Lawyers Give Big to Obama

The AmLaw Daily has provided a summary of the campaign money President Obama is raising for his reelection efforts, and lawyers not surprisingly are helping out one of their own in a big way. The legal and lobbying trade has given $4.3M to the Obama Victory Fund, totaling 11 percent of the $39M raised, more than any other industry, according to the article, which cites a report by Center for Responsive Politics. The article also notes that a few of the biggest contributing firms have Republican ties, such as Gibson Dunn, whose appellate chair (Ted Olson) represented President Bush in Bush v. Gore. The firmwide total for contributions was $124,000. Meanwhile, individuals at O'Melveny & Myers have given $87,100 to the Obama fund. The chair of that firm, A.B. Culvahouse, led John McCain’s VP-vetting efforts. The biggest contributor, however, was Skadden, with a total of $141,500. That firm’s most high-profile recent political connection is Greg Craig, who joined Skadden after his term as White House counsel.