Legal News

NYT: Former AG Gonzales Struggling to Find a Job

By Ashby Jones

Memo to law students struggling to find a job: You’re in good company.

Turns out, Alberto Gonzales, our former attorney general, “has been unable to interest law firms in adding his name to their roster,” reported the NYT over the weekend.

The situation is “extraordinary,” reports the NYT, as former attorneys general are typically highly sought. Gonzales was also once widely viewed as a strong candidate to be the first Hispanic-American nominated one day to the Supreme Court.

So what’s going on? The NYT surmises it might have something to do with his tenure as AG, which ended last August. “Fredo,” as President Bush is known to refer to him, left with “a frayed reputation over his role in the dismissal of several federal prosecutors and the truthfulness of his testimony about a secret eavesdropping program.” The NYT reports that since then, his main income has come from hitting the lecture circuit.

“Maybe the passage of time will provide some opportunity for him,” said one Washington lawyer who was aware of an inquiry to his firm from a Gonzales associate. “I wouldn’t say ‘rebuffed,’ ” said the lawyer. “I would say ‘not taken up.’ ”

In response, Robert H. Bork Jr., a corporate communications specialist and spokesman for Gonzales, said his client was talking to many people about the next steps in his career. “He is considering his opportunities in law and business,” Mr. Bork said, “but after many years in public service he is considering his options carefully.”

Photo: Associated Press

Full post as published by Law Blog - WSJ.com on April 14, 2008 (boomark / email).