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April 1, 2009 |
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SCOTUS
Reality Show!
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Zuckerman Spaeder chief (and major tennis aficionado) Graeme Bush reminds us of the annual fundraising dinner for the great Washington Tennis and Education Foundation, supporting needy kids, this year honoring businesswoman Sheila Johnson and former Wimbledon and French Open finalist Andrea Jaeger. More info on sponsorship and tickets
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Now this, friends, will be must-see TV. Two sources at the Supreme Court have confirmed to Bisnow that one Justice is in the final stages of negotiations to headline a reality television show in which 15 contestants will compete for one of the Justice's four clerkships.
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The show—tentatively titled "Supreme Law"—will be produced by Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Apprentice), with three networks still in the running for distribution: CNN, BBC America, and C-SPAN. "It has to run commercial-free in order to avoid conflicts," one source says. Contestants have not yet been chosen, but the "challenges" for two episodes are already set: arguing a parking ticket in DC Superior Court and convincing a class of sixth graders at a DC charter school to select either PB&J or macaroni and cheese for lunch (to test persuasiveness).
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Using the Apprentice model, the Justice will be aided by two judges from Federal appellate circuits. Contestants falling into the "bottom three" each week will have to Shepardize briefs without aid of electronic resources before facing a "final judgment," while the "safe" contestants will get nights off at the House of Sweden, The Park at 14th, and other local hot spots. A lack of detail hasn't prevented blogosphere speculation: Some cite the appearance of cameramen trailing Justice Ginsburg during her recent surgery (though police later dismissed them as "anti-right to privacy activists").
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| Campaign Trail to Wiley Rein |
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With our April Foolery for '09 out of the way, here's some truth: Wiley Rein just found a new Democratic face for its public policy group—Jim Slattery, former six-term Congressman from Kansas ('83-'95) and Wiley partner who left for a Senate run in 2008. The state was a bit too red and the spending imbalance (outspent 3-to-1) too much to overcome, but the loss means good news for clients whose calls finally pulled Jim back to DC after he decompressed on the family farm in Atchison, Kansas, spent some time on a telecom start-up project, and congratulated his son on his election to the state legislature.
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The people who make those convention videos are missing out—for metaphorical resonance you can't do better than Jim's native town of Good Intent, Kansas. But now he'll be working his campaign themes—health care reform, energy policy, climate change, and criticism of financial institution deregulation—from the private side. Not that Wiley Rein has turned all blue. The firm made its name in regulatory spaces (particularly telecom) that don't break down on partisan lines. And if the shop has had a Republican-leaning image, Jim notes the 20-professional public policy group he now heads has always had a philosophy of staying bi-partisan for long-term success.
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| Dow Lohnes Adds Former Education GC |
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If education practices were like the NCAA tourney (sorry, we think exclusively in March Madness metaphors these days), Dow Lohnes would be a prohibitive No. 1 seed. The firm just lengthened its bench by adding senior counsel Brian Jones, DoED general counsel under Rod Paige (2001-05). He's coming off four years as GC to student loan player College Loan Corp., a term in which lending institutions were brutalized by the economy and Brian found himself managing concurrent investigations by a group of state AG's (lead by NY) and two Senate committees.
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Brian used WilmerHale's Reg Brown for the investigations, but when looking for his new home sought the counsel of Mike Goldstein, founder of Dow Lohnes's education group, for the lateral market lay of the land. He'd known Mike (as well as Shelley Steinbach, partner and longtime GC of the American Council on Education) since his DoED days, and the general job talk turned to an offer. Brian says he expects to assist on bread-and-butter regulatory work (post-secondary federal student loan eligibility, etc.), as well as moving the firm into representation of private companies flowering in the K-12 space thanks to, among other things, opportunities created by No Child Left Behind.
John Ford, Bisnow's Legal Editor, wishes to reiterate that only the first item above is April Fools. Story ideas: john@bisnow.com.
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This newsletter is a journalistic news source which accepts no payment for featured interviews. It is supported by conventional advertisers clearly identified in the right hand column. You have been selected to receive it either through prior contact or professional association. If you have received it in error, please accept our apologies and unsubscribe below. © 2009, Bisnow on Business, Inc., 1323 Connecticut Ave, NW Washington, DC 20036. All rights reserved.
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