Comments on: Law Firms for Law Professors

By: anon

anon — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:26:07 +0000

Kellogg Huber in DC has had a bunch too, especially for its small size:

Shelanski at Boalt

Barkow at NYU

Molot at Georgetown

Penalver at Cornell

Markel at FSU

Hessick at ASU

By: anon

anon — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:25:48 +0000

Kellogg Huber in DC has had a bunch too, especially for its small size:

Shelanski at Boalt

Barkow at NYU

Molot at Georgetown

Penalver at Cornell

Markel at FSU

By: A.J. Sutter

A.J. Sutter — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 18:19:48 +0000

Just curious: what is the typical (or maybe let’s say median) time people spend at these firms before they go into teaching? And when Simon Stern mentions “former members” was that literally, as in partners?

By: Simon Stern

Simon Stern — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 07:20:34 +0000

Jon, I second your mention of the old S&G firm, in DC. When I joined, in fact, on the first page of the firm’s web presence was a list of schools where former members were now teaching — listing over a dozen. Covington’s DC office has also seen many go into law teaching.

By: Jon Weinberg

Jon Weinberg — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:57:54 +0000

My old law firm Shea & Gardner (since absorbed into Goodwin Procter) was pretty small — about 70 lawyers at its height — but it had an “academic” reputation. A quick Google search reveals at least twenty alumni in law teaching, including Jose Alvarez, Stephen Carter, Phil Frickey, and Bill Eskridge.

By: Anon

Anon — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 17:26:19 +0000

Covington & Burling has a strong reputation for producing future academics as well.

By: James Grimmelmann

James Grimmelmann — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 06:07:20 +0000

David Johnson was a one-man prof-producing shop at Wilmer: in addition to himself, his former colleagues Susan Crawford and David Post are both in the academy.

By: Anon

Anon — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 02:08:36 +0000

Jenner & Block’s DC Office has a good reputation for producing law profs. Some examples:

Heather Gerken (Yale/Harvard)

Jenny Martinez (Stanford)

Jim Greiner (Harvard)

Mitchell Berman (Texas)

Kevin Stack (Vanderbelt)

Eric Berger (Nebraska)

David Fagundes (Southwestern)

Aaron Bruhl (Houston)

By: Miriam Cherry

Miriam Cherry — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 21:43:10 +0000

Wanted to comment on Deven’s point … I don’t think it’s coincidence; HLS students who were interested in teaching were choosing firms based on so-called “academic reputation.”

By: Paul Caron

Paul Caron — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 20:09:00 +0000

Three Tax Profs are alumni of Boston’s Sullivan & Worcester: Karen Burke, Paul Caron and Grayson McCouch

By: David Zaring

David Zaring — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 18:14:35 +0000

I wouldn’t even know where to begin with Wilmer, esp the Wilmer before it was WilmerHale. Bignami, Picker, Charnovitz, Bierschbach, Morrison are five that quickly come to mind, but there are lotsa others.

By: Hillel Levin

Hillel Levin — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 14:32:51 +0000

Cleary Gottlieb has a reputation for producing law professors.

By: Deven

Deven — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 06:12:31 +0000

Hmm. Boston. Home to Harvard. Few big firms of note in town. The folks you name are mainly connected to the town by school or clerkship. Result, seems like the firm has a professor angle. Reality, could be coincidence. Move away from the smaller legal market to New York, Chicago, L.A., and D.C. and one has more firms for people to go to. Just a guess but one of the big S.F. firms probably has a similar record to Foley because again small market, great schools in the area, and well it is convenient, if not common, to find that recent graduates want to stay in the city.

By: Jason W.

Jason W. — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 02:40:38 +0000

Gibson Dunn seems to have the reputation as being a waystation for those on their way into the academy, I think, but I couldn’t give any facts on this.