Simpson Thacher takes Weil's private funds co-head. Skadden and Kirkland lawyers sanctioned $2M.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett is bringing in the co-head of Weil, Gotshal & Manges' US private funds practice in New York as a partner in their investment funds practice. The American Lawyer reports three more Weil private equity and private funds partners in New York are in serious talks with Simpson Thacher, and that Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison is adding a Weil private equity partner in New York. Weil told Law.com their private equity practice "is continuing to grow and remains a strong force in the market." Squire Patton Boggs added a partner in DC from the Justice Department's National Security Division, where he was a deputy chief in the foreign investment review section.

On the business side, Bloomberg Law reports a federal judge in Georgia sanctioned Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom and Kirkland & Ellis attorneys $2 million for withholding evidence and discovery abuse in a False Claims Act case against eClinicalWorks that settled during trial. The money goes to ethics and professionalism instruction at Georgia law schools. The NBA suspended Clippers owner Steve Ballmer for a year, stripped the team of five first-round picks and fined the team $30 million after a Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz report found salary cap violations. Ballmer's lawyer, an O'Melveny & Myers partner, called the probe a "witch hunt" and said Ballmer has reimbursed the costs of at least six law firms, nearly $50 million. Bloomberg Law reports King & Spalding and Dunn Isaacson Rhee represented key figures in the investigation. Barnes & Thornburg is adding 29,000 square feet to their Chicago office at 1 North Wacker, bringing them to 125,000 square feet, Crain's reports.