PAY TO PLAY? – National Association of Attorneys General director Chris Toth sent a parting note on his last day of office to state attorneys general and their deputy chiefs accusing a rival organization of acting as a vessel for lobbying groups that represent parties being investigated by state justice departments. The organization, the Conference of Western Attorneys General/Attorney General Alliance (CWAG/AGA), denied the allegations. Bruce Love reports that Toth’s final message appears to have highlighted tensions between Democratic and Republican state justice officials.
PROPERTY LAWYERS – Real estate attorneys are taking on more work from clients with distressed assets from rising interest rates and inflation. In response to the increased demand, law firms such as McDermott Will & Emery, Polsinelli, Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough and Greenberg Traurig have on-boarded groups of real estate lawyers, Jacob Polacheck reports. For instance, McDermott has seen an estimated 15% increase in billable hours from last year, according to Harris Siskind, the global head of the firm’s transactions practice group.
