Barack Obama, Department of Justice, Federal Government, Musical Chairs, Supreme Court Clerks, White House Counsel, Williams & Connolly

Musical Chairs: The Obama White House Counsel's Office(And ODAG picks, too.)

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Last night we wrote about some of the top-notch talent that will be filling senior legal positions in the Obama Administration. These are big names, and you probably also read about them in big publications, like the Legal Times or the Wall Street Journal.

ATL is willing to drill down deeper. We now bring you personnel news at more junior levels. If you graduated law school in the past 15 or even 10 years, you might actually know some of these people.

Our prior post focused on two of the most prestigious parts of the Department of Justice: the Solicitor General’s office, and the Office of Legal Counsel. We now turn our attention to two other top offices: the White House Counsel’s office, and the office of the Deputy Attorney General.

Over 300,000 people applied for 3,300 positions in the Obama administration. After going through a ridiculous screening process, these fine folks landed 20 of the most coveted legal jobs in the country.

See if you know any of them, after the jump.


A caveat: we believe these picks to be accurate, and many of them have been confirmed — either by other publications or by us, through direct contact with the individuals in question or close associates. But if you see an error, please email us. Thanks.

Obama has been praised — and sometimes criticized — for the elitism of his hires. Not surprisingly, in reviewing the names below, you’ll notice a few themes: legal academia, Supreme Court clerkships, and stints at law firms whose names start with “W” (especially WilmerHale, aka “the Democratic administration in exile”).

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Office of the White House Counsel

As previously reported, President Obama has selected Gregory Craig — a prominent D.C. litigator and Williams & Connolly partner, perhaps best known for extracting President Clinton from the impeachment mess — as his White House counsel.

Deputy White House Counsels

  • Cassandra Butts: Butts is familiar with the ways of Washington, having spent time at a leading liberal think tank and on Capitol Hill. According to the Legal Times, “[h]er previous jobs include senior vice president for domestic policy at the Center for American Progress, senior adviser to then-Rep. Dick Gephardt, D-Mo., assistant counsel for the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund, and legislative counsel to then-Sen. Harris Wofford, D-Pa.”
  • Norman Eisen: Norm Eisen is the co-chair of the Public Client Practice at Zuckerman Spaeder, the well-regarded litigation boutique. He’s also a founder of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), the not-for-profit government watchdog group.

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  • Daniel Meltzer: Yet another legal academic, Dan Meltzer is the Story Professor of Law at Obama’s alma mater, HLS.

    Update / Correction (1/28/09): These hires have been confirmed by the White House. But we have an update and a correction.

    The update is that Dan Meltzer will serve as the first among equals, or principal deputy (to be more precise, “Principal Deputy White House Counsel to the President and Deputy Assistant to the President”). The correction is that Norm Eisen’s title will be “Special Counsel to the President for Ethics and Government Reform.”

    Associate White House Counsels

    Being an associate White House counsel is one of the best jobs a young lawyer can have. To get one, it helps to have previously held another one of the best jobs a young lawyer can have: a Supreme Court clerkship.

    The rich get richer. As we previously wrote, “Supreme Court clerkships have become the Willy Wonka golden tickets of the legal profession. So many top-shelf opportunities within the law, such as tenure-track professorships and jobs in the SG’s office, are… reserved for members of the Elect.”

