A Minneapolis-based Barnes & Thornburg partner representing My Pillow CEO Mike Lindell is “no longer with the firm,” the firm said Friday, a day after the partner put his name on a new federal lawsuit accusing voting machine vendors Dominion Voting Systems and Smartmatic of using the courts to stifle Lindell’s claims of election fraud.

The Am Law 100 firm said the partner didn’t receive “firm authorization” for the suit and the firm is immediately withdrawing as local counsel.

Alec Beck, who has been a labor and employment partner at the 100 firm since 2019, is working alongside a lead counsel from Houston trial law firm Daniels & Tredennick in the defamation and abuse of process suit filed Thursday in Minnesota federal court.

“Late last night, firm management became aware of the filing of the complaint, which was done without receiving firm authorization pursuant to internal firm approval procedures,” a Barnes & Thornburg spokesperson said Friday. “While the firm cannot comment substantively on pending matters, the firm is immediately taking the requisite steps to withdraw as local counsel in this matter and end the client relationship. The attorney representing the client in this matter is no longer with the firm.”

Talent On The Move

Where are established partners moving? What firms are increasing partner headcount and in which markets & practices? Track Partner moves by firm, region, and practice area with your Legal Compass subscription. Log in or get your free trial today.

Get More Information

Dominion sued Lindell for $1.3 billion in February over their false statements about Dominion rigging the 2020 election against President Donald Trump, including that the company was founded in Venezuela and rigged elections in the past.

Thursday’s suit follows a separate $1.6 billion defamation suit that My Pillow filed against Dominion in April. In that matter, the company is represented by four attorneys from Minneapolis firm Parker Daniels Kibort.

In the new 82-page complaint, Lindell accused Dominion and Smartmatic of conspiring to “weaponize the court system and the litigation process in an attempt to silence Lindell’s and others’ political speech about election fraud and the role of electronic voting machines in it.” 

“Under the auspices of ‘defending election integrity’—a lofty goal far better served by fixing their notoriously and demonstrably insecure voting machines than by waging lawsuit warfare on private citizens—Smartmatic and Dominion have embarked on a concerted, collective enterprise to extort silence from their dissenters or bring financial ruin on any and all who persist in speaking their minds,” Lindell contended in the suit. 

Beck declined to comment on his status with the firm when reached Friday. He joined Barnes & Thornburg in 2019 after eight years at labor and employment boutique Ford & Harrison.

Doug Daniels of Daniels & Tredennick did not have an immediate comment about the complaint, other than to say Beck will continue to serve as local counsel.

With several exceptions, Big Law has proved wary of lending support to claims from Trump and his backers questioning the integrity of the 2020 election. A Foley & Lardner partner who sat in on a January call in which Trump pressured Georgia officials to “find” votes that would reverse the results of the presidential election swiftly resigned from the firm. So did a Fox Rothschild partner also on the call, along with his father.

Immediately following the November election, Jones Day, Porter Wright Morris & Arthur and Snell & Wilmer represented Trump or the GOP in bringing forth various claims of fraud, irregularities or mail-in ballot issues. These firms’ involvement in the litigation led to immense public outcry online and, in some cases, even in-person. Activists camped outside their offices, holding signs like “Stop the GOP Coup” and “Jones Day is killing democracy for profit.”

Later in November, both Porter Wright Morris & Arthur and Snell & Wilmer withdrew from their cases.

https://www.law.com/americanlawyer/2021/06/04/barnes-thornburg-partner-leaves-firm-after-representing-my-pillow-ceo-in-suit/?slreturn=20210504144839