Biglaw, Celebrities, Eugene Scalia, Jane Ginsburg, Kids, Matthew McGill, Phil Alito, Samuel Alito, Summer Associates

Celebrity Summer Associate: Supreme Offspring

Last month, we asked: Who are this year's celebrity summer associates? Our next celebrity summer associate isn't super-famous in his own right (even though he's as good-looking as many a Hollywood actor). Instead, he derives his celebrity from a famous father. So who is he, and where does he work?

By  
on

Last month, we asked: Who are this year’s celebrity summer associates? In recent years, major law firms have hosted famous figures as summer associates, including a successful author, a not-so-successful author, and a reality TV beauty.

This year, the celebrity wattage is considerably lower. But there are still a few notable names floating out there (and we welcome additional submissions, by email). For example, we recently wrote about actor Wai Choy, a former co-star of Lindsay Lohan who is now summering at Proskauer in New York.

Our next celebrity summer associate isn’t super-famous in his own right (even though he’s as good-looking as many a Hollywood actor). Instead, he derives his celebrity from a famous father.

So who is he, and where does he work?

Philip Alito, the eldest child of Justice Samuel A. Alito, is a summer associate at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, working out of the Washington office. Given the political orientation of Gibson’s D.C. office — home to leading legal conservatives like Ted Olson, Miguel Estrada, and Tom Hungar, as well as a slew of rising stars, like Thomas Dupree, Matthew McGill, and more SCOTUS clerks than you can shake a gavel at — Justice Alito’s son should fit right in.

Phil Alito is a rising 3L at Duke Law School (i.e., a member of the class of 2012). He received his undergraduate degree from the University of Virginia — after transferring from Colgate, where he wrote funny stuff for The Forum, “a non-partisan publication that seeks to encourage and facilitate the discussion of contemporary legal, political and social issues.” Check out his editor’s bio:

Sponsored

First, God made the heavens and earth. Then came Arby’s, followed shortly by Carl Jr. and other inferior brands of fast food. Fast foward. Homer’s epics, Texas was created, Davy Crockett, king of the wild frontier, died at the Alamo, King Kong attacked Manhattan, and then, in a completely reactionary move, I was conceived.

I was born 9 months and 2 weeks later by a midwife/wolf named Janie Jean, who would prove very influential during my formative years. Shortly after, I became interested in politics and got involved with Gary Condit (not like that). I served as a parking aide to Nancy Pelosi (I won’t even start on her) but was fired when Barbara Boxer came onto me. Eventually, I decided that my teeth needed to be cleaned, so I came to Colgate with a band of gypsies (who I have declared war on and will one day destroy). I decided to join “The Forum” to make friends but obviously that hasn’t worked out. So, soon I will probably find a cow at a nearby farm and ride my way to glory in either LA or at the Calgary Rodeos.

Alas, Phil Alito’s humorous musings have been scrubbed from the publication’s website.

In addition to being smart and funny, Phil Alito is also rather handsome (as you can see from the photos included in this post). I’ve had a crush on him for years, dating back to when I was a lady — Article III Groupie (“A3G”), of Underneath Their Robes — and wrote as follows about the fit and athletic Phil, who played tennis and soccer in high school (sports with the cutest male participants, along with swimming — football players are too beefy, and basketball players are freakishly tall):

Since he’s 19, A3G is permitted to say: he’s a hottie!

Phil Alito, now in his mid-twenties, is only the latest of many Supreme children who have followed their famous forebears into the law. Just looking at the offspring of the nine sitting justices, the following individuals come to mind:

Sponsored

  • Eugene Scalia: This son of Justice Antonin Scalia is one of the nation’s leading labor and employment lawyers. He previously served as Solicitor of the U.S. Department of Labor and is currently a partner at Gibson Dunn, where he serves on the Executive Committee and chairs the Labor and Employment and the Administrative Law practice groups. Most impressively, he was a finalist in our ERISA hotties contest, where one reader raved: “Even if you loathe Justice Scalia, take Eugene on his own terms: he’s tall, handsome, and always impeccably dressed. Plus, he’s very well-groomed — not a nose or ear hair in sight. A veritable ERISA Adonis!”
  • Jane Ginsburg: Like her mother, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Jane Ginsburg is a queen of legal academia. She is a Columbia law professor, teaching intellectual property. (Random tidbit: we hear she gets annoyed when law students, trying to show off their knowledge of whose daughter she is, say things in class like, “In this case, your mom held….”)
  • Gregory Kennedy: The last we heard, Justice Anthony Kennedy’s son was a managing director at Credit Suisse — ka-ching! Despite his move into finance, though, Greg Kennedy is a lawyer by training. He’s a 1992 graduate of Stanford Law School, and he worked at Sullivan & Cromwell in New York before transitioning into investment banking.

Feel free to mention any others we might have missed, in the comments.

We wish Phil Alito the best of luck at Gibson Dunn this summer — but we don’t think he’ll need it. Even his brilliant father relies upon him for assistance. As Sam Alito explained in his opening statement at his Supreme Court confirmation hearings:

When I had my confirmation hearing for the Court of Appeals, Philip was 3 years old. And when I was called up to the chair he took it upon himself to run up and sit next to me in case any hard questions came up. I don’t know whether he’s going to try the same thing tomorrow, but probably I could use the help.

Phil, given who you are and who your father is, you’re almost certainly getting an offer from GDC. Just try to avoid getting rip-roaring drunk, stripping off your clothes, and jumping into the Potomac.

But if you can’t help yourself, please send the photos and/or video to tips@abovethelaw.com. Thank you!

Earlier: Celebrity Summer Associate: An Ex-Colleague of Lindsay Lohan
Who Are This Year’s Celebrity Summer Associates?

Topics

, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,