Dean under fire for 'advising Trump,' Foley Hoag says finances off-limits, prosecutor sues DeSantis, and Gibson Dunn leader joins King & Spalding
Reuters Legal
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A North Carolina university's choice of founding dean is raising the eyebrows of liberal groups. Law firm Foley Hoag asks a judge to not air its finances at a trial next month. A Florida state attorney sued Governor Ron DeSantis after he was suspended earlier this month for his stance on abortion. Trial lawyer Randy Mastro, whose clients have included Chevron and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, is joining law firm King & Spalding.
North Carolina’s High Point University is facing pushback over its choice for the founding dean of the law school it plans to open as early as 2024.
Critics say Mark Martin, a former chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court and former dean of Regent University School of Law, is an inappropriate choice for the role because he reportedly advised former President Donald Trump on possible ways to overturn the 2020 presidential election results.
“If you support the U.S. Constitution, you can’t support Mark Martin,” said Blair Reeves, executive director of liberal nonprofit Carolina Forward, which on Tuesday launched a public campaign to pressure the university to part ways with Martin.
The university said that Martin is not among the more than 1,000 people that have been interviewed by the House Committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol.
"Unless legal due process has rendered proof of anything illegal, then decisions cannot be made based merely on hearsay and media reports," the statement said.
Foley Hoag has urged a Washington, D.C., judge to bar any airing of the U.S. law firm's finances at trial next month when a former expert witness will argue he has not been paid for his work helping the firm in an arbitration matter for its client Venezuela.
Alejandro Salas Patron, a lawyer in Mexico City, sued Boston-based Foley Hoag in 2018 in the District of Columbia Superior Court alleging a breach of contract.
Salas' lawyers in New York at Wilson Williams have said they want to be able at trial to discuss Foley's finances to help explain the relationship between Salas and the firm.
Foley's attorneys claim in court filings that the firm's size and revenue have no bearing on Salas' breach of contract claim. Foley Hoag lawyer Nicholas Renzler told the court on July 29:
"The probative value of this evidence (i.e., none) is far outweighed by its unfair prejudice towards Foley Hoag."
A Florida state attorney on Wednesday sued Governor Ron DeSantis after he was suspended earlier this month for saying he would not prosecute anyone who sought or provided abortions.
In a lawsuit filed in Tallahassee, Florida, federal court, prosecutor Andrew Warren said his suspension by DeSantis violated his First Amendment rights and Florida's constitution and demanded to be reinstated.
Warren is the top prosecutor in Florida's 13th Judicial Circuit in Tampa, an elected position.
In suspending the state attorney, DeSantis said Warren cannot "pick and choose which laws to enforce based on his personal agenda." The governor has been courting conservatives as part of a potential presidential bid in 2024.
Randy Mastro, a prominent trial lawyer and former New York deputy mayor whose clients have included AIG, Chevron, DraftKings and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, is joining law firm King & Spalding after leading the litigation practice at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher for more than 20 years.
Mastro said Wednesday that his decision to leave was partly in response to Gibson Dunn's mandatory retirement age for equity partners, which is 68. Mastro is 65.
King & Spalding, where he is joining as a partner in New York next week, doesn't have a mandatory retirement age, Mastro said. He said he is not slowing down his legal career and is eager to help King & Spalding continue building its presence in the city.
"The horizon is up, up and up. I plan to practice for a long, long time."
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