President Barack Obama is quickly filling the ranks of the White House Counsel’s Office, today announcing the appointments of 22 new White House lawyers.
Daniel Meltzer will be principal deputy White House counsel to the president, and deputy assistant to the president. He is presently the Story Professor of Law at Harvard Law School. Before joining the Harvard Law faculty in 1982, Meltzer practiced for three years at Williams & Connolly, where Obama’s White House counsel, Gregory Craig, practiced.
Mary DeRosa was named deputy counsel to the president for national security affairs and legal adviser to the National Security Council. She was most recently chief counsel for national security to the Senate Judiciary Committee. DeRosa is a veteran of the Clinton Administration, having served on the National Security Council during the Clinton years as special assistant to the president and legal adviser and deputy legal adviser.
Neal Wolin will be deputy counsel to the president for economic policy and deputy assistant to the president. He was most recently the president and chief operating officer for property and casualty operations of Hartford Financial Services Group. Wolin served in several roles in the Clinton administration: He was general counsel of the Treasury Department, executive assistant to Clinton’s national security adviser, and deputy legal adviser of the National Security Council. Before entering the government, Wolin practiced at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, before the firm became Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr.
Norman Eisen, formerly a partner in Zuckerman Spaeder’s Washington office, was appointed special counsel to the president for ethics and government reform. Eisen was deputy general counsel to the transition, and an active volunteer for Obama’s campaign, serving on the national finance committee and as a member of an education policy group. Last March, he told Legal Times that he “deeply” believed in Obama’s mission, “particularly in the government reform aspect.” Eisen co-founded Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
Obama chose 14 associate counsel. They are after the jump.
Obama's 14 associate counsel are:
Kendall Burman, previously chief staff counsel to the Obama campaign, and prior to that, an associate at Latham & Watkins.
Susan Davies, previously general counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
Karen Dunn, most recently deputy to Obama’s chief strategist, David Axelrod. Before that, Dunn was a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer.
Danielle Gray, previously deputy policy director for the Obama campaign, and prior to that, an associate at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom.
Michael Gottlieb, most recently an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California.
Roberto Gonzalez, most recently an associate at Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr.
Virginia Canter, previously associate director of the Office of Foreign Assets Control at the Treasury Department.
Caroline Krass, previously senior counsel in the Office of Legal Counsel at the Justice Department.
Jonathan Kravis, previously an assistant U.S. attorney in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Trevor Morrison, a professor of law at Columbia Law School. (The BLT has more on Morrison here.)
Alison Nathan, previously the Fritz Alexander Fellow at New York University School of Law, and a visiting assistant professor at Fordham Law School.
Kate Shaw, most recently an associate counsel in the Office of the General Counsel to the transition. Prior to that role, Shaw was a law clerk to Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.
Susan Sher, who will serve as both associate counsel to the president and Counsel to the First Lady. She was most recently vice president for legal and governmental affairs and general counsel of the University of Chicago Medical Center.
Christian Weideman, most recently an associate at Williams & Connolly.
President Obama selected four deputy associate counsel. They are:
Ian Bassin, most recently a member of the education policy working group for the transtion team. He earlier served as the Florida policy director for the Obama Campaign for Change.
Rashad Hussain, previously a trial attorney at the Department of Justice.
Blake Roberts, previously an assistant to the transtion’s executive director, Chris Lu. He earlier worked as a field organizer for the campaign.
Jason Green, most recently national voter registration director for the Obama campaign.
The president also selected a research director and several staff and administrative assistants for the Office of White House Counsel.
Norm Eisen went to HLS with Obama as well, they're both class of 1991.
Posted by: | January 28, 2009 at 05:05 PM