Morgan, Lewis & Bockius:
I graduated UCLA Law in 1986. Reagan was in office then, and credit-card interest was around 20%, and I had about twenty-thousand in credit card debt. It was the heyday of “junk bonds,” although he didn’t know it, Mike Milken was on his way to federal prison, and Charlie Keating was not far behind him. Morgan Lewis represented Boyd Jeffries of the Jeffries Banknote Company, and the firm bargained a plea deal for him under the guidance of some very deft corporate lawyers. While I had a ringside seat to these goings-on, my work life was less glamorous, and hit a high point when I won a major summary adjudication motion for my client “Fume-A-Pest,” over an allegedly defective pest-inspection of a Brentwood mansion after putting in over a hundred hours on the project. I’m still grateful to my youthful mentor Steve Brown, who taught me how to attack the foe with savage zeal, to Steve Lowry, who gave me the job and backed me even when I fell short of his expectations, Jack Orr, whose steady analytical mind was an inspiration, and Alan Neely, who did wonders for my self-esteem when he told me I could break down an argument better than he would ever be able to.