The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times

The Long Goodbye of DOJ's Lanny Breuer

Lawyers in Washington for a couple of months now have been playing fortune teller, buzzing about the anticipated comings and goings among top attorneys in key slots throughout the Obama administration. This week's focus: Lanny Breuer.

It wasn't a secret that Breuer, one of the longest-serving leaders of the U.S. Justice Department's Criminal Division, was preparing to leave the department. That information picked up steam Wednesday afternoon when The Washington Post reported that Breuer's "days in office are winding down."

The Post, back in November, reported on rumors of Breuer's desire to move on, and The National Law Journal in December also noted that Breuer is expected to call it quits. (The NLJ mentioned a couple of potential contenders for his job, including Paul Fishman, the U.S. attorney for New Jersey, and Jenny Durkan, the U.S. attorney in Seattle.)

The precise timing of Breuer's resignation, however, remains unknown. The Post yesterday said "it is not clear when Breuer intends to leave his post, nor what he plans to do once he departs." DOJ officials are not talking about Breuer's future. Breuer said in an interview late last year with The NLJ that he was planning to stick around for "a little while."

Daily D.C. Lateral Roundup: Baker & McKenzie; Oblon Spivak

A former general counsel of the Securities and Exchange Commission has returned to Baker & McKenzie as a partner. Daniel Goelzer joins the firm's corporate, securities and banking compliance practices. Goelzer is also a founding board member of the Public Accounting Oversight Board.

Oblon Spivak has added a pair of attorneys to its electrical practice. John Kern and Andy Kim join as a partner and associate, respectively, in the firm's Alexandria, Va. office. Kern focuses his practice on opinion work, counseling, patent prosecution and litigation. His clients include semiconductor, telecommunications and information technology companies.

Baker & Hostetler Severs Lobbying Ties with Chinese Telecom Company

Former Representative Michael Oxley (R-Ohio) has submitted to Congress paperwork severing Baker & Hostetler's lobbying ties with a controversial Chinese telecommunications company.

Oxley, of counsel to Baker & Hostetler in Washington, said the firm's lobbying relationship with Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. subsidiary Huawei Tech. Investment Co. Ltd. ended on November 20, 2012, according to a lobbying termination report filed this week. But after Oxley registered with Congress on August 30, 2012, to advocate for Huawei on "[t]echnology; telecommunications networks and products; cybersecurity," he didn't report any lobbying activity or payments from the company in excess of $5,000, congressional records show.

Neither Oxley nor a Huawei representative was immediately available to comment.

Former Wilmer Attorney Accuses Firm of Gender and Age Discrimination

A former attorney with Wilmer Culter Pickering Hale and Dorr has filed a $5 million discrimination suit against the firm, in which she alleges that the firm retaliated against her taking leave to adopt a child.

The complaint was filed Thursday in D.C. Superior Court. The firm, which says the charges are without merit, has not yet had a chance to file a response to the suit in court.

Pamela Levinson joined Wilmer's D.C. office in September 2004 as a fourth year associate at the age of 45. In early December 2011, Levinson took four-and-a-half months of leave to adopt a 22-month old child. She was let go by the firm in February 2012.

The complaint cites Levinson's performance reviews as evidence of her hard work and excellent performance. In January 2008, Levinson was promoted to counsel. During one evaluation later that year, Randolph Moss, chair of the firm's regulatory and government affairs department, said that Levinson had made "invaluable contributions" and produced "well-organized, clear, and concise" written work. But that fall, Levinson was informed by Moss, named as her mentor in the complaint, that she would not be considered for a partnership position.

Deadline Approaching for D.C.-Area In-House Legal Departments Contest

The National Law Journal is seeking nominations for our Washington Legal Departments of the Year Contest for 2013. We will recognize the Washington region's top in-house departments in six categories. To qualify, the departments must be led by lawyers from the D.C. metro area. Law firms may nominate their clients' legal departments for the contest.

Please send completed submissions to nljsurvey@alm.com, and include "Washington" and the company's name in the subject line. The deadline for submissions is January 31.

More information on the contest is available here.

News Outlets Challenge Secrecy Orders in Chandra Levy Murder Case

Updated at 1:06 p.m.

For the second time since the 2010 trial in the murder of 24-year-old intern Chandra Levy, a District of Columbia Superior Court judge is facing a challenge over orders keeping information in the case under seal.

A year ago, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals found that Judge Gerald Fisher wrongly denied the press access to jury questionnaires from the trial of Ingmar Guandique, who was found guilty of killing Levy. Yesterday, a group of media organizations filed a motion challenging Fisher's orders keeping post-conviction records and proceedings regarding recent developments in the case under seal.

According to the motion (PDF), first reported by McClatchy, prosecutors recently notified the court of evidence that could potentially impeach a government trial witness. More information wasn't available because Fisher held subsequent hearings starting in December at the bench or in a closed courtroom, and transcripts and other documents haven't been made available to the press or the public.

Obama Chooses Former Top NYC Fed Prosecutor White to Lead SEC

Updated 11:06 a.m.

President Barack Obama will nominate former federal prosecutor and Debevoise & Plimpton partner Mary Jo White as the next chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission this afternoon, a White House official confirmed.

White, a former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and now a white-collar defense lawyer, has been at Debevoise since 2002. Obama is expected to make the announcement at a press conference scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at the White House.

The President will also renominate Richard Cordray, also a former prosecutor, to lead the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. With the nominations, the White House will say these attorneys in top enforcement roles will help ensure the implementation of consumer protection efforts and Wall Street reforms from Obama's first term.

Former Puerto Rican Governor Joins Steptoe

Luis Fortuño, the former governor of Puerto Rico, has joined Steptoe & Johnson LLP as a partner in the firm's Washington office.

Fortuño will reside in the firm's government affairs and public policy group, as well as the corporate, securities and finance practice.

Elected in 2008, Fortuño, a Republican, implemented the largest tax cut in Puerto Rico's history and slashed government spending. His term ended January 2. Prior to being elected Governor, he served as Puerto Rico's Congressional delegate for four years.

The Morning Wrap

Front Line: The U.S. military is lifting its ban on women serving in the combat roles. Reuters reports that this is the second social barrier lifted by the military since the repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell in 2011.

Testify:  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton testified before Congress Wednesday, defending her actions before and after the attack on the U.S.'s Libyan diplomatic compound that killed four Americans. The New York Times reports that Clinton testified before Senate and House committees. "As I have said many times, I take responsibility, and nobody is more committed to getting this right," she said.

Come at me, bro: North Korea said Thursday that it intends to undertake nuclear tests and launch long-range missles, both of which are to provoke a confrontation with the U.S. CNN reports.

Hit the Road, Jack: A D.C. judge has barred a protestor from setting foot in the district after he was protesting in a tree during the inauguration Monday. The Washington Post reports that it has set off a debate over freedom of speech.

GOP Senators Delay Hearing on D.C. Circuit Nominee

Updated 6:40 p.m.

Senate Republicans are holding up the nomination of Sri Srinivasan for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, saying they want to know more about his role in the abrupt settlement of a Fair Housing Act case a year ago.

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) today said Republican members of the Senate Judiciary Committee have delayed a hearing for Srinivasan, currently the principal deputy U.S. solicitor general, while they seek more information about an agreement reached between the Department of Justice and the City of St. Paul, Minn.

The White House nominated Srinivasan for a spot on the 11-member bench in June. He still has not had a committee hearing, while the D.C. Circuit will soon have four vacancies. President Barack Obama completed his first term without having a nominee to that court confirmed.