Wake Up Call: Georgia Defender Prepped for ‘Salacious’ Claims

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

• Georgia defense lawyer Ashleigh Merchant said she was prepared to file “salacious” claims of an improper romantic relationship between the prosecutor in the election interference case against former President Donald Trump, and one of her top deputies. “If I have a motion that I think I need to file, but I don’t, and my client gets convicted and goes to prison—I could never live with myself,” said Merchant, who represents Trump co-defendant Mike Roman. (Wall Street Journal)
• Allen & Overy and Shearman & Sterling have resolved big points of contention regarding their tie-up, and approved the deal by a significant margin in a partner vote. Yet as the May 1 launch date for the merged A&O Shearman approaches, insiders cite “apprehension” on several fronts. (Law.com)
• Priya Chaudhry, the attorney behind actor Jonathan Majors and Real Housewives star Jen Shah, “spars with her opponents like a bare-knuckle boxer—and does it in gold sneakers.” She said she was drawn to defense work because of the inequality she witnesses growing up. “I hate bullies,” she said. (The Cut)

Laterals, Moves, In-house

• Ivy A. Wang has joined Greenberg Traurig from Ellis George as a shareholder with the white collar defense and investigations and litigation practices in Los Angeles. She served as an assistant US attorney for the Central District of California.
• Marc Warren and Paul Alp have joined Adams and Reese to serve as co-leaders of the aviation and aerospace team in Washington, D.C. Warren formerly served as acting chief counsel and deputy chief counsel of the FAA, and Alp served as Boeing senior counsel.
• David Solander has joined DLA Piper as a partner in the investment funds group in Washington, D.C.
• Travis McRoberts has joined Baker Botts as a financial restructuring partner in the corporate department in Dallas. He joins from Squire Patton Boggs.
• Ben Saul has joined Steptoe as a financial services partner with the government affairs and public policy practices in Washington, D.C.
• Kathryn Eckert has joined Frost Brown Todd as a partner with the environmental practice group and energy industry team in Lexington, Ky.
• Benjamin Rapp will join Gibson Dunn as a tax partner in Germany.