The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times

Lobbying Group Officially Drops 'Lobbyists' From Name

The Association of Government Relations Professionals had its coming-out party at a Washington, D.C., hotel Thursday, two days after the lobbying trade group announced it had officially dropped its original name, the American League of Lobbyists.

Before dozens of lobbyists gathered at the Washington Court Hotel for the organization's annual meeting, AGRP president Monte Ward unveiled the group's new logo and a mockup of its new website. Ward said the 34-year-old group now is about "more than just lobbying," noting that its members also are concerned with political action committees, social media and grassroots work, among other matters.

"When we went through the strategic-planning process, it became very clear that our members are different than they were 20 years ago or even in 1979, when we started," Ward said.

Former Virginia U.S. Attorney Joins Davis Polk

Neil MacBride, the former U.S. attorney for Eastern District of Virginia, is joining Davis Polk & Wardwell's Washington office as a partner, the firm said today.

After four years overseeing high-profile investigations and prosecutions of government leakers, terrorists and corrupt public officials, MacBride will put that experience to use on the other side of the courtroom as a member of the firm's white-collar defense and government investigations practice.

"At sort of a macro level, I always regarded it as one of the world's great law firms," MacBride said in an interview today. "It's a place I've respected from afar." He said the firm partnership voted him in this week but he won't start until early next year.

Senate Changes Rules, Curbs Power to Filibuster

The Senate today invoked the so-called "nuclear option" and stripped the ability of the minority party to block presidential nominations—a move that will smooth the path to confirmation for President Obama's judicial picks.

The 52-48 historic vote overturned a Senate rule that stood for more than a century. The rules previously required 60 votes to overcome a filibuster and advance a nomination to an up-or-down confirmation vote, which requires a simple majority.

Now, a simple majority can overcome a filibuster for all judicial nominees except those for the U.S. Supreme Court.

Lawyer Convicted in Insider Trading Scheme Disbarred

Matthew Kluger, a former law firm associate convicted in a 17-year, multimillion-dollar insider trading scheme, was disbarred today in the District of Columbia.

Kluger is serving 12 years in jail after pleading guilty to passing along nonpublic information about business deals he gleaned from his job at some of the nation's biggest law firms. Kluger, disbarred in New York in January, didn't contest his disbarment in Washington.

The D.C. Court of Appeals based its decision to disbar Kluger on his conviction for obstruction of justice, finding it was a "crime of moral turpitude" that required immediate disbarment. Kluger also pleaded guilty to securities fraud charges.

Senate Democrats Propose Change to Confirmation Process

Democrats proposed a major change to Senate rules today that would streamline the confirmation process for all judicial nominees other than those for the U.S. Supreme Court.

After Republicans blocked three of President Obama's nominees to a key federal appeals court in Washington in the past three weeks, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) called all senators to the floor to detail his proposal. Reid proposed the rule change this morning.

The change, often referred to as the "nuclear option," would strip the ability of the minority party to filibuster judicial nominees. The rules currently require 60 votes to overcome a filibuster and advance a nomination to an up-or-down confirmation vote, which requires a simple majority.

Boston Lawyer Named New Supreme Court Legal Counsel

Ethan Torrey, a partner at the Boston law firm Choate Hall & Stewart, will be the next legal counsel of the Supreme Court. The court announced on Wednesday that he will assume the post on January 6, 2014.

Torrey will succeed Scott Harris, who served as counsel for the court for 11 years until he became the new clerk of the court September 1.

The position of legal counsel at the court, created by Chief Justice Warren Burger 40 years ago, is very much a behind-the-scenes job, assisting the justices with a range of case-related and other matters. The counsel sometimes helps justices with circuit duties, original jurisdiction cases and emergency applications. The office played a role in the court's compressed consideration of the White House tapes in the United States v. Nixon case during Watergate. In that sense, the legal counsel resembles  staff attorney positions that exist in some lower courts, supplementing the work of law clerks who stay for one or at the most two years.

The Morning Wrap

Spying: The National Security Agency had authorization to spy on citizens in Britain and other U.S. allies, according to a 2005 secret document provided by former N.S.A. contractor Edward Snowden. The New York Times has the story.

Delays: U.S. Attorney Ronald Machen Jr. said "challenges and obstacles" have held up his office's probe into Mayor Vincent Gray's (D) 2010 campaign. The Washington Post reports on remarks Machen gave at a public talk yesterday.

Verdict: A Boston federal jury rejected a former Ropes & Gray associate's claims of discrimination against the firm. The National Law Journal's Sheri Qualters reports.

Investigation: The Wall Street Journal reports an insider-trading probe has cast a new spotlight on the political intelligence business, with investigators struggling to draw a line between illegal tips and research-based analysis.

Patents: Lawyers for Samsung Electronics Co. have asked a federal judge to halt jury deliberations on damages in its patent dispute with Apple Inc. The Recorder reports the move was prompted by a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office decision to veto a key Apple patent at issue.

Jeh Johnson Nomination Passes Senate Committee

A Senate committee today quickly approved the nomination of former U.S. Department of Defense general counsel Jeh Johnson to be secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Less than a minute after the committee met, the members used a voice vote to approve the nomination of Johnson, now a litigation partner in the Washington office of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison.

"He is a strong leader, I think well-prepared to face the challenges that will await him," committee Chairman Sen. Tom Carper (D-Del.) said before the vote.

Consumer Agency Fines Lender for Document Destruction

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau took its first enforcement action against a pay day lender, ordering Cash America International Inc. to issue up to $14 million in refunds to consumers and to pay a $5 million fine for destroying records prior to a visit by agency examiners.

The company robo-signed legal documents in debt collection lawsuits against 14,000 consumers in Ohio, manually stamping attorney signatures and improperly notarizing documents, the CFPB said. Also, the company allegedly charged military service members interest rates exceeding the 36 percent cap set by the Military Lending Act.

Based in Fort Worth, Texas, Cash America has hundreds of retail locations in more than 20 states as well as online operations. The publicly traded company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Board Recommends Disbarment for Lawyer For Fraud Conviction

An attorney discipline board in Washington is recommending Daryl Hudson III, the head of a debt financing company in Washington and former counsel with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, be disbarred over his wire fraud conviction.

The Board on Professional Responsibility earlier this month recommended disbarment. Hudson was convicted of a crime of "moral turpitude," the board said, warranting automatic disbarment—if the conviction survives appeal.

A federal jury in New Mexico found Hudson guilty of wire fraud in September 2012. Hudson is serving a 70-month sentence in prison. The District of Columbia Court of Appeals is not expected to rule on Hudson's status with the D.C. Bar until his appeal wraps up.