Deputy Labor Secretary Becomes Latest Morgan, Lewis Hire

Lately, it seems like hardly a week goes by that we don’t get an announcement from Morgan, Lewis & Bockius about a new hire.
 
Today, the firm announced that former deputy secretary of labor Howard Radzely will join the Washington office on July 1 as a partner in the labor and employment practice. Radzely served in the Department of Labor from June 2001 until last February. Prior to becoming deputy secretary, he was solicitor of labor.
 
Before heading to the Labor Department, Radzely practiced at what was then Wiley, Rein & Fielding, now Wiley Rein. That makes him the latest Wiley alum to join Morgan, Lewis. Former White House counsel Fred Fielding—once a name partner at Wiley—went to Morgan, Lewis in April, and Barbara “Biz” Van Gelder, left Wiley Rein in 2007 for Morgan, Lewis.
 
Radzely said the fact that he would be working with former colleagues factored into his own decision. “It certainly helps when you can see some old friends,” he said.
 
Radzely also said he was drawn to the firm because it’s “one of, if not the best, labor employment firms in the country.” He said his practice will be a mix of regulatory, compliance, litigation, and appellate work.
 
Several other Bush administration officials have joined Morgan, Lewis this year as well, including former senior litigation counsel at the Federal Trade Commission Thomas Lang, former assistant attorney general of the Justice Department’s environmental and natural resources division Ronald Tenpas, and former deputy solicitor of labor Jonathan Snare.
 
“Given the change in administration, it’s always a good time to get high level officials and lawyers out of the government, especially in areas where we either have a strong practice or are interested in starting a practice,” said D.C. managing partner Grace Speights.
 
Morgan, Lewis has had several other additions this spring, including 12 ex-Bingham McCutchen lawyers who joined the business and finance practice in Boston, and 14 health care lawyers from Sonnenschein, Nath & Rosenthal, who joined in D.C. and San Francisco.