Two Lawyers' Foray Into Children's Books -- With A Twist
These are not your typical books by lawyers.
Robert Kulik (left) and Matthew Dowd, in front of the White House with their books.
We occasionally write in these pages about lawyers who have written books. It’s not surprising that lawyers, who spend their days working with words, like to do a little extracurricular writing. But this latest tale of attorneys turned authors is a bit… different.
I recently interviewed an old high school friend of mine, Matthew J. Dowd, a litigation partner in the D.C. office of Andrews Kurth LLP, about his interesting and unusual writing project.
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DL: Congratulations on the publication of your books, Matt! Can you give us a brief description of them?
MJD: Thanks, David! We have two political rivalry books aimed at young readers — one that cheers for Hillary Clinton, one for Donald Trump. Each gives an entertaining overview of your preferred candidate, while simultaneously identifying the many, many flaws of his or her opponent. The books are in what parents know as “baby board book” format, but it’s also the perfect biography format in the Twitter age. Everything you need to know about the candidates in fewer than 140 words!
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DL: What gave you the idea or inspiration?
MJD: A great friend of mine, Anthony Puglisi, introduced me to co-author Rob Kulik. Rob and I are both lawyers, though he escaped the grasp of Biglaw (but left a lasting legacy at Northwestern Law, Tax LLM, where he founded the “Kulik Cup” Bowling Tourney). Rob had started a venture called Big Little Rivals. It publishes a series of college sports rivalry books, similar to UNC vs. Duke, Auburn vs. Alabama, and Ohio State vs. Michigan. He realized there weren’t any fun college rivalry books parents could read to their toddlers. So, he worked with a great illustrator, added “college humor” all parents love, and created the rivalry series, with many more on the way. (If you followed sports, David, you would really love the snarkiness of the Big Little Rivals books.)
DL: Ah, interesting. How did an IP litigator like you get involved?
MJD: Here’s where I entered with my IP background. I generally do patent litigation/appeals, such as representing Nobel laureate James Watson in the Supreme Court gene patent case. I also handle trademark and copyright matters (and the occasional free-range-kid case), and Rob had some general questions about trademarks. As you know from past ATL stories, trademark owners can be persnickety and are sometimes inclined to send out testy cease-and-desist letters — which often lead to outstanding responses.
That didn’t transpire, but we started talking and thought it would be a great idea if we did a rivalry series with the same humor and snark, but focused on the presidential election. With the tenor of the campaigns, the timing seemed perfect!
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DL: What kind of responses have you received for the books so far?
MJD: We’ve just launched the books and are getting a tremendous response. Actually, a “YUGE” response! We’re in a few local shops in D.C. and are in the process of getting into several national retailers. The books have been picked up by a political group as well, and we’re trying to organize our schedules to make the rounds on the morning shows. Keep an eye out for the books at the conventions in Cleveland and Philadelphia.
DL: As we have seen, this election cycle has been quite controversial. Have you gotten any complaints about bias for either of the books?
MJD: No complaints at all. We’re not trying to influence the vote one way or the other. Each is balanced, and there’s plenty of fodder about each candidate. You could say we’re equal opportunity lampooners.
DL: And if you don’t mind my asking, have you or Rob declared your support for either Clinton or Trump?
MJD: No. I’m a registered Democrat, and Rob is a registered Republican, but those labels don’t mean much this election. We both live in D.C., so in a way, our three electoral votes are essentially spoken for.
DL: Fair enough. Well, it’s a fun and cool project. Congrats again, and good luck!
Big Little Rivals [official website]
Go, Trump! Beat Crooked Hillary! [Amazon (affiliate link)]
Go, Hillary! Beat The Donald! [Amazon (affiliate link)]
David Lat is the founder and managing editor of Above the Law and the author of Supreme Ambitions: A Novel. You can connect with David on Twitter (@DavidLat), LinkedIn, and Facebook, and you can reach him by email at dlat@abovethelaw.com.
