Jones Day In The (White) House: The Biglaw Firm Fills Top Jobs In The Trump Administration

Congratulations to these legal eagles on their well-feathered nests in the Trump Administration.

whitehouse_historypgCongratulations to the following attorneys at the high-powered law firm of Jones Day, who will be moving on to top positions in the presidential administration of Donald J. Trump and on Capitol Hill:

1. Don McGahn: White House Counsel
2. Bill McGinley: Deputy Assistant to the President, Director of Cabinet Affairs
3. James Burnham: Senior Associate Counsel to the President.
4. Annie Donaldson: Special Counsel to the President, Chief of Staff to the White House Counsel
5. Stephen Vaden: Special Assistant to Secretary of Agriculture
6. Blake Delaplane: Special Assistant to the White House Counsel
7. John Gore: Deputy Assistant AG for Civil Rights
8. Michael Murray: Counsel to the Deputy Attorney General
9. James Uthmeier: Special Advisor to Secretary of Commerce
10. Noel Francisco: Principal Deputy Solicitor General
11. Greg Katsas: Deputy Counsel to the President
12. David Morrell: Associate Counsel to the President
13. Kaytlin Roholt: Special Counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee

Some of these appointments have been previously reported in these pages — Don McGahn as White House Counsel, Noel Francisco as Principal Deputy Solicitor General, Greg Katsas as Deputy White House Counsel — but it’s nice to have official word. The rest are new (and, as far as I know, previously unreported by any other news outlet).

More observations to follow in an update to this post — refresh for the latest version — but I wanted to break the news as soon as possible. Congrats to Jones Day on its immense influence within Trumpworld.

UPDATE (6:02 p.m.): Five additional facts and observations:

1. The appointments were announced today by firm-wide email at Jones Day. (UPDATE (9:32 p.m.): The email was not sent firm-wide; we’ve heard from some JD lawyers outside D.C. who did not receive it.)

2. The departures will take place over a range of effective dates, starting today and going until January 27.

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3. It was always expected that Jones Day lawyers would do well in terms of landing legal jobs in the new administration. Don McGahn, Above the Law’s reigning Lawyer of the Year, served as the Trump campaign’s general counsel and was quickly named White House counsel after the election, and the transition team boasted several JD lawyers. But this is still a ton of top jobs.

4. This is very good news for Jones Day and the lawyers remaining at the firm. It’s great for the firm’s prestige, and it also means that JD lawyers will be eagerly sought after by clients with issues pending before their former colleagues.

5. Speaking of lawyers remaining at the firm, it’s interesting to note that veteran litigator Michael Carvin, who was mentioned in early speculation about the next solicitor general (before the two finalists emerged), doesn’t seem to have an administration job (at least not yet).

UPDATE (10:45 p.m.): Rick Hasen has this post over at the Election Law Blog about John Gore: Incoming DOJ Deputy Assistant AG for Civil Rights Worked Defending Redistricting Plans.

UPDATE (1/20/2017, 12:45 p.m.): It’s official: Donald J. Trump is President of the United States. Check out his administration’s Justice Department “beachhead” team.

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UPDATE (1/20/2017, 5:20 p.m.): Marcia Coyle and C. Ryan Barber of the National Law Journal take a closer look at the Jones Day lawyers joining the Trump Administration, including their professional backgrounds and cases they’ve handled.

Have information about the transition that you’d like to share? Please email me (subject line: “Trump Transition”) or text me (646-820-8477). I might have further updates to this post, or additional coverage tomorrow, depending on what I hear. Thanks!

Earlier: A Deep Dive Into The Department Of Justice Transition
The Latest In The Solicitor General Sweepstakes
The Case For Chuck Cooper As Solicitor General
Supreme Court Update: Trump Has Started Interviewing SCOTUS Candidates


DBL square headshotDavid Lat is the founder and managing editor of Above the Law and the author of Supreme Ambitions: A Novel. He previously worked as a federal prosecutor in Newark, New Jersey; a litigation associate at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz; and a law clerk to Judge Diarmuid F. O’Scannlain of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. You can connect with David on Twitter (@DavidLat), LinkedIn, and Facebook, and you can reach him by email at dlat@abovethelaw.com.