  • Roberto Gonzalez: litigation associate at WilmerHale; former Stevens clerk (OT 2004).
  • Michael Gottlieb: assistant U.S. attorney in Los Angeles (C.D. Cal.); Roberto Gonzalez’s co-clerk for Stevens, and also a former WilmerHale litigation associate (and ridiculously handsome, but that’s neither here nor there).
  • Danielle Gray: longtime Obama aide, in the campaign and in the Senate; former Breyer clerk (OT 2005); voted “most likely to be a Supreme Court justice” by the HLS class of 2003.
  • Caroline Krass: an attorney in the Office of Legal Counsel (and apparently not a Supreme Court clerk — but if we’re wrong about that, let us know). See her NYT wedding announcement here.
  • Trevor Morrison: yet another law professor (from Columbia), member of the Elect (Ginsburg / OT 2002), and WilmerHale alumnus.
  • Alison Nathan: another law professor (from Fordham), member of the Elect (Stevens / OT 2001), and WilmerHale alumna. (The Wilmer fixation is getting ridiculous.)
  • Susan Sher: finally, someone who isn’t a law professor, former Supreme Court clerk, or former Wilmer lawyer. Sher appears to be a member of Obama’s “Chicago mafia,” with connections to Michelle Obama. According to the Chicago Sun-Times:

    Susan Sher, the vice president for Legal and Governmental Affairs and General Counsel at the University of Chicago Medical Center will be an associate counsel to President elect Barack Obama. Sher is a close friend of Michelle Obama — and her boss at the U of Chicago — as well as Valerie Jarrett — incoming White House adviser…. Sher served as Mayor Daley’s Corporation Counsel between 1993 and 1997, where she worked in City Hall with Jarrett.

    Oh, and she’s a graduate of Loyola University of Chicago School of Law. So it’s nice to know the Obama administration is open to people who didn’t go to Harvard / Yale / Stanford or clerk for a Supreme Court justice.

  • Christian Weideman: coming from Williams & Connolly; we’d speculate that he worked with Greg Craig over there. The White House counsel’s office is small, and senior people often bring along junior people with whom they previously worked. See, e.g., Fred Fielding, who showed up with a raft of Wiley Rein lawyers when he returned for a second tour of duty as WHC.

    Office of the Deputy Attorney General

    As previously announced, President Obama has selected David Ogden — shockingly enough, a partner at WilmerHale and former Supreme Court clerk (OT 1982 / Blackmun) — as Deputy Attorney General, the number two official at the DOJ.

    As first reported by ATL, the principal assistant deputy attorney general, or number two to the number two, will be Kathryn Ruemmler. Ruemmler is a former Enron prosecutor turned Latham & Watkins partner.

    Here are other members of the ODAG team:

  • Neil MacBride (Assistant Deputy Attorney General): vice president for legal affairs at the Business Software Alliance (BSA); former counsel to then-Senator Joe Biden on the Senate Judiciary Committee; former DOJ attorney (Criminal Division).
  • Stuart Delery (Chief of Staff): Will anyone be left at WilmerHale after Obama is through with the place? Stuart Delery — who interviewed us for a summer associate position many years ago, and who was super-nice — is co-vice chair of the securities department at WilmerHale. He’s also one of the Elect (White and O’Connor / OT 1994).
  • Eric Columbus (Senior Counsel): Like Stu Delery, a WilmerHale litigator (and super-nice guy); like Neil MacBride, a former Biden counsel on the SJC. Also a former Bristow Fellow. And a founder of Harvard Hotties FriendSwap. If you need a date, call him.
  • Chad Golder (Counsel): Golder also hails from a certain firm whose name starts with “W,” and also clerked for the Court (Stevens / OT 2006).
  • Dapha Renan (Counsel): Renan is also from WilmerHale, and also one of the Elect (Ginsburg / OT 2006).

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    The Obama Administration clearly places a premium on pedigree, at least in its legal hires. There’s not a Regent Law School grad in sight. An H-Y-S law degree and a federal circuit court clerkship seem to be the minimum credentials required for entry. A Supreme Court clerkship is practically a prerequisite.

    Will this impressive brain trust ensure the fair and impartial administration of justice? Time will tell. For now, congratulations and good luck to the distinguished lawyers listed above.

    Update (1/28/09): For additional hiring news, please see Musical Chairs: More Additions to the White House Legal Dream Team.

    Earlier: Musical Chairs: Obama Turns Justice Department Into Mini-Law School

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