Legal Eagle Wedding Watch 8.24: Herb-al Essence
As we expected, celebrity professors Cass Sunstein and Samatha Power were the winners of last week's July Couple of the Month voting, running away with over 60 percent of the vote. Congratulations to this nerdy-hot duo!
This week's set of contestants might be the strongest we've seen this season. Their write-ups feature five Harvard degrees, a Rhodes, and one of Biglaw's most exalted surnames. Here are the names of the newlyweds:
1. Geneviève Treuille and Daniel Wachtell
Read more about these couples -- and see their pictures -- after the jump.
1. Geneviève Treuille and Daniel Wachtell
(Buy them a magnetic spice tin.)
The Case:
- Geneviève and Daniel met in law school (NYU) and graduated this past May. She did her undergrad at Swarthmore; he went to Princeton.
- They've had a full summer, what with wedding planning and (we assume) studying for the bar. They'll start at NYC firms this fall; the bride will be at Hogan and the groom at Morvillo, Abramowitz, Grand, Iason, Anello & Bohrer (a firm described by the New York Observer as "the crème de la crème of white-collar criminal defense in Manhattan").
- Speaking of crème de la crème, the father of the groom is one of the founding partners of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, which is, one might say, the crème de la crème de la crème of Biglaw, being both the most profitable law firm in the world and the most prestigious firm to work for. (It's also a former workplace of ATL's founder.)
The Case Against:
- Wachtell's "about the firm" page refers to the firm's expertise with "'bet the company' litigation." Does a more trite, overused, bluster-y phrase exist in Biglaw? It's not even good marketing. The firm is essentially saying, "Our legal fees routinely threaten to bankrupt our clients." Woo-hoo!
- It's illusion-shattering to learn that the fruit of Herb Wachtell's loins slumbers on sheets from Bed Bath & Beyond. The newlyweds redeem themselves somewhat in this category, however, by registering for respectably expensive china.
2. Melissa Langsam and Todd Braunstein
(Buy them a Fred-o-Matic kitchen timer.)
The Case:
- Six mentions of Harvard in this write up, so we're already on board. Both Melissa and Todd graduated magna from Harvard College. Todd also went to HLS, graduating cum laude. Melissa is currently studying for a master's in public policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
- Todd is a former president of The Harvard Crimson, and the ceremony took place at the Harvard Club in New York.
- Todd was until recently a special assistant for domestic policy at the White House. Next month he'll start as an assistant U.S. Attorney in Boston. Melissa is a former speechwriter for the Bush II State Department.
The Case Against:
- Google turned up a quote from Melissa criticizing affirmative action, calling it "a huge disservice . . . It negatively charges the environment when you have preferences." Speaking of huge disservices: Wouldn't it be swell if all Melissa and Todd's colleagues in the Bush administration had shared this view of preferences, particularly the nauseating Monica Goodling, and her hack-factory at the Department of Justice?
3. Amanda Schwoerke and Stephen Sachs
(Buy them honeymoon stuff.)
The Case:
- Amanda was magna at Mount Holyoke; Stephen was summa at Harvard. They met at Yale Law School.
- Like Team Treuille-Wachtell, they'll both begin jobs as associates this fall. Amanda will be at Wiley Rein, and Stephen will be at Mayer Brown.
- Stephen clerked for Judge Stephen Williams of the DC Circuit. He also -- Prestigious Credential Alert! -- was a Rhodes Scholar, earning a degree in philosophy, politics, and economics.
The Case Against:
- Although we pass no judgment on this groom (or on Judge Williams), it has been our observation that there is a higher incidence of phatuousness among men named "Stephen" than men simply named "Steven."
The Verdict:
This week's contest comes down to Herb Wachtell versus Cecil Rhodes. It's close. Mr. Wachtell holds a strong lead in the category of marriages, but he has not -- yet -- had a country named after him, or been stalked by a princess. We therefore give a slight edge to Mr. Rhodes, and accordingly to Team Schwoerke-Sachs. Congratulations!
(59) 
first
"phatuousness"?!?! REALLY?
Just when I thought they could be more unattracive. The women this time are at best 3.5's. I only date 10's (9.5's if they have more money than me).
HTH.
WAY too prestigious. I feel lightheaded.
At least their future children will be smart...
Daniel Watchel didn't want to work for Watchell? Maybe he'll just work for a couple of years and lateral in as a partner.
