Irish Legal 100 Named

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Irish Voice News

Irish Legal 100 Named

September 18, 2008

By John Dillon

TWO Supreme Court judges are among the first every listing of the top Irish American lawyers in the U.S. The Legal 100 list will appear in the November issue of Irish America magazine.

“This is an extraordinary group of men and women who continue the great tradition of leadership in legal communities throughout America,” said Irish America founding editor Patricia Harty.

“From the Supreme Court to leading law firms, the Irish have made a in indelible mark. We are particularly proud of how many applications we had to be on the list which shows the power of the Irish identity in America.”

Chief Justice John Roberts, who maintains a summer home in Limerick and lists Irish dancing among his hobbies, leads the list, while fellow Supreme Court justice Anthony Kennedy, who traces his ancestral roots to Wexford, also makes the list

There are several key women on the list including Anne Burke, a member of the Supreme Court of Illinois, Carol Corrigan, a member of the Supreme Court of California, and Ellen Cosgrove, dean of law at Harvard University.

Also on the list is Seamus McCaffrey a member of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania who was born in Belfast before leaving at a young age. Another Northern Ireland connection is provided by lawyer John Connorton, a leading proponent of the peace process and close friend of Nobel Prize winner John Hume whom he supported on many trips to America.

Celebrity lawyer Bob Bennett, who defended President Bill Clinton in the Paula Jones sex case, is also on the list. Bennett, whose ancestors came from Limerick, is arguably the top lawyer in Washington where he works for Skadden Arps.

He also represented New York Times reporter Judith Miller in the famous CIA leak case. Currently he is representing John McCain in a libel case against The New York Times after it was alleged he had an affair.

Also on the list is key Barack Obama supporter and fundraiser Mark Tuohey, often spoken of as a possible ambassador to Ireland if Obama wins the White House. Tuohey put together the deal to bring Major League Baseball back to Washington when the Washington Nationals were founded. He is also very active in Cooperation Ireland.

Another honoree is Atlanta-based Don Keenan, the former law partner of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards. Keenan, who founded a charity, Keenan’s Kids, that helps young children in need, has been regularly featured on Oprah Winfrey’s show and has written a bestseller on legal issues concerning children.

Other noteworthy names are John Feerick, head of Fordham law school’s Center for Public Justice who heads up the New York State Commission for Public Integrity, which investigated former governor Eliot Spitzer.

Another prosecutor, Patrick Fitzgerald, whose parents came from Co. Clare, prosecuted and won a verdict against Scooter Libby, former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney who was also involved in the CIA spy leak case.

Former senator and Northern Ireland peacemaker George Mitchell also makes the list. Now practicing law in New York, Mitchell is a former judge in his native Maine.

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