When we write about high-profile lawyers changing jobs, we're usually talking about moves between law firms, or maybe between government and Biglaw. This latest transition is a bit different.

From MTO (which claims to be "the most visited black website in the world"):

Jennifer Hudson's fiancé and VH1 reality star David "Punk" Otunga of the "I Love New York" series has a new occupation.... Punk has been training for months in WWE's Florida Championship Wrestling developmental territory - and has now signed to a deal with WWE.

But don't expect to see him in the ring anytime soon. Punk has been on a sabbatical from FCW due to the recent Hudson family tragedy.

One tipster is unimpressed: "From Harvard Law School to I Love New York to the WWE. Unfortunately the next stop is probably porn."

But we think this is great -- and extend our congratulations to Otunga (who, unlike many HLS grads, has the sculpted physique required by wrestling). He's moving up in the entertainment world and developing his own independent career, so he won't be known merely as the husband of a more famous female. Cf. Guy Ritchie.

One HLS grad is about to become the leader of the free world, and another is about to become the leader of world wrestling. Harvard Law School alums lead interesting lives.

DAVID 'PUNK' OTUNGA GETS SIGNED TO THE WWE [MediaTakeOut.com]

Earlier: Prior ATL coverage of David Otunga (scroll down)

Back in July, we mentioned that singer-actress Jennifer Hudson and her Harvard Law hottie -- David Otunga, Sidley Austin associate turned reality TV contestant -- were thinking about getting engaged. Now they've made it official, according to People:

"I can confirm that Jennifer got engaged to her boyfriend David on Friday night in L.A." says [Hudson's] rep.

Otunga, who is known as "Punk" from the reality show I Love New York 2, popped the question with a Neil Lane diamond ring on the Dreamgirls Oscar winner's 27th birthday.

The couple, who have been dating less than a year, both hail from Chicago.

Congratulations and best wishes to the newly affianced!

Perez Hilton is unimpressed, referring to Otunga as "a loser" and a "chump," but that seems like a minority view. Look for Otunga and Hudson to clean up in a future edition of Legal Eagle Wedding Watch. The combination of an HLS degree and an Oscar is not to be scoffed at!

Jennifer Hudson is Engaged! [E! Online]
Jennifer Hudson Engaged to Boyfriend David Otunga [People]
Engaged - to a Loser! [Perez Hilton]

Earlier: Prior ATL coverage of David Otunga (scroll down)

Us Weekly is like The Economist of celebrity gossip. If you can make it through the latest issue, you're all caught up in the world.

To be sure, going through an issue of Us Weekly (so many pictures!) is easier than plowing your way through The Economist. So over the weekend, we did just that -- and learned something new and interesting. From the latest issue (write-up not available online):

Jennifer Hudson has landed a Harvard hottie! The actress, 26, who split from her long-time beau, maintenance engineer [Ed. note: janitor?] James Payton, is getting serious with Chicago lawyer David Otunga, 28, who appeared on I Love New York 2.

"She wants to get engaged," a source tells Hot Stuff. For his part, Otunga tells Us, "Jennifer is a wonderful girl."

Fabulous! How many HLS grads and Sidley Austin alums make it into the pages of Us Weekly?

Update: We intended the question to be rhetorical. But as a commenter notes, "Michelle Obama was extensively covered in last week's issue."

A little more discussion, including commentary from an Otunga classmate from Harvard Law, after the jump.

We just caught the second half of I Love New York 2 (previously discussed here and here). Wow.

Even by the debased standards of reality television, the show couldn't be any more trashy. We felt our IQ plummeting as the minutes passed. We won't tune in next week, since we don't have the points to spare.

And no, we're not TV snobs. Our favorite shows include ANTM, Gossip Girl, and Desperate Housewives. We like good trash TV as much as, if not more than, the next guy (or girl). But it has to be quality trash, if that makes any sense. (As for defining quality trash, we cite Justice Stewart: we know it when we see it.)

But look, don't take our word for it. From a commenter (one of the few to opine on the show itself, as opposed to affirmation action, the legal academy, and the plight of minorities in America):

Since I'm not arguing about race, HLS, Obama or any of these issues, my post probably doesn't belong. But I was personally quite amused to [see] a Big Law associate on my secret vice: vh1 reality programming....

Though I would have to say, seeing as how law firms are in the business of questioning the "good judgment" of associates, I think exhibiting an interest in dating NEW YORK [a/k/a Tiffany Pollard] is clearly a poor example of judgment.

She's crazy, looks like a [transsexual] with a cheap breast enhancement, and did I forget to mention CRAZY?

Frighteningly enough, the exact same description -- "crazy, looks like a [transsexual] with a cheap breast enhancement, and did I forget to mention CRAZY" -- also applies to Tiffany "New York" Pollard's mother, Sister Patterson. While we harbor a weakness for strong, African-American women, we want them to look like women (and work at the Justice Department).

And what about the fate of the two legal eagles on the show -- David Otunga, a Harvard Law School graduate and former Sidley Austin associate, and Juan McCullum, a 2L at Mississippi College of Law? As you can see from the show's Wikipedia page, which has already been updated with the results of tonight's episode, they're both still in the running.

And Christopher Columbus Langdell is turning over in his grave.

I Love New York 2 [VH1 (official website)]
I Love New York 2 [Wikipedia]

Earlier: Sidley Hates on Old People, Reality TV Stars
He Feels Pretty, Oh So Pretty

When we wrote about David Otunga, the Harvard Law School graduate and former Sidley Austin associate now known as "Punk" on the reality show I Love New York 2, we requested more information about a second contestant with a legal background: a current law student who goes by "Pretty."

A number of you kindly obliged. We now know that "Pretty" is Juan McCullum, 24, a 2L at the Mississippi College School of Law. He has bachelor's and master's degrees from Mississippi State University, where he was a Student Association officer. He was working at the Mississippi Attorney General's office this summer.

For more about McCullum, read this article, from the Clarion-Ledger. Or turn down the volume on your speakers and check out his MySpace page, which is almost as annoying as David Otunga's.

Juan McCullum is a handsome guy, so his nickname of "Pretty" makes sense to us. But he may not be the "prettiest" person on his campus. That honor may belong to Katie Rader, a 3L at Mississippi College law school and one of the Hawaiian Tropic girls.

Check out her photo, after the jump.

Law firms love free publicity. Especially law firms that have been in the news for having to pay $27.5 million to settle age discrimination claims by former partners.

Or maybe not:

David Otunga, a 2006 graduate of Harvard Law School and former associate at Sidley Austin, appeared in the first episode of I Love New York 2 on VH1 last night.

In case you're not familiar with the show, here's a synopsis:

"Tiffany "New York" Pollard is jumping back into the dating pool to find the man of her dreams. A fresh crop of twenty men are brought together to compete for her heart and this time the selection process has a twist....some of the chosen contestants vying for New York's heart have been hand-picked by online users and some have been chosen by Tiffany's outspoken mother, Sister Patterson."

Back to our tipster:

[Otunga] was brought in as one of three or four "Mama's Boys" (potential suitors selected by New York's mother) and nicknamed "Punk." He told New York that he was perfect for her, since he was an HLS grad and a lawyer at "one of the top law firms in the world."

Unfortunately, that law firm -- Sidley Austin -- didn't appreciate his appearance on the show, and the firm recently "suggested" to him that it may be in his best interest to pursue his "acting career" instead of his legal career. He's no longer on the firm's webpage.

More after the jump.