“Accused Mexican Drug Kingpin Retains Attorney Who Represented His ‘Turncoat’ Son” —

• “The criminal prosecution involving the Sinaloa drug cartel has all the makings of an epic mini-series. Power! Untold riches! Dramatic arrests! Betrayal! Court battles! The latest ingredient added to the mix involves a defendant choosing to retain an attorney who represented his son when he testified against the defendant’s former partner. Need more? There’s a possibility of that same son testifying against the defendant father if the current case goes to trial.”
• “The defendant is Ismael ‘El Mayo’ Zambada, age 76. Zambada was believed to be a co-founder and leader of the notorious Sinaloa drug cartel in Mexico, assuming control after Joaquín ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán was arrested in 2016. Guzmán was convicted in U.S. federal court in 2019 in a trial that included testimony against the druglord from Zambada’s son Vincente Zambada Niebla.”
• “The charges against Zambada are numerous and serious. He’s accused of leading a continuing criminal enterprise for 35 years. Under his control, the Sinaloa Cartel allegedly manufactured and distributed ‘massive quantities of narcotics’ that generated billions in illegal revenue. The feds allege murders through groups of hitmen called ‘sicarios’ were common. Zambada is also alleged to be responsible for money laundering and creating corruption through bribes and intimidation.”
• “At the very least, Zambada faces a minimum of life in prison. Given the type and number of charges against him, the death penalty is also on the table.”
• “During a hearing in a Brooklyn federal court on Jan. 25, 2025, Zambada gave his informed consent to retain his attorney, Frank Perez, acknowledging the attorney’s previous representation of his son in the case against his former partner. It’s an interesting choice.”
• “There’s no doubt it’s a potential conflict of interest for Perez. The prosecutors for the case have indicated Zambada Niebla will be on their list of potential witnesses. While this doesn’t guarantee he’ll be called, it sets up a situation where Perez might have to defend his current client from the testimony of his former client, who also happens to be his client’s son.”
• “District Judge Brian Cogan didn’t try to block Zambada’s request. There’s speculation that given his advanced age and the possibility of ending up on Death Row, Zambada may opt for a plea bargain instead. The court encouraged the parties to work on an agreement before the next court date in April.”
• “Any deal will likely find Zambada behind bars for the rest of his life. At least he won’t have to worry about attending awkward holiday gatherings with his son.”

“Attorney-general admits recusal over conflicts of interest” —

• “The attorney-general [for England and Wales] has admitted that he has had to recuse himself ‘from certain matters’ when giving advice to the government because of potential conflicts of interest.”
• “Lord Hermer KC, who became the government’s top law officer last July, was paid £30,000 to represent Gerry Adams against IRA bomb victims in a High Court case that is due to go to trial next year.”
• “Sir Keir Starmer is preparing to repeal the Legacy Act, which would open the door to taxpayer-funded compensation for hundreds of Republicans including the former Sinn Fein leader.”
• “Labour has already abandoned an appeal against a ruling by Northern Ireland’s High Court that declared that the 2023 act, which included clauses denying payouts to terrorism suspects detained without trial in the Seventies, breached human rights laws.”
• “Hermer has refused to tell MPs whether he was involved in the decision to drop the appeal or to repeal the legislation, citing rules in the ministerial code.”
• “The Conservatives called on Hermer to remove himself from any involvement in all cases in which he previously acted as a lawyer, including the Afghanistan inquiry where he represented Afghan families.”
• “Hermer admitted for the first time on Monday that he has recused himself from some decisions in response to an urgent question in the House of Lords.”
• “He told peers that there is a ‘rigorous system’ for dealing with potential conflict of interest, adding that his department will ‘always err on the side of caution’.”
• “He said: ‘It is vital that the public are reassured that the highest standards of propriety are applied by my department and I welcome the opportunity to answer questions today.”
• “‘As the House will be aware, I am constrained by the law officers’ convention which prohibits me from identifying particular instances in which law officer advice has been sought even by implication.”
• “‘But I hope reassurance can be found in the description of the rigorous system for managing conflicts provided by the solicitor-general [in the Commons]. And may I make plain, if ever there is or will be reasonable doubt as to whether a law officer should be recused, my department will always err on the side of caution.'”
• “‘I can assure the House that recusals have no material impact on my department’s work. Where one law officer is conflicted, another is asked to act instead. And I am fortunate to have the support from a solicitor-general and an advocate-general for Scotland with highly successful careers in law.'”
• “The Cabinet Office has rejected calls for an investigation into Hermer’s potential conflicts of interest over his past clients. Sir Chris Wormald, the cabinet secretary, has written to Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, insisting that appropriate arrangements are in place.”

“Dechert sues former lawyer for alleged salary overpayment” —

• “Dechert has sued a former senior project attorney for more than $90,000, the money that the law firm said it is still owed after a $132,250 salary overpayment.”
• “The suit says senior project attorney Kathleen Fay continued to receive her regular salary for a 7½ month period ending in May 2024, even though she wasn’t performing billable work at that time. A temporary employment agreement in effect during that period provided that Fay would be paid only for billable work assigned to her and performed.”
• “The agreement was reached in late September 2023 after Fay asked to remain listed on the firm’s website. Fay’s contract as a project attorney ended without an extension June 30, 2023, but she continued to be paid for three months and was offered consulting services to help with her job search, the suit says.”
• “When Dechert discovered its mistake in mid-May 2024, it demanded its money back. Fay did not comply, the suit says.”
• “Fay told Law.com that the suit allegations ‘are baseless and its actions are unethical.’ She worked on the firm’s product liability team for more than a decade ‘and am now a law librarian earning less than a paralegal,’ she said.”
• “‘It is unfortunate that Dechert has chosen to remove my vested funds from my 401(k) account and to bully me in public,’ Fay told Law.com. ‘However, the equities and the law favor me and I look forward to vindicating my rights and reputation in court.'”

Above the Law updates and weighs in: “Sullivan & Cromwell Attorneys Are NOT Happy The Firm Decided To Suck Up To Trump” —

• “Back in the day, S&C reportedly refused to represent Trump, allowing them to avoid having to trade deep-pocketed clients anxious to distance their brands from the most toxic client in America, in exchange for the honor of getting stiffed on the bill.”
• “But this time around, corporate America appears actively interested in currying favor with the White House any way they can and a cozy relationship with Trump is not only no longer a negative, it might actually be a firm selling point. And so Sullivan & Cromwell publicly announced that it’s going to represent Trump as he challenges the hush money conviction.”
• “Firm leadership might see this matter as an opportunity to show clients that they have Trump’s ear, which remains surprisingly pristine one for a guy who swears it was shot off by a sniper. But the decision is already alienating the firm’s attorneys.”
• “According to one S&C attorney who purports to have spoken with multiple S&C colleagues, the mood is that everyone is ‘upset with the announcement that we’ll be representing Trump.’ Another notes that it will ‘likely to grow into a morale drain among associates.'”
• “And while there may be general dismay with representing Trump as a person, for one S&C lawyer it’s less about the client than that client’s history of forcing his lawyers to publicly debase themselves by litigating cases his way.”
• “‘It does not appear that we are treating this like a normal S&C appeal where we stay quiet and do great legal work. To have the head of the Firm talking about D.A. Bragg ‘target[ing]’ President Trump is completely antithetical to anything I have experienced in my time at the Firm before. I had always been proud that we emphasize precision and accuracy in what we say—eschewing exaggerations, hyperbole and personal attacks. Very alienating to see senior management abandoning that.'”
• “S&C pays market and provides matching bonuses so they’ll not find themselves bereft of talent right away. But when the next up-and-coming talent weighs their summer offers or a thriving associate gets a call from a recruiter… are they going to be interested in a career with Roy Cohn Lite, LLP or somewhere else?”