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Interview with soon-to-be Reality TV Stars, Victor and Tammy Jih

tammy and victor jih.jpgStarting February 15th, you’ll be able to spend your Sunday nights watching hottie Biglaw siblings Victor and Tammy Jih go global as they compete for $1 million in the Amazing Race.

As noted yesterday, Victor Jih, 35, is a partner at O’Melveny and Myers, while Tammy Jih, 26, is an associate at Quinn Emanuel. We had a three-way with them yesterday, and asked about trading Biglaw for reality TV, how they got on the show, spending 4 weeks Blackberry-less, and whether Victor really thinks Africa is a country.

Victor may be the senior Biglaw member of the family, but Tammy always jumps in first to answer questions. Check out the interview, after the jump.

Kash: How did you decide to do the Amazing Race? Are you longtime fans of the show?

Tammy:
Victor is the bigger fan of the show. He’s been watching since the first season, and got me watching. But I am the one who decided we should apply.
Victor: I actually thought about applying before. When I was a junior associate, I talked about applying with a friend who had just made partner. We thought the show would love that. But we never applied.

Kash: What did you do to set yourselves apart in your application video?

Tammy: We just acted like ourselves. We were nerdy and fought with each other.
Victor: I told a story about a dream I had where Tammy was kidnapped by aliens. I called her on a cell phone to warn her. In the dream, she wouldn’t listen to me, and she died.
Tammy: In the morning, he called me and he was actually mad at me.

Kash: You both went to Stanford, then Harvard Law School, and practice law in California now. Why have you followed such similar paths?

Tammy: Victor likes to think I am following in his footsteps but I don’t see it that way… To put it in a way ATL readers would understand, in law school, Victor wrote the outlines that everyone studied off of. I was the one copying and studying off of outlines.

Kash: For the filming of the show, you had to be out of the office from Oct. 31 through Nov. 21. And you couldn’t tell your firms that you were doing the Amazing Race, due to CBS rules. How were you able to take the time off to compete?

Tammy: I had been on a trial for a few months, and people were actually expecting me to take time off.
Victor: As a partner, it was really hard… If a client had not wanted me to do it, I wouldn’t have… There was a lot of trust at the firm and with clients.

Kash: How did you go four weeks without email or phone access or the ability to address client needs?

Victor: Both of us had paid our dues, and worked really hard at our firms. Tammy was coming off of an intense trial…
Tammy: I had actually already hit my hours before I left.
Victor: It was easy to get people to rally behind us… If I didn’t have clients who were totally on board, I wouldn’t have done it. One client said she’s a big believer in work/life balance, and that it applies to me as well.

Kash: How many e-mails awaited you when you returned?

Tammy: Hundreds and hundreds
Victor: Over a thousand, even after having gotten off of every spam list I could think of before I left.

Kash: How is the return to Biglaw after racing the world?

Tammy: Jarring. I am giving interviews today in the midst of writing a motion.
Victor: Taking a moment away was invigorating and recharging. One of the dangers of being a lawyer is losing your humanity so it was good to be out in the world and interacting with people.

Kash: What’s been the reaction at Quinn Emanuel and O’Melveny since finding out Monday that you are starring in the Amazing Race?

Tammy: People were a little mad at me for keeping it a secret.
Victor: I’ve been getting a lot of e-mails from partners, associates and staff wishing me luck. But I’m sure I’ll be the talk at the water cooler once the show starts. I’ve already been getting lots of flak about calling Africa a country. [Ed. note: In this CBS clip]

Kash: Did your familiarity with the law help you at any point along the way during the Race? How did being lawyers set you apart from the other competitors?

Tammy: Both Victor and I know how to work really hard with very little sleep.
Victor: We knew we would be presented with a lot of challenges that we wouldn’t know how to do. We’ve been through a lot of school, and we’re good at learning… Plus, part of being a lawyer is figuring out something you know nothing about on a regular basis.

Kash: Soon you’ll join the ranks of famous Harvard law grads. Two other famed HLS grads, Barack Obama and John Roberts, were in the spotlight on Jan. 20 during the Inauguration. What are your thoughts on the oath flub by your fellow alumni?

Tammy: You can’t put us in the same sentence as those two!
Victor: Given my own flub on Africa as country, I am very empathetic and totally understand. But I went into this whole thing knowing that I would make mistakes. Everyone does. It’s more interesting to be a person who does.

Kash: So as the latest hottie Biglaw reality TV stars, can you tell me your relationship statuses?

Tammy: I have a boyfriend, who’s actually a Harvard Law School grad.
Victor: I’m Facebook single… Maybe I should stop talking.

Earlier: Biglaw Siblings to Compete on the Amazing Race

Comments

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1 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 1:36 PM

Boring!

