The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times

Treasury Department Official Moving to Covington & Burling

A senior Treasury Department official is headed to Covington & Burling next month, the firm announced early Thursday.

Michael Caballero, the international tax counsel for the Treasury Department, starts as a Covington partner on September 10. He'll be joining the firm's tax practice.

During his tenure at the Treasury, Caballero led legislative, regulatory and treaty projects, including the implementation of the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act, a law designed to improve tax compliance of foreign financial assets and offshore accounts.

The Morning Wrap

Election Rules Tossed: U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle threw out provisions of a Republican-backed Florida election reform bill from 2011 that called for tighter restrictions on groups that organize voter registration drives, the Florida Times-Union reported. Hinkle had called the restrictions "harsh and impractical."

Holder Summoned to Court: U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson took the unusual step of asking Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. to come to her courtroom and explain why the Department of Justice is fighting to keep sealed records about a civil rights photographer from Memphis, The Commercial Appeal reported. Jackson is questioning why they're protecting decades-old material involving a now-deceased informant.

Commission's Prayers to Continue: U.S. District Judge Sandy Mattice has allowed a Tennessee county commission to continue weekly prayers before meetings despite a lawsuit from two men who say the practice violates the First Amendment’s Establishment Clause, the Chattanooga Times Free Press reports.

In Tenure Fight, Judge Denies Injunction to Ex-Law Professor in D.C.

A Washington federal district judge today denied (PDF) a preliminary injunction request by a former professor at the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law who sued the school after she was denied tenure and fired.

U.S. District Judge Richard Leon didn't rule on the merits of Stephanie Brown's lawsuit, but found that she had waited too long to file her complaint to argue now that she would suffer immediate and irreparable harm without a court order.

Brown worked at the law school for 25 years as an administrator and law professor, according to her complaint. In 2009, she applied for tenure and promotion. The law school's Faculty Evaluation and Retention Committee voted in favor of her application and it was endorsed by law school Dean Katherine Broderick, but the application was ultimately denied in 2011.

Orrick Expands Commercial Litigation Practice with New Partner

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe has added a partner to its commercial litigation practice.

Christina Sarchio, formerly the co-chair of Patton Boggs' government investigations and litigation practice group, will split her time between Orrick's Washington and New York offices.

In an interview, Sarchio said that Orrick's litigation practice and global footprint attracted her to the firm. Her practice focuses on commercial litigation, antitrust and white collar criminal defense. Sarchio is a former Assistant District Attorney for the Manhattan District Attorney's office in New York City. Sarchio said her fraud practice has been particularly active, both in the civil and criminal realm.

High Above Tampa, Foley & Lardner Honors Election Lawyer Mitchell

Cleta Mitchell of Foley & Lardner speaks with guests at a reception Tuesday.

Updated 10:10 a.m., 9/6/12

TAMPA, Fla. — Some of the leading voices in conservative politics gathered to honor Washington election lawyer Cleta Mitchell Tuesday evening in Foley & Lardner's lofty downtown offices, just outside the Republican National Convention.

As bacon-wrapped scallops and chicken cordon bleu poppers circulated through the 27th floor room that overlooks the main convention arena, conservative columnist George Will described how tough Mitchell could be when negotiating his work contracts. But he said her real legacy was defending free speech in election battles across the country.

"She is probably the principal defender of the First Amendment against Republicans who are just as bad if not more so than those Democrats," Will said. "It shows one hardy Oklahoman is worth a legion of misguided Republicans and Democrats."

Judge Dismisses Suit Against Bank of America Over Outsourced Calls

A federal district judge in Washington tossed a lawsuit (PDF) yesterday that accused Bank of America of putting customers' financial data at risk of surveillance by the U.S. government by diverting service calls overseas.

The plaintiffs claimed that by sending calls to call centers in other countries where U.S. laws governing financial privacy don't apply, the bank was giving the National Security Agency potential access to private financial information without the customer's knowledge.

U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton found that the complaint failed to offer any proof that Bank of America had released or provided any financial documents to the federal government, let alone detail specific injury to the plaintiffs.

Energy Partner Moves from Greenberg Traurig to McDermott Will

McDermott Will & Emery has added a partner to its energy advisory practice group, the firm announced Wednesday.

Robert Lamkin, formerly a partner at Greenberg Traurig, focuses his practice on energy trading and regulatory matters. He represents electric power generators, energy trading firms and renewable project developers, among others.

In an interview, Lamkin said that McDermott's strong energy and regulatory practices matched well with his own work. The forthcoming Dodd-Frank Act rules are spurring an interesting mix of regulatory and transactional work. "The past couple of years, the trading work has been busier for me than the regulatory work," he said.

Brownstein's Tampa Bay Cruise for GOP Delegates a '10 Out of 10'

TAMPA, Fla. — Melissa Kuipers' instincts proved more powerful than Hurricane Isaac.

While uncertainty about the storm's track led organizers of the Republican National Convention to call off events and reschedule others here, the Tampa Bay cruise for Colorado's GOP delegates sponsored by Kuipers' firm, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, set off on Tuesday, just as the former Floridian predicted.

Kuipers, a Brownstein attorney and policy adviser, likened the hurricane to a blizzard, which she said leaves a beautiful scene in Colorado.

The Morning Wrap

It's Official: The Republican Party formally nominated Mitt Romeny for president, launching its convention with two goals: to make the GOP contender more appealing and to sharpen the case against giving President Obama a second term, the Washington Post reports.

Stormy Weather: Hurricane Isaac drove water over the top of a levee on the outskirts of New Orleans on Wednesday, triggering life-threatening flooding seven years to the day after Hurricane Katrina, Reuters reports.

Bank Woes: The legal headaches at HSBC may not go away anytime soon, and when they do, the resolutions could be costly. The bank has been ensnared by some of the largest federal inquiries into the banking industry, The New York Times reports.

Chadbourne & Parke Appoints New D.C. Managing Partner

Chadbourne & Parke has named a new managing partner for its Washington office, the firm announced late Tuesday.

Dana Frix, a partner in the corporate department and chair of the firm's communications, media and technology practice group, will take on the new role September 1. Frix, who joined the firm in 2002, focuses his practice on corporate, regulatory and anti-competition matters as they relate to communications, media and information technology companies.

The firm's Washington office focuses on antitrust, tax, insurance, white collar defense, government investigations and environmental law, among others. The firm's Washington office had 54 lawyers at the end of last year, according to the most recent Legal Times 150 survey. Frix is succeeding Mary Lopatto as D.C. managing partner.