Who is Jeopardy Lawyer?

When Covington's TL Cubbage isn't litigating and arbitrating, he's winning tournaments on Jeopardy.

One of his arbitration matters is representing ExxonMobil subsidiaries against Venezuela, so he's a busy guy. Still, he found time for an appearance on Jeopardy last week for a Battle of the Decades--and won his round. It's his fifth tournament. (To mark the occasion, here's a photo of him with Trebek, which is courtesy of Jeopardy as are the others here.) This tournament pits winners against others from decades past (TL's is the '80s); the field will eventually narrow from 45 players to three who play for one million dollars. Since TL won his round, he's moving on to the next, which will be broadcast in May.

TL's first tournament came 25 years ago, while he was still in college. Despite knowing he would participate only a few days in advance, he made use of his history major, English minor, and CollegeBowl experience to win. (The prize money went toward traveling Europe before law school.) Being on Jeopardy has opened doors for him, he says. When applying for federal clerkships, lots of people had great grades, but TL had great grades and Jeopardy. When interviewing at Covington, he says he  recalls them asking about Jeopardy. 

In the legal world, TL's awaiting a decision in the high-profile arbitration between ExxonMobil subsidiaries and Venezuela. They're seeking compensation for expropriation of its assets in Venezuela. It's been a multi-year endeavor, with the first question--jurisdiction--decided in 2010. Legal issues don't really make an appearance on Jeopardy, but TL tells us he brushes up on common topics like Shakespeare, geography, and presidents.