Wake Up Call: Industry EPA Lawyer Could Cost Taxpayers Billions

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

• Steven Cook, a former lawyer for chemical companies fighting EPA rules on PFAS, is now a senior EPA official pushing to repeal the same regulations, which would shift billions in cleanup costs from polluters to taxpayers. Internal documents show that after Cook met with industry groups still suing over the rule, EPA staff reversed their recommendation to defend it, instead labeling its “cons outweigh pros.” (The New York Times)
• Harvey has launched a law school alliance program, which will see the AI pioneer “embed its technology into law school curriculums.” The program will include Stanford Law School and UCLA School of Law in California, as well as NYU School of Law, University of Michigan Law School, and Notre Dame Law School. (Artificial Lawyer)
• San Francisco attorney Adam Brezine was appointed as chief counsel of the California High-Speed Rail Authority. Brezine joins from Adobe, where he has been legal director since 2022. He succeeds Alicia Fowler, who has taken on the role of deputy secretary and general counsel of the California State Transportation Agency. (Daily Journal)
• The July 2025 bar’s national mean for the multiple-choice section was up a half-point over July 2024, making it the highest Multistate Bar Examination mean since 2013, “excluding the summer and fall 2020.” (National Conference of Bar Examiners)
• New Jersey federal courts are at a standstill after a ruling that Alina Habba’s appointment as acting US Attorney is unlawful. The effect of that decision is on hold as it’s appealed, but courts are bracing for challenges to cases she touches. Habba “could reduce the risk to current and future cases by recusing herself until the appeals court makes a decision, but has thus far declined to do so.” (New York Times)

Laterals, Moves, In-House

• Michael Saarinen joined Arnold & Porter to co-lead its investment management practice group in New York. He joins from Lowenstein Sandler.
• Paul Jones was appointed general counsel and chief compliance officer at AO Smith.