This lawyer knows that she needs attorneys to help her forge ahead should she win the presidential election.
The post Kamala Harris Leans Heavily On Biglaw Attorneys To Staff Her Presidential Transition Team appeared first on Above the Law.
Kamala Harris (Photo by NOAH BERGER/AFP/Getty Images)
The big day is finally here: Election 2024 will decide the future of this country for the next four years — and beyond — thanks not just to the newly elected president’s policies, but also the federal judges who will be appointed to our highest courts to interpret and apply our laws for generations to come. If you haven’t voted already, please make sure that you have a plan to vote before polls close today.
Should Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee for president, win the race, who will be by her side as part of her transition team? The top lawyer in this race will of course be lining up lawyers to advise her in the transfer of power, and her deck is stacked with some heavy hitters from Jenner & Block, Covington & Burling, and Hogan Lovells. The National Law Journal has the details:
Josh Hsu, who joined Jenner & Block as a partner this March after serving as counsel to the vice president, is on the transition team, a spokesperson for the transition team confirmed. Hsu is currently on leave from his partnership at Jenner & Block. …
Jenner & Block associate Rachel Palermo is also on leave from the firm and a member on Harris’ transition team. Prior to joining Jenner & Block in December 2023, Rachel served as the deputy communications director and associate counsel to Vice President Kamala Harris.
Erica Songer, who works in Harris’ vice presidential office, also will join the transition team. Songer was counsel to the vice president and a deputy assistant to the president. …
Covington partner Dana Remus is advising the transition team. Remus, a top lawyer for the Harris campaign, is also leading the campaign’s legal election protection programs. She joined Covington in 2022 after serving as assistant to the president and White House counsel for President Joe Biden.
Although Harris is leaning heavily on Biglaw attorneys, Yohannes Abraham, who is not a lawyer, will lead the transition team. He most recently served as the U.S. Ambassador to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
On the flip side of the coin, Donald Trump has shied away from Biglaw representation on his transition team, choosing instead to go with former Small Business Administration chief Linda McMahon; Howard Lutnick, chairman and chief executive of Cantor Fitzgerald; his running mate, Senator JD Vance; and his two eldest sons, Eric and Donald Trump Jr.
Which candidate will America choose? At this time, we’re not sure, but we think we know which one the legal profession at large seems to be standing behind.
Meet the Lawyers on Kamala Harris’ Transition Team [National Law Journal]
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on X/Twitter and Threads or connect with her on LinkedIn.
