauer as a partner in its Private Funds Group and Secondary Transactions and Liquidity Solutions practice in New York.
• Anna Morris joined Squire Patton Boggs as a principal in its global public policy practice group in Washington.
• Kate Pennartz joined Troutman Pepper Locke as a partner in its real estate practice group in Dallas.
• John Rockwell joined Pillsbury as a partner in Silicon Valley.
• Jason Cross and Preston Enoch joined BakerHostetler as partners in Dallas in its litigation practice group.
• Kyle Agee joined Womble Bond Dickinson as a partner in its corporate & securities practice group on the private wealth team in Charlotte, N.C.
• Joseph Balice joined Barnes & Thornburg as a partner in its insurance recovery practice in Los Angeles.
• Jennifer Nackley rejoined Quarles & Brady as a partner in its Naples, Fla. office.
• Christie Iannetta joined Thompson Hine as a partner in its transportation practice group in its Washington office.