Afternoon Briefs: These BigLaw firms get 'A' ratings on climate change; lawyer settles athlete fraud claims
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Only 4 BigLaw firms get ‘A’ ratings in climate change fight
A group called Law Students for Climate Accountability is giving an ‘A’ grade to only four large law firms for work on behalf of clients mitigating climate change. A-rated firms are Cozen O’Connor; Schulte Roth & Zabel; Sheppard, Mullin, Richter & Hampton; and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. The rating is based on litigation, transactional and lobbying work from 2015 to 2019. (Law.com, Law360, Above the Law, Law Students for Climate Accountability website, 2020 Law Firm Climate Change Scorecard)
Lawyer settles claim he defrauded athletes in concussion litigation
Florida lawyer Tim Howard has agreed to pay a civil penalty of nearly $400,000 to settle allegations that he defrauded retired NFL players he represented in a concussion settlement. Howard did not admit allegations in the lawsuit filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission. The suit claimed that a hedge fund paid advances to the athletes in return for them signing over their entire settlements. (Law360)
Ex-DOJ lawyers express concerns about AG Barr
About 1,600 former Department of Justice lawyers and employees are expressing concern that U.S. Attorney General William Barr is using the power of his office to aid President Donald Trump in the 2020 presidential election. In an open letter, they accused Barr of using the DOJ to discredit the investigation of Russian election influence. They also cited his attacks on mail-in ballots. (USA Today, the open letter)
