Where Will Solicