American Lawyer Published Q&A With Partner Alan Baron on Porteous Impeachment
“Q&A With Big Law Litigator Inside the Porteous Impeachment”

Following the much-publicized impeachment on December 8 of Judge Thomas Porteous Jr. of the Eastern District of Louisiana, American Lawyer spoke with Washington D.C. White Collar partner Alan Baron who served as special impeachment counsel to the House of Representatives in the case. In fact, of the eight federal judges in U.S. history to face impeachment, Alan has handled four of them.

By a vote of 96-0, the U.S. Senate found Porteous guilty on four articles of impeachment. He was charged with taking money from attorneys and bail bondsmen with business before him; lying in his personal bankruptcy filing; and concealing his corruption in statements to the Senate during his 1994 confirmation hearing. It was Alan’s third impeachment conviction. “That’s a pretty good batting average,” Alan told Litigation Daily in a separate interview.

The Q&A focused on the Porteous case, the impeachment process and Alan’s role.

From the Q&A:

Q: When you started doing this were there other people who acted in this role that you could go to with questions?
A: There were people on the Hill who had worked on [a prior case]. I don’t know if I spoke to the lawyer on the case or not. But in these proceedings, you’re more or less on your own. There’s not a big thick rule book. They tend to be breaking new ground. You face novel questions that you have to figure out while you’re involved in it. It’s not like in typical litigation, where there may be 10 or 12 cases you can look at. There really isn’t much precedent. And nothing is binding by the way. The Senate or House can cut it’s own path. They look to precedent, but they are not bound by it.

The full Q&A with Alan can be read at Am Law Daily and New York Lawyer. Subscription required.