Kirkland and Ashurst raid Houston, Paul Hastings takes a Sheppard trio

Kirkland & Ellis poached a Susman Godfrey commercial litigation partner in Houston who spent more than two decades at Susman Godfrey and served on its executive committee. Ashurst Perkins Coie poached a Bracewell energy partner in Houston, who joins as managing partner of Ashurst Perkins Coie's new Houston office. Hunton Andrews Kurth poached a Husch Blackwell commercial litigation partner in Dallas. Paul Hastings poached three Sheppard Mullin complex litigation partners in Century City and Orange County. Greenberg Traurig added real estate lawyers from Jackson Walker in San Francisco and from Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck in Denver. Sidley Austin poached a Mayer Brown banking and finance partner in Charlotte, along with three associates. A&O Shearman poached a Sidley Austin capital markets partner in New York, and brought in a Milbank lawyer there as a debt finance partner. Weil, Gotshal & Manges poached a Paul, Weiss antitrust partner in New York.

On the business side, a federal judge rejected a Justice Department bid to disqualify Susman Godfrey from representing the American Bar Association in a lawsuit that accuses the Trump administration of carrying out a law firm intimidation policy. Jackson Walker cited 11 more corporate bankruptcies involving former judge David R. Jones in new disclosures about its failure to disclose his romantic relationship with a former Jackson Walker partner. The Justice Department's bankruptcy watchdog says those 11 cases don't need to be folded into the larger litigation against Jackson Walker.