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Banks shun U.S. law firm trying to represent Russian lender VTB

The logo of VTB bank is seen at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 3, 2021. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

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  • New York’s Brafman & Associates says it was already rejected by three banks and is asking others to facilitate client payments
  • The bank is fighting claims it helped send money to Russian separatists that allegedly shot down a plane in 2014

(Reuters) – Lawyers who have agreed to represent Russia’s sanctioned VTB Bank in U.S. litigation say a third bank has refused to work with them to handle legal fee payments, forcing them to request more time to enter the case.

Manhattan law firm Brafman & Associates has been trying since early June to formally sign on as defense counsel for VTB in a lawsuit claiming the bank facilitated payments connected with the 2014 downing of a Malaysia Airlines flight over eastern Ukraine.

International law firm Latham & Watkins said in April that it intended to withdraw from representing the sanctioned bank. The Brafman firm has said it cannot enter the case until it is paid.

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Lawyer volunteers line up as N.Y. abortion providers seek out advice

Abortion rights protesters hold a youth rally in Washington Square Park in anticipation of Supreme Court overturning the Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision in New York City, U.S., June 3, 2022. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon

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  • About 50 New York law firms have expressed an interest in staffing a new hotline
  • The initiative is being spearheaded by New York Attorney General Leticia James

(Reuters) – A new hotline staffed by volunteer lawyers in New York is fielding a stream of inquiries from reproductive healthcare providers in the state worried about how the end of nationwide abortion rights protections could affect their operations, organizers said this week.

“Unfortunately, what we have received is what we expected,” said Claudia Hammerman, a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, which is coordinating law firm participation in the effort.

The New York hotline is the centerpiece of a month-old abortion rights initiative spearheaded by state Attorney General Letitia James in conjunction with law firms and reproductive rights organizations responding to the U.S. Supreme court last month overturning the constitutional right to abortion.

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After two weeks, the hotline

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Tesla hires new lawyer in compliance role amid legal battles

The logo of car manufacturer Tesla is seen at a branch office in Bern, Switzerland. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann

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(Reuters) – Tesla Inc has hired Michael Munro to handle compliance issues, according to a post from Munro on his LinkedIn account Tuesday, as the electric-car maker and its CEO Elon Musk face mounting legal challenges.

Munro will serve as associate general counsel for global compliance. Tesla did not confirm the hire nor did it immediately respond to requests for comment Tuesday.

Munro jumps to Tesla from a part-time position as general counsel at logistics platform company e2Log and a role at compliance consulting firm GCMR, which his LinkedIn profile said he co-founded.

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Tesla and Musk, who is the world’s richest person, are fighting on several legal fronts, including with the Securities and Exchange Commission over a 2018 agreement to have Musk’s Twitter posts vetted.

Tesla also faces several labor lawsuits, the latest of which alleges the company failed to provide legally-required advance notice to employees ahead of a

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Attorney Lin Wood loses appeal over state bar’s mental health probe

Attorney L. Lin Wood speaks during a press conference on election results in Alpharetta, Georgia, U.S., December 2, 2020. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage

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  • A federal appeals court said it could not hear a lawsuit Wood filed against Georgia state bar authorities
  • The bar wants Wood, who gained notoriety by promoting baseless election fraud theories, to undergo a mental health exam

(Reuters) – Conservative attorney L. Lin Wood cannot sue to block the Georgia state bar from seeking a mental health exam as part of its investigation into his conduct, a federal appeals court said Tuesday.

Wood, who gained notoriety after the 2020 election by promoting conspiracy theories of fraud in the race, last year filed the lawsuit claiming that the request for a mental health exam violated his constitutional rights. On Tuesday the Atlanta-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit affirmed a district court ruling tossing the case.

The order says Wood failed to show there was “bad faith” behind the Georgia bar investigation. The panel also said Wood will have an opportunity to raise constitutional claims before the Supreme Court of Georgia, and that court

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Washington AG wins sanctions against attorney behind voter fraud lawsuit

Washington state’s attorney general Bob Ferguson (C) speaks to the media next to Washington state solicitor general Noah Purcell (R) outside the U.S. federal courthouse in downtown Seattle. REUTERS/Dan Levine

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  • Top state prosecutor will also ask Washington bar to discipline Virginia Shogren
  • Dozens of lawsuits claiming fraud in the 2020 elections rejected by courts

(Reuters) – Washington State’s top prosecutor said Wednesday that his office won court sanctions against an attorney behind a post-2020 presidential election lawsuit alleging state officials were illegally registering non-citizens to vote, and said he will also ask bar officials to discipline the lawyer.

Attorney General Bob Ferguson said the Washington Supreme Court last month ordered lawyer Virginia Shogren to pay nearly $19,000 in attorneys fees for violating a rule against frivolous appeals. The court also directed Shogren’s client in the lawsuit, the Washington Election Integrity Coalition United, to pay about $9,500 in costs.

Shogren on Wednesday declined to comment, saying the case is still pending. The Washington State Bar Association website lists her as a solo attorney admitted to the association in 2003 and eligible to practice.

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