Big Move: Wilmer, Cutler, Pickering, Hale and Dorr re-hired Stephen Preston, the former Defense Department and CIA general counsel. Preston will chair the defense, national security and government contracts practice, the firm said Wednesday. He had worked in the government during both the Clinton and Obama administrations, with stints in the Wilmer partnership in between. Wilmer’s ties to the Defense Department run deep, with several former Defense Department general counsels affiliated with the firm.
Speaking Of: Wilmer may have a major client in the city of Baltimore, with a contract with the city for up to $2 million in legal fees approved by a spending board Wednesday, according to the Baltimore Sun. If the City Council signs off on the bill as well, the firm will counsel the city until June on the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation into its police department. The Sun reported the Wilmer’s hourly fees as being between $400 to $800 an hour.
Sound Familiar?: WBEZ radio explains what happens during a federal investigation of a police department, like the one that U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch has opened into the Chicago Police Department, or the investigation in Baltimore.
Lobbyist Watch: The Congressional Research Service released an extensive report on lobbying to members of Congress this month. The reports looks into the history and shortcomings of current lobbying disclosure requirements, with extra emphasis on shadow lobbying, strategic consulting and grassroots lobbying work.
Court Disrupted: The man accused of shooting and killing three people at a Planned Parenthood in Colorado shouted in court Wednesday, “I’m a warrior for the babies” and “Protect babies,” among several other outbursts, according to the Associated Press.
