Legal Eagle Wedding Watch 8.19.07: Greener Pastures

We apologize for the tardiness of this edition of LEWW. We’ve been in the thick of a real estate transaction and various related matters, and we haven’t been able to devote our usual amount of attention and energy to wedding criticism. But fear not — the nuptial machine grinds on, and we have three impressive couples to examine this week:

1. Catherine Holahan and Christopher Murphy
2. Susan Green and Adam Greene
3. Melanie Forbes and Jason Goins

More about our featured couples, after the jump.

1. Catherine Holahan and Christopher Murphy
(Buy them a cookbook holder.)
The Case:
– Catherine and Chris met as law students at the University of Connecticut. (She got her undergrad degree from the University of Vermont; he went to Williams.)
– There’s a strong Connecticut theme to this union. Their officiant was Ellen Ash Peters, retired chief justice of the Connecticut Supreme Court and a former professor at Yale Law School. And both spouses’ fathers are (or were) partners at Connecticut law firms, Catherine’s at Holahan, Gumpper & Dowling in Fairfield and Christopher’s at Shipman & Goodwin in Hartford.
– They’re both public servants. Catherine represents low-income children as an attorney for Connecticut Legal Services. Chris, 2002 law school graduate, could be a senior associate at some middling law firm by now, burned-out and anguishing over his partnership prospects. But instead, he’s joined the ultimate law firm — the United States Congress! The luscious lawmaker represents Connecticut’s 5th District. Instead of writing legal memos, he’s writing actual laws, strutting the halls of power, and basking in the adoration of naive 24-year-old interns. Well done!
The Case Against:
– It’s a bit pitiful that UConn Law’s Wikipedia entry lists Chris, a first-term Congressman, as one of its 11 notable alumni. (Another is Edward Kennedy Jr., son of Teddy.) Harvard’s distinguished alumni list, by contrast, includes six current members of the US Supreme Court and two presidential candidates.

2. Susan Green and Adam Greene
(Buy them a toothbrush.)
The Case:
– Another union forged in the hellfire of law school. This time it’s Brooklyn Law School, where the bride is a rising 3L (the groom already graduated).
– Both halves of this pair are working for solid firms. Adam’s an associate at Davis Polk, and Susan summered at Simpson Thacher &; Bartlett.
– For most women, taking their husband’s last name is a big change. Susan just added an “e,” and, as the folks at any Olde Towne Shoppe will tell you, that extra “e” = classy. Too bad that one letter will cost her a day of her life at the DMV.
The Case Against:
– They’re attractive, but oddly posed. It looks like their heads are fused together with powerful magnets. “Cannot… separate… skulls…”. We blame the photographer.

3. Melanie Forbes and Jason Goins
(Buy them a pie dish.)
The Case:
– Here’s your weekly Harvard fix! Melanie and Jason were both undergrads at the big H (she graduated magna and he cum laude), and they came back for more Crimson goodness. Melanie has a Harvard JD; Jason has a Harvard MBA.
– Jason is a research stock analyst at Wellington Management in Boston. Melanie is bound for associate-dom at WilmerHale.
– They look fun and nice. How adorable are those matching heart-shaped chins? And Jason — nice try, but you cannot hide your hotness behind those nerdy wire-rimmed glasses!
The Case Against:
– We’ve been trying to focus on two-lawyer couples, so Jason’s lack of a JD has to count against them. (Not much, though. He does have a Harvard MBA.)
The Verdict:
A seat in Congress won’t automatically make you a LEWW winner — c’mon, it’s not like a Rhodes or a SCOTUS clerkship. But we’ve got a good feeling about Congressman Chris. Congratulations, Team Holohan-Murphy!

Sponsored