D.C. lawyers often find themselves battling against each other. But last night, it wasn’t in a courtroom.
Kirkland & Ellis hosted the second annual Lawyers for Literacy Trivia Challenge. Eight D.C. law offices and the Association of Corporate Counsel fielded teams for the event. To register, each team paid $1,500. All of the proceeds went to Everybody Wins! DC – a nonprofit organization that promotes children’s literacy through reading and mentoring programs, according to Mark Young, the organization’s chair and a Kirkland partner. The organization has circulated throughout 39 D.C. public schools this year.
The four-round competition covered a range of disciplines from sports to the Supreme Court. For instance, here’s the first question of the night from emcee Neal Racioppo: “According to the American Film Institute, the No. 1 hero on its list of top 100 movie heroes is a lawyer. Name the character?” (Answer: Atticus Finch)
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati jumped out to an early lead posting a perfect 20 points in the first round. The team never looked back and cruised to a victory with 44 points. (Here's the team appearing from left to right: Lawrence Perrone, Nicholas Porritt, Lindsey Wilson, Byung Bae Kim (alternate), Jacob Wolman, Michael Labriola, and Paul Jin).
Before the event, Young predicted one of Kirkland’s four teams that registered - the team made up of the firm’s support staff - would win and unseat the defending champions – a team from Shook, Hardy & Bacon that went under the name Nobody Puts Baby in the Corner.
Young, who tries to have a group of lawyers go with him to D.C. public schools weekly, was pleased with the turnout and said, “it’s all about putting out the message.” Young says the firm has about 38 lawyers involved in the program. Some notable names who have participated in the organization in the past include Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa).
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