Classmates representing unpopular clients

I don't know if you remember our fifth reunion. If you were there, you might recall that Dante Centouri and I did an updated version of the Class History we did at graduation. In one of our running jokes, we made fun of the fact that so many of our classmates went to law school. I think it is fair to say that we have our share of lawyers in the class.

This many years out, some of the lawyers in our class have left the practice of law. Others of us, however, remain in the profession. I saw a recent piece that highlighted one of our classmates, Tamar Birckhead, and the work she had done representing a very unpopular client. Tamar is now a professor. Before she entered academia, she represented Richard Reid, the infamous "shoe bomber." Not so long ago, there was an interesting ABC News piece in which Tamar discussed this representation.

As an attorney who is almost always on the defense side of things, I found Tamar's comments particularly interesting. I have represented my share of unpopular and publicly vilified clients (I represented Arthur Andersen in the Enron case, for instance), and when defending such clients I get to see a side things that is usually missing from depictions in the main stream press.

This article made me wonder if there are other classmates who have participated in cases as lawyers for unpopular causes. If so, I would love to hear about your experiences.

Feb Club Emeritus

Last night, the Class of 1987 was again at the forefront of innovation -- this time, launching Feb Club Emeritus 2010 at New York's Yale Club. It was quite an event, with about 1,000 people in attendance.

Feb Club -- run by Jordan Warshaw and yours truly -- will be reaching over 80 cities this year. We've got at least one party on every continent (including Antarctica). It should be great fun. We hope that everyone in the class can make it out to an event. Checkout www.febclubemeritus.com, for more information.

News from Bill Grimes

I received the following from Bill Grimes:

"My recent book, Currency and Contest in East Asia, has just won the Masayoshi Ohira Memorial Prize for outstanding books on the Pacific Basin. Last fall, it received Honorable Mention in the competition for the Asia Society's Bernard Schwartz Book Award for outstanding books on contemporary Asia."

For those who don't know, Bill is a professor at the Boston University, where he serves as the Director for the center for the Study of Asia.

Announcement from Dan Via

I received the following from Dan Via:

I thought I'd make my class notes debut to invite NYC-area classmates to come see my new play, "DADDY," which runs January 28th through February 13th at the TBG Arts Center Mainstage (312 W36th Street). It's my debut as a playwright and I'm mighty proud of my baby. (I'm in the show, too.)

The play centers around a pair of 40-something best friends -- virtually inseparable since Yale -- who nevertheless have trouble being honest about what they really want/need from each other. This problem is compounded when one of them falls for a much younger man, leading to a confrontation with life-changing consequences. More info (including some great pre-opening press coverage) can be found at http://www.daddytheplay.com.

So come check it out if you can.

-- Dan Via

News from Lorraine Wang

Lorraine Wang shared the following: I've been busy helping my husband launch his website, Sunpluggers.com, which provides independent journalistic coverage of the current solar power and electric car revolution from the standpoint of the educated consumer. We have a number of experienced editors and writers working with us, and hope to be on the front lines when solar leads us out of this economic morass. Son Ben (15) and daughter Bethany (13) simply tolerate their parents' obsession with alternative energy--although Ben would like a Tesla.

David Code on TV

Recceived the following from David Code:

I wrote a book on marriage and parenting. Last week, CBS Newsreported on my assertion that behind every helicopter parent is adistant, cold marriage: http://tinyurl.com/CBSdcTV My story has been picked up by NPR, The Wall St. Journal, "Parents"Magazine, San Francisco Chronicle, Christian Science Monitor, andLadies Home Journal. I believe a problem in your child could be a wake-up call for yourmarriage. These days, we seem to be marrying our kids instead of ourspouses because the truth is, we find it easier to be with our kidsthan our partners. Research suggests our anxious focus on our kidscontributes to children with social problems and special needs. The solution? To raise happy kids, put your marriage first.Knowledge is power, and when we become aware of how we distance fromour spouses, it's win-win for the family. We can improve ourmarriages, pass less baggage onto our kids, and set a great examplefor their future relationships! For those interested in the debate, below are links to the media coverage.All best,David Code SY'87

Chris Dudley on the Campaign Trail

Classmate Chris Dudley is on the campaign trail, raising funds in New York, of all places. He is a candidate for governor in Oregon.

If you're interested in supporting Chris' run, I encourage you to visit his web page and donate.

Can John Edwards' Dreadful Image Be Rehabilitated?

Can John Edwards' Dreadful Image Be Rehabilitated?

John Edwards was not in our class, but one of our classmates -- Tim Calkins -- was quoted as passing on advice to the former presidential candidate.

News from Jennifer Freed

A few months back, I wrote about my view that the ordinary lives of our classmates are newsworthy and worth celebrating. I received the following from Jennifer Freed, in response:

Went to your blog for the first time (saw that it was there when my 7-year-old was looking in the back of the Yale Alum. Mag at class notes to see if my name was there. Of course it wasn’t – I’ve never written in before.) and went back a few months, saw your posting about your brother, and just wanted to thank you for it. I’m glad I read it, glad you wrote it. I’m sorry I didn’t know him.

News of me: Live w/ my husband and 2 daughters (ages 7 and 9) in Holden, MA and have a good, unexciting life. We are kept busy by lives of our children and the work we do on our fixer-upper house. We just trapped our 4^th flying squirrel (“have a heart” trap worked very well) from between the downstairs ceiling and the upstairs floor. How they got in there is a mystery, but they are beautiful creatures, and we are glad to have been able to see them. I am also learning to play my first ever musical instrument – piano. I never even learned to read music growing up, so maybe a few new neural connections will form to make up for all the effects of being away from school for so long. At least I’m able to keep up with my kids – so far. And that’s all the news from here.

That's Why I Chose Yale

Over the last twenty years or so, Yale has become a much more attractive place . . . in many ways. Although I recall skipping down the halls with a song in my heart, I don't recall breaking into song on cross campus. Times certainly have changed.

Please check out the YouTube video: "That's Why I Chose Yale." I think you'll really enjoy it. It certainly is better than Cats.