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2 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 1:38 PM

Mmm. I'd like to Tammy her Jih!

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3 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 1:46 PM

Mmm. I'd like to Tammy her Jih!

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4 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 1:47 PM

don't you love the sweet smell of bread and circus?

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5 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 1:50 PM

snoozapalooza

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6 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 1:57 PM

With the imminent collapse of our social order, are we going to switch to fascism or communism? Thoughts? I'd like prepare.

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7 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 1:58 PM

Kash referred to being in a "three-way" with two "hottie biglaw siblings." Must...suppress...sex jokes. Scared...of Elie...

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8 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 2:04 PM

"We had a three-way with them yesterday"

"We" implies two or more.

"Them" implies two or more.

So how exactly does "we" have a "three-way" with "them."

It seems as though you had a "four-way" with them.

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9 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 2:07 PM

She's cute.

10 Posted by Elie Mystal | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 2:13 PM

6 -- Say what you will about the tenants of nationalized socialism, but at least it's an ethos.
--Elie

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11 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 2:17 PM

Elie, goddamn it. When my clients write like this I just circle it and PDF it back to them.

Do you mean national socialism?
Do you mean tenets rather than tenants?

I mean, I don't know anyone who rents a Nazi apartment.

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12 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 2:19 PM

three way with Kash, Victor, and Tammy?

Yes please.

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13 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 2:20 PM

And yes, I know 10 is a Lebowski (mis)quote. - 11

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14 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 2:22 PM

FURST?

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15 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 2:26 PM

Lucky that they don't work at Sidley. We all know how reality TV stars get treated there.

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16 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 2:32 PM

anyone know how tall is victor?? he's cute!

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17 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 2:35 PM

8 - Is this the first time you've noticed the use of the editorial "we" on ATL?

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18 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 2:47 PM

You know, one of those things where one pic makes her look hot but the other one... perhaps not...

http://www.quinnemanuel.com/attorneys/jih-tamara.aspx

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19 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 2:54 PM

don't worry about him, he doesn't care about anything - he's a nihilist.

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20 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 2:58 PM

don't worry about him, he doesn't care about anything - he's a nihilist.

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21 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 3:01 PM

those are some pretty young looking partners

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22 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 3:13 PM

NO ONE CARES! STOP POSTING THIS CRAP!

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23 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 3:15 PM

#11 Obviously ATL is on a hiring freeze for proof readers for their contributors/staff bloggers. It makes good economic sense, and gives us something to LOL about.

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24 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 3:30 PM

Speak for yourself, 22. As a fan of the show I find this interesting.

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25 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 3:59 PM

Did you ask Victor whether he had a psychological evaluation? We don't need the other contestants being shot or decapitated Virginia Tech style.

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26 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 4:03 PM

Yes 25, and I hope Victor was informed that his chances with white women would be no higher if he wins. It's important that he find this out gently rather than realizing it in a rude awakening and decapitating someone as a result.

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27 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 4:05 PM

A refreshing change from the usual old crusty looking partners that either look like a walking heart attack or look like the host from "Tales from the Crypt".

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28 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 4:26 PM

11, nice catch.

Elie = epic fail.

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29 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 4:57 PM

ATL has been on a crusade against immature and offensive commenters for a few days. In that same time, they also have had articles calling someone "fart face," drawing attention to the term "negro-itis" and alluding to an incestuous threesome between two siblings and an ATL staff member. Way to stay on message guys!

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30 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 9:12 PM

Best of luck, Tammy and Victor!

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31 Posted by guest | Permalink Wednesday, January 28, 2009 11:49 PM

What a piece of ass!

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32 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, January 29, 2009 12:23 AM

These guys are representing us Biglawyers. I'm rooting for them.

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33 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, January 29, 2009 1:51 AM

Will these photogenic young wealthy Harvard grads win a million? The rich get rich, and the poor stay poor. That's how it goes, everybody knows.

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34 Posted by guest | Permalink Thursday, January 29, 2009 2:34 AM

The Jih brother has already confessed to "making mistakes." Meaning, they did not win? :)

Bringing shame to BIGLAW by not winning is a laying-off offense.

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35 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, January 30, 2009 1:40 AM

I can't believe you were actually able to take that much time off. I am real proud of you.

I hope you won. Then you can take the $1 million and start a business together. Get out of biglaw for good and return to a normal, happy, healthy lifestyle.

I don't want either of you to die of a heart attack in the next few years.

But whatever you do, I'm real proud of you. Real proud.

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36 Posted by guest | Permalink Friday, January 30, 2009 1:43 AM

Who the fuck are you to be "real proud"? Are you their mommy or daddy?

Anyway, good luck, Victor & Tammy!!!!! WE'RE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU!!!!!!

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