Legal Stars of the New Administration
New lawyers to lead the nation are sending in their resumes. Already, UC Berkeley School of Law Dean Christopher Edley has received a choice position as part of Obama’s transition advisory board. (I wonder if he’s accepting resumes from his students?)
Here’s an interesting choice for Edley and the rest of the transition team that will be picking the next Solicitor General. According to the Legal Times:
No woman has ever served as solicitor general, but a number have been mentioned as candidates for the job in an Obama administration. Stanford Law School professors Kathleen Sullivan and Pamela Karlan and Harvard Law School Dean Elena Kagan are possibilities, as well as Morrison & Foerster partner Beth Brinkmann and MetLife litigation counsel Teresa Wynn Roseborough.They could also be considered to lead of the Justice Department’s Office of Legal Counsel, which produces legal opinions on complex matters for the attorney general and the president. Lawyers who have held both positions have gone on to become Supreme Court justices. Chief Justice Charles Evans Hughes and Justices Stanley Reed and Thurgood Marshall were solicitors general. The late Chief Justice William Rehnquist and current Justice Antonin Scalia once headed the Office of Legal Counsel. That experience could come in handy should one or more Supreme Court justices step down in the next four years.
Speculation has also centered on prominent African-American attorneys who may be ready to step forward:
Valerie Jarrett (Stanford, Michigan Law): Jarrett is a longtime Obama adviser, who’s now one of three people heading his transition team. She told the WSJ that blacks won’t be pigeonholed into “historically conventional” roles, such as secretary of housing and urban development or assistant attorney general for civil rights.
Other high profile positions after the jump.
As we’ve seen throughout this market collapse, intellectual property lawyers are always in demand:
Intellectual property lawyers are keeping a close eye on Obama’s choice to head the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. One name has already surfaced, former Clinton PTO chief and undersecretary of commerce for intellectual property Q. Todd Dickinson, now head of the American Intellectual Property Law Association. Dickinson, a self-described “enthusiastic” Obama supporter, won’t comment on whether he would consider going back into the PTO, and would only say, “I enjoyed my time there, I think it was very successful.”Another IP slot will be closely watched. The Intellectual Property Rights Act of 2008 created an intellectual property coordinator, which is a politically appointed, White House-level position charged with overseeing and coordinating the law enforcement efforts of the U.S. trade representative, the Department of Homeland Security, the State Department, and the Justice Department when it comes to piracy and IP infringement matters.
And, while many media members are focused on the new Treasury Overlord, the new SEC chief will have a lot of power too:
The economic tumult and problems on Wall Street are calling for a high-profile name to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission. Names such as John Olson at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher, New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine, former acting chairwoman of the SEC Mary Schapiro, and MFS Investment Management chairman Robert Pozen have all been mentioned by D.C. corporate securities lawyers as possible Obama administration SEC chairmen.
But the name that appears near the top of everyone’s list is Columbia Law School professor Harvey Goldschmid. A former SEC official says that selecting Goldschmid, an SEC commissioner from 2002 until 2005, might be a long shot considering he only donated $2,300 to Obama. The official says that big fundraisers with SEC and Wall Street experience are typically the ones to get tapped as SEC chairman. But others, including Arnold & Porter partner and former Commodity Futures Trading Commission general counsel Daniel Waldman, aren’t so sure that campaign money will hold back Goldschmid.
We’ll see which new attorneys get their hands on the levers of power.
An Early Line on Legal Slots in Obama Administration [Law.com]
Don’t you wish you had Edley’s ear? [Legal Pad]
Black Lawyers Ready to Rise Alongside Obama [WSJ Law Blog]
Earlier: Lawyers Poised To Rule The World
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Comments
FIRSTY MC FIRST!! WOW!
2nd!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This blog suck ass.
these pretzels are making the THIRDSTY
4,
Haha, you suck too.
Any word about an Abner Mikva role in the Obama Administration? Mikva has been a political adviser to Obama and has long Democratic party ties.
Carter Phillips for Solicitor General! Sidley love!
Charlie Murphy for Secretary of the Interior!
NINTH!!!
NINTH!!!
11th!
