Morrison & Foerster partner Beth Brinkmann, a veteran Supreme Court practitioner, is leaving the firm to serve as the deputy assistant attorney general heading up the Appellate Staff in the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
“I have thoroughly enjoyed my years at Morrison & Foerster and the wonderful experience I have had here,” Brinkmann says in an e-mail to Legal Times. “It is difficult to leave, but this is a unique opportunity that I am very much looking forward to."
Brinkmann chairs the firm’s appellate practice group, focusing on Supreme Court litigation. She has practiced before the Court for 15 years. Brinkmann joined Morrison & Foerster in 2002 after serving nine years as an assistant to the solicitor general. She also worked for several years as an assistant federal public defender in D.C.
Brinkmann’s name was mentioned last year as a potential candidate for Solicitor General, and her name has been floated in the appellate bar for vacancies in the federal judiciary. The Yale Law School graduate is a regular speaker on appellate advocacy and the Supreme Court.
Morrison & Foerster partner Tony West of the firm's San Francisco office has been tapped by the Obama administration to head the Civil Division. His nomination is pending Senate confirmation.
Excellent choices
Posted by: IAnsher | April 03, 2009 at 09:59 PM