LOL at Watchells: Swathmore + Princeton to NYU. They were half way to a great pedigree, not they reek of prestiglessness.
ATL - are you going to reference the fact that one of your editors worked at Wachtell EACH & EVERY SINGLE TIME Watchtell is mentioned in one of your articles?
ATL - are you going to reference the fact that one of your editors worked at Wachtell EACH & EVERY SINGLE TIME Watchtell is mentioned in one of your articles?
8 - It's a disclaimer / disclosure. It SHOULD be included each and every time.
Bride 3 should ask for a Gillette Mach 3 Razor for that moustache.
Stephen Sachs is clearly kicking one foot in the air in that picture.
10- give me a break...it's funny how Wachtell is the only firm that's consistently and at every opportunity "disclaimer-ed and disclosured" by the ATL editors...even when there's no need to
Couple number one sure look happy. Or, at least, like they both just realized that someone secretly replaced their gourmet coffee with Folgers' Crystals.
The Schwoerke and Sachs team need to discover Crest Whitestrips
Holy crap! Genevieve's middle name is HUSSEIN! No joke!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Genevieve_Hussein_Treuille/833250
phatuousness? does ATL not have spell check?
The Wachtell boy probably went to NYU law because the founders of WLRK, including his dad, all went to NYU law.
Wait. Is phatuous supposed to be a play on fatuous, or is Elie just a complete idiot? I do not approve either way.
Could we have some more moderation in this thread? Some of these comments are inappropriate and I would like to see their removal.
I have nothing but the utmost respect for the couples and their families. May their wishes come true and their lives be happy and prosperous.
-- 4 here.
19, Elie didn't write this post, check the byline
I think phatuousness is a comment on the ph in StePHen's name. And yes, Stephens are more likely to be d-bags than Stevens.
Any insights into Wachtell's Bratislava office? Are the partners good to work for, work fairly interesting? Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated, thanks...
16-- its probably a leftover from the facebook trend of adding Hussein as your middle name in support of Barack Obama against the crazy accusations that he is Muslim.... duh.
16-- its probably a leftover from the facebook trend of adding Hussein as your middle name in support of Barack Obama against the crazy accusations that he is Muslim.... duh.
16, 24: I have secret level clearence at the DOJ as an attorney and I just submitted her to the no fly list. Thanks for the tip.
I am afraid Stephen Sacks might be trying to sneak in the back door and give everyone an uninvited sack lunch.
26: I wouldn't be surprised if supporting Obama became a critera for that :P
Both Melissa and Todd graduated magna from Harvard College. Todd also went to HLS, graduating cum laude. Melissa is currently studying for a master's in public policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. Their wedding picture appears on the side of a milk carton.
Mumbai here. Send me more work. I'm hungry.
Wow -- Could this be the most impressive group overall we have had since the beginning of LEWW? It certainly is since the beginning of 2008.
Quadruple Harvard + Republicans = waste of education.
So StePHan Sachs is not gay?
19 = fatuous
You gotta give the Wachtell boy credit for not riding daddy's coattails and joining WLRK. His fiance is not a stunner by any means. Comely may be the right term.
Wait - Barack Obama is not a Muslim??
32 - right on.
AA should be abolished, because we don't want a "negatively charged environment" ruining the Harvard experience of the daughter of a Scarsdale AVP at Merrill Lynch.
Any insights into Wachtell's Bratislava office? Are the partners good to work for, work fairly interesting? Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated, thanks...
I beg to differ with previous commenters - from that photo alone, i can tell you that I find Genevieve absolutely scrumptious!!!!! A delicious morsel!! Fina and Dandy!!! A cupcake, if you will!! Cute as a button!!!
I thought that you had to be athletic to qualify for a Rhodes Scholarship? That guy looks about as athletic as Henry Kissinger. What sport does he play? Ping pong?
Bonus points to bride 2 for being cute. Major points lost for being a Republican.
that's the thing about the Rhodes - as long as you can put down something on a CV that is vageuly sporty, it qualifies you for the thing. i should know - i put down competitive darts and got it a few years ago. they have managed to create an aura around the Rhodes (to my benefit) when in fact its all a bit of a sham.
LMAO about Rhodes not being ultra-prestigious.
In any event, I'd vote for the Wachtell just because of his last name, for sure. His sister is hot, too.