"Valerie Jarrett (Stanford, Michigan Law): Jarrett is a longtime Obama adviser, who's now one of three people heading his transition team. She told the WSJ that blacks won't be pigeonholed into "historically conventional" roles, such as secretary of housing and urban development or assistant attorney general for civil right"
or secretary of state, we wouldn't want to pigeonhole anyone now. (oh wait bush did that so it doesnt count.....because hes a racist)
I've heard considerable noise in dc about seth waxman of wilmerhale for scotus. He is a former solicitor general and apparently thought of very highly by a number of obama advisors.
Also, edley promised his students last year that he wouldnt accept any position in the obama campaign. But who knows, people change their minds, given the right opportunity. He might get a really high position. He was obama's favorite professor in law school and a close advisor ever since.
*notices that valarie jarrett went to michigan law, immediately sends off resume...still sad :( *
-nervous T-10 1L
email job leads to nervoust101l@yahoo.com
I had the pleasure of witnessing Pam Karlan argue Riley v. Kennedy last term. Simply amazing. She blew me away at moot court the Saturday before the argument.
Nervous T-10 1L,
Seriously, you are a piece of shit.
Note, she still lost 7-2.
-15
"They could also be considered to lead of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel". Did Elie write that sentence? Legal TImes=TTT
NYC to 190?
Marty Lederman for to head OLC!!! He makes me melt.....
Marty Lederman to head OLC!!! He makes me melt.....
What about Harold Ford Jr.? He's just an NBC analyst now...of course he would have to pass the bar first but I could see him in the OLC.
I'm worried about nervous T-10, someone needs to put him on suicide watch. Don't worry buddy you'll get a job.
The latest report out of DC - Elie Mystal will be the Obama Whitehouse pogue. He will also serve as the official decanter at State Dinners. I hope this means that he leaves ATL.
Question - Why has my work ISP been banned from commenting? I made a comment about boycotting ATL and it gets deleted and my ability to make comments removed. Elie and/or Lat, you got to chill the fuck out. Relax. Your over reaction and detour into useless information is bad enough, but censorship? Really???
25: wow. you sounds like you need to get a life.
Shanetta Cutlar for Stevens' seat; Spitzer for "Solicitor" General.
Mystal sucks! Totally off-topic! I'm taking this blog off my bookmarks and never coming back! Why doesn't he post about something relevant! This place is going to sh!t!!
Wait, what?
Kathleen Sullivan failed the California Bar and she's going to be in charge of anything more than a bunch of first graders (law students)?
Also, I heard the ghost of Karl Marx is going to be appointed Secretary of the Treasury. Every other day he plans to open the doors and hand out the money to the proletariat.
nervous T-10 reminds me of a slinky -- not really good for anything, but brings a smile to your face when pushed down the stairs....
i'm nervous everybody wants me to kill myself which could hinder my job prospects for the future
-nervous T-10 1L
email job leads to nervoust101l@yahoo.com
12- get a grip. who peed in your breakfast? or are you just nervous that white privilege might become a thing of the past? trust me, if you keep on making white people look bitter, defensive, hyper-sensitive and surly, it will...
25: Does your firm not have enough work for you to do?
peed in your breakfast! HAHAHAAHHAHAH. best phrase ever
Black people are always angry.
any mention of Tina Tchen joining Obama ?
Yeah, Tina Tchen of Skadden (Chicago) bundled big time for Obama.
Why does ATL keep Pacific Time Zone hours?
Why does ATL keep Pacific Time Zone hours?
No kidding. Over/under on the first "law story?" 11:50 pm EST.
This blog is much more tolerable today without as many of the boycotting Elie-bashers and their whining. Yay, boycott!
And, really, 40? You think this isn't a "law story?"
12 - excellent!
27 - great, thay could put him in office 871(mayflower hotel) as he is quite used to the "amenities" offered there
Don't count out people like Goldschmid because they haven't donated much. There was an article in the Wash Post yesterday about how Obama isn't appointing based on who gives the biggest check. That decision has ruffled some feathers among top dollar donors.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/05/AR2008110504224.html?nav=rss_politics
The article speaks only on ambassadorships, but I couldn't see why this way of thinking wouldn't apply to the rest of the appointed posts as well.
41--This is a law story. It was posted last night. I was following up on 39-40, who correctly noted that the morning posts are few and far between.
-40
Beth Brinkmann, what, what!!
27 is my leader
My vote's for Kathleen Sullivan - she's fantastic.
I certainly hope that the new administration doesn't give jobs to young lawyers based solely on their academic pedigree. The Obama motto should be "don't come a knockin' until you've been out knocking doors!" Now that's change I can believe in!