Biglaw, Politics

Biglaw Partner To Be Trump Administration's White House Counsel

Jones Day definitely bet on the right horse.

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Don McGahn(Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Don McGahn (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Jones Day definitely bet on the right horse. There may have been some controversy surrounding the blue-chip firm’s work for the Donald Trump campaign, but now that the election results are in, they seem to have made the smart decision. There are the huge legal bills they’ve sent to the Donald, there’s partner Gregory Katsas and associate James Burnham serving on the Department of Justice transition team, and now, over the long weekend, it was announced that partner Don McGahn has been tapped as White House counsel for the incoming administration.

McGahn’s appointment isn’t much of a surprise. His area of expertise is government regulation and politics law, he served on the Federal Election Commission from 2008 to 2013, and he was chief counsel for the National Republican Congressional Committee before that. He’s led Jones Day’s work for the campaign and his uncle, Patrick McGahn, was also one of Donald Trump’s attorneys — one with a reputation for “getting things done” in Trump’s previous Atlantic City stomping grounds.

Trump has boasted of this pick, citing McGahn’s “brilliant legal mind, excellent character, and deep understanding of constitutional law” in announcing the appointment. According to the National Law Journal, the pick has also been praised by mainstream conservative legal minds:

Friday’s announcement from the Trump camp included statements of approval from former White House counsel C. Boyden Gray, now at Boyden Gray & Associates, and former U.S. attorney general Edwin Meese III.

“The counsel to the president needs solid Washington experience, but also a serious prior relationship with the president that allows for candor, and a practical understanding of how government agencies function,” Gray said. “Donald McGahn possesses all these attributes and can serve President-elect Trump well.”

But not everyone is super-excited about the pick. Charles Tiefer at Forbes expressed concern that given the mounting conflict of interest issues, McGahn could end up being “more like a consiglieri to the Godfather than a source of sound ethical counsel.”

Still, credit where credit is due. In steering Donald Trump to his surprise victory, McGahn accomplished what many thought could not be done.

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“Nobody with any authority over anything wanted Donald Trump to be president,” said one ATL source, a lawyer who knows McGahn. “Yet Don McGahn was nonetheless able to get Trump through the primary, nominated at the convention, and elected president of the United States without a single criminal investigation or even a fine. That is an extraordinary feat that is alone sufficient basis to get him into the Hall of Fame for lawyers with difficult clients. He is the only choice for White House Counsel in the Trump White House that makes any sense.”

Jones Day Partner Tapped as Trump’s White House Counsel [National Law Journal]
McGahn Is Troubling Pick For White House Counsel Given Trump’s Conflict-Of-Interest Issues [Forbes]

Earlier: A Closer Look At Don McGahn And Jones Day’s Work For Donald Trump
Jones Day: Helping Donald Trump To Make America Great Again
Will Jones Day Drop Donald Trump As A Client?
Jones Day Doubles Down On Donald Trump
The Biglaw Attorneys On Trump’s DOJ Transition Team

headshotKathryn Rubino is an editor at Above the Law. AtL tipsters are the best, so please connect with her. Feel free to email her with any tips, questions, or comments and follow her on Twitter (@Kathryn1).

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