It’s not like presidential administrations don’t always draw heavily from the ranks of Biglaw. You can’t fill a swamp without a healthy dose of attorneys. But the Trump administration’s gift to legal industry observers is the utter dysfunction of its transition. At the 200-day mark, he’d only nominated 277 of the more than 1200 jobs requiring Senate confirmation that he’s got to fill.
A competent organization would have overwhelmed us with so many nominations in such a short span that digging into any specific financial disclosure form would be impossible. But with nominations coming at such a painfully slow clip, every nominee can get a full media vetting.
So far we’ve learned that Christopher Wray made more money than the average King & Spalding partner and that Jones Day’s Eric Dreiband was doubling up the firm average. Since we’re getting these windows into partnership shares, let’s keep going with a look at Williams & Connolly, a firm with financials of particular interest this week since it was going to merge with Quinn Emanuel… and then wasn’t.
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Litigation partner C.J. Mahoney, a former Kozinski and Kennedy clerk, is up for “deputy U.S. trade representative overseeing investment, services, labor, environment, Africa, China and the Western Hemisphere,” meaning he’ll be the point person for making sure China keeps making Donald J. Trump brand suits and Ivanka brand baubles at competitive prices.
Mahoney claims on his form that he’s pulled down $833,238 this year. He doesn’t flag that as an “estimated” partnership share — as, for example, Wray did on his form — suggesting this isn’t his expected annual compensation, but his take so far this year. If so, that puts him right in the middle at Williams & Connolly, where profits per partner hover around $1.6 million, a position befitting a relatively young partner.
Congratulations to C.J. Mahoney on his nomination. Hopefully there will still be a China by the time you’re confirmed.
(Disclosure form on the next page…)
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Williams & Connolly Partner Pay Gets Close-Up From Trump Trade Nominee [Law.com]
Earlier: King & Spalding Pays Christopher Wray $9.2 Million A Year
Disclosure Forms Reveal Biglaw Partner’s Salary, Despicable Clients
Major Biglaw Merger News: Quinn Emanuel And Williams & Connolly Are In Talks
Anatomy Of A Rumor: The Quinn Emanuel / Williams & Connolly ‘Merger’ Talks
Joe Patrice is an editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news.