An article today by Tony Mauro in Law.com talks about the increasing popular concept of the state solicitor general:
There is a new road to professional advancement -- and face time at the U.S. Supreme Court -- for former high court law clerks. Instead of heading to D.C. law firms with appellate specialties, more and more highly prized former clerks are heading out of town to state governments to take lower-paying positions as state solicitors general. * * *The article mentions the Illinois, Ohio and New York offices. Here are links to biographical information on recent Illinois, Ohio and New York solicitors general.Private law firms and the U.S. solicitor general's office are no longer viewed as the only springboards to top-notch appellate experiences. And the states, with increasing clout and legal savvy, are taking advantage of the new talent knocking on their doors.
Fully 29 states now have their own SGs, up from eight only 15 years ago. California recently joined the list with its first SG, Manuel Medeiros. "Every year we add a few, it seems," says Missouri's SG, James Layton, author of a recent law review article on the rise of state SGs.
States have long had appellate section chiefs who specialized in state and federal appeals, he notes. But by moving to the solicitor general title and model, states are trying to increase the professionalism and quality of the work. "It gives the attorney general a sort of a legal scholar on staff, typically someone who did not work in his or her campaign, someone who might think differently from the other lawyers," Layton says. More and more often, that in-house "scholar" has Supreme Court experience under his or her belt.
(Thanks to The Legal Reader for the initial link.)
Posted by Marcia Oddi at August 16, 2003 03:00 PM