Schwoerke has an identical sister who went to cornell law. im still not totally convinced they're not the same person.
The upper east side? Home of the exposed brick wall and the houseplant?
Hideous in the looks department. Eggheads rule!
I call liberal bias. Melissa is the hottest female. I am not a big fan of couple number 1. I wen to school with both of them and Geneviève looks far better in that picture than she does in person. Dan, should have been able to get a better gig and Geneviève's facebook name is highly pretentious. Geneviève "Hussain" Treuille. BTW, if you are going to marry outside the tribe Dan, make sure she is hot.
Does Lat have any conservative friends/bloggers? The comment about AA was totally uncalled for and incorrect. The majority of gov. employees are liberal and don't support Bush's agenda. I worked at a gov. agency after my 1L year and the majority of lawyers there were openly hostile to Bush. Trying to hire lawyers that are more supportive of your agenda, in and of itself, is not a terrible thing.
Being conversative doesn't mean you have to back the Goodling insanity. It's one thing to look for lawyers who are supportive of your agenda; it's another to hire lawyers who are supportive and also sadly underqualified.
Wow...#47, hate much?
I also went to school with both of them as well. Genevieve is a fantastic person and is adorable in person. If you don't know that, then, apparently, #47, you are a shallow prick. Furthermore, Dan got the gig that he WANTED. The fact of the matter is that he didn't want to deal with the Big Law crap since he knew about it firsthand from his father.
Couple 2 got screwed because of Lin's political ramblings. Blah blah blah - bride #2 was clearly the hottest, and therefore should have won.
#49
So let me get this straight, if I don't find Genevieve good-lucking that makes me a prick? Great logic. I have no doubt that Dan got the gig he wanted as he was on NYU Law Review and pretty much could have worked anywhere except for Wachtell (since they probably have a policy against this). However, he is not exactly skipping BIG LAW by going to Morvillo, now is he? He is going to a firm where he is going to have to work long hours just like everyone else.
I think the Hussein thing is entirely pretentious and is actually demeaning to the vast majority of Republicans who haven't in any way made an issue of his last name and tried to focus on issues i.e. not how many houses he owns.
sorry, typo-good-looking
"I think the Hussein thing is entirely pretentious and is actually demeaning to the vast majority of Republicans who haven't in any way made an issue of his last name and tried to focus on issues i.e. not how many houses he owns. "
Hey 51, the only thing demeaning to us Republicans is counting people as dumb as you as fellow members of our party.
Criticism of affirmative action as part of the "case against"? Since when did ATL become a liberals-only club?
Since when is criticism of Monica Goodling a liberal position? The woman is reprehensible. I would think people across all ideologies could see that.
Langsam-Braunstein should have won. President of the Harvard Crimson is just as impressive as being a Rhodes Scholar (even without accounting for the fact that most Rhodes Scholars today are liberals selected specifically for, among other things, their involvement in left-wing activities that would make Cecil Rhodes turn in his grave). And unlike the Mount Holyoke degree of couple #3, couple #2 has impeccable educational credentials. Plus, there is not even any indication that they are actual conservatives (State Department!!??). I guess having views to the right of the Democrat Party mainstream is itself a dealbreaker on LEWW.
Laurie and 55: Keeping people who want to undermine our justice system out of the DOJ is neither "nauseating" nor "hackish" (nor is it affirmative action). Liberals discriminate in hiring (for government or private sector positions) all the time; where is the outrage?
Fed Soc
53, I doubt you are a Republican. Although, people like you would certainly explain how we lost in 2006 and probably will do the same in 2008.
The "case against" couple #2 is silly and makes Laurie Lin sound like a high school poster on some lefty blog. There's no real debate over the legitimacy of Goodling's actions; any reasonable person will concede they were inappropriate. But there is a real, reasonable, legitimate debate against affirmative action. Lin's rant equates the two issues, and that is nonsensical. Not to mention that the target of Laurie's rant worked for the state department, not DOJ.
LEWW is suppopsed to be all about raw, filthy prestige, not half-baked political rants.
Why is LEWW turning into a left-wing rant?! The "case against" is you don't like a quote on Dan's dad's firm webpage? A bride supprts a different policy than you and worked for an administration that employed Goodling without somehow having her fired or quitting in protest? Shut up, Lin, and get off the blog.