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June 28, 2010 |
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FROM SECRETARY
TO SAGE
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| The Bisnow crew looks forward to seeing many of you tonight at Againn Tavern on Rockville Pike for our first Maryland Schmoozarama. Two hours of gourmet tastings, wine and beer, and business networking. Sign up now! |
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| She started in the House parliamentarian’s office in 1976 juggling GW coursework and duties as a single mom, but progressed over 34 years on the Hill to staff director of that chamber’s eye-of-the-action Rules Committee. This month she got to move to another set of hallowed halls, joining the likes of Rod DeArment and Marty Gold in Covington’s legislative practice. |
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| We snapped Muftiah McCartin not just in her new office at 1201 Penn, but her first personal office ever—“I’ve always worked in a bullpen,” she says, in a description familiar to veterans of the scarce real estate adjoining the House floor. She also gets more reasonable hours. Previously a prisoner of brutal House activity, one marathon she recalls was from Friday night to Sunday night passing the 1978 Energy Act, having to stay awake 48 hours in H-209 and coming to appreciate the power of stale coffee. Now as newly minted special counsel, she’ll join a half dozen colleagues in the lobbying practice, plus a broader battalion of politicos scattered in specialized areas, like Jimmy Carter domestic chief Stu Eizenstat in international and former Ed Markey aide Gerry Waldron in telecom. |
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| With a law degree required to become a full-fledged parliamentarian, Muf got one from G’Town in ’90, whereupon Speaker Tom Foley appointed her the first woman in that role, focusing on budget and appropriations. In 2005, she was recruited to a Labor/HHS subcommittee under Ohio’s Ralph Regula, handling work on children and family, libraries and museums, aging, and Social Security; remarkably, when the D’s took over, they kept her on under Wisconsin liberal Dave Obey. Two years later she went to Rules as Deputy Staff Director, then when boss Dan Turton got tapped by Obama as his House liaison, replaced him in early ‘09. Helping to traverse the procedural moguls of the mammoth health care bill was her signature effort; she became an architect of the esoteric “Slaughter solution” (named after her boss the Chairman) that would allow the House to “deem” the Senate version passed yet be able to claim Members had not voted for it. It turned out not to be needed, but law firms who saw that acumen started calling. |
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| CAMEOS |
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| At the Washington Economic Club, we snapped McDermott Will & Emery co-partner-in-charge Bobby Burchfield, who tells us they’re delighted to have their partner Peg Warner back in DC after her successful efforts in NYC negotiating a settlement on behalf of the World Trade Center Captive Insurance Company with the 9/11 responders. And, best of all, they see business picking up |
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| Also at the Economic Club: Jones Day’s Geoff Stewart tells us he’s been representing Mahindra Satyam in the defense of class action securities cases and Prince Jefri of Brunei in various litigations around the world. We assume he’s also waiting to be discovered for the part of John Houseman in a remake of Paper Chase. |
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| At Birch & Barley on 14th Street the other night, we saw Steptoe’s Tim Columbus. We relayed the personal insight of Bobby Birchfield (see above) that far greater specialization of lawyers these days has meant an era without the likes of old style Washington figures like Clark Clifford, Lloyd Cutler, Edward Bennett Williams, and Bob Strauss—who could appear in court in the morning, a hearing table in the afternoon, and a State Dinner at night. Tim agrees, but says full service firms have pretty much become substitutes. Although with that contemplative wise man look, we think Tim could play the part. |
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| FCPA REINFORCEMENTS |
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| First, Arent Fox (generously) sponsored our FCPA event in April as it deals with a surging interest in the subject (nothing like heavy new fines on corporate America to concentrate GC’s minds). Now they’ve added securities enforcement and financial fraud specialist Mark Radke as partner. Enhancing an area of strategic focus for the firm, Mark is the former chief of staff to SEC chairman Harvey Pitt, where he helped shape the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, and over 27 years in other posts gained experience investigating financial reporting irregularities, accounting fraud, and FCPA violations. |
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| HAMMER TIME |
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| Since re-upping at 701 Penn about 6 months ago, Mintz Levin decided its 40k SF on the 9th floor needed to be brought up to date (it also picked up space on the 8th floor, to be built out as well). Upon contemplation, the firm decided to rip the Band-Aid off and do all the upgrades at once. The result: operations have been temporarily consolidated on the 20k SF 2nd floor (by our math, that’s a tight squeeze). Surrounded by partners Susan Weller and Susan Berson, attorney Stephen Bentfield submitted the winning idea for a morale-sustaining shindig in light of the inconvenience: A German-themed happy hour. The idea made little sense to us at first, until Susan Berson told us as part of keeping the second floor workable and walkable, this wall (outside Stephen’s office, no less) was coming down (think Berlin circa 1989). |
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| This is actually the second floor conference room, now housing office services—we gather there are normally people in it although where and how they sit is another question. While partners managed to secure their own small offices, associates are now two-three per office, which we’re told they’ve actually taken a liking to (for now). The total move: 3 days, 75 personnel (and as many themed happy hours as it takes to get through it). |
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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. © 2010, Bisnow on Business, Inc., 1323 Connecticut Ave, NW Washington, DC 20036. All rights reserved.
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