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WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

SOUNDS OF SONDLAND - Gordon Sondland, the U.S. ambassador to the European Union, is expected to appear today as the House impeachment inquiry motors on. Sondland, who's been shepherded through the process by Paul Hastings lawyers Robert Luskin and Kwame Manley, is a critical witness for House Democrats who say President Trump put pressure on Ukraine to investigate Joe Biden and his son. Two other witnesses—Laura Cooper, deputy assistant secretary of defense, and David Hale, undersecretary of state for political affairs—also are expected to testify today. Cooper is represented by White & Case, and Hale is represented by the D.C. firm Bailey & Glasser.

NOW HIRING – A niche practice area is developing as private companies find themselves under increasing government scrutiny over the use of collected consumer data, Xiumei Dong reports. Several large law firms based inside the Beltway or beyond recently have brought aboard lawyers with national security backgrounds and related expertise from federal government agencies. Among those firms are O'Melveny, Gibson Dunn, and Morrison & Foerster.

TAX DAY – Law students from two dozen schools across the country are taking on the so-called tampon tax today. Karen Sloan reports that several major law firms, including Paul Weiss, have provided pro bono services to the nonprofit Period Equity, which is involved in the ongoing effort. The law students in states that tax menstrual products plan to purchase those items and send in tax refund claims to their respective state taxation agencies as both a form of protest and a bid to raise awareness about what they view as the gender bias of such taxes. Law firm Emery Celli in 2016 filed a class action lawsuit over New York's tampon tax, and lawmakers eliminated the tax a few months later. Since 2016, seven other states, including Florida and Ohio, have eliminated the tax on menstrual products.

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EDITOR'S PICKS

Recruiter Sues Freshfields, Claiming Credit for Cleary Rainmaker's Move

$9M for Lawyers Who Beat Trump Census Question

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WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING

ELECTED – Current Baker McKenzie London managing partner Alex Chadwick has been re-elected following a contested election. As Meghan Tillay reports, he fought off competition from antitrust partner and fellow London management committee member Samantha Mobley to succeed to a second three-year term in the position. Chadwick has spent his whole career at the firm.

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WHAT YOU SAID

"At that point, Mr. Eisenberg said I shouldn't talk to anyone else about it."

—  Alexander Vindman, director for European affairs on the National Security Council, testifying at the Trump impeachment hearings Tuesday, about telling John Eisenberg, the top lawyer for the National Security Council, of Vindman's concerns regarding Trump's call to the Ukrainian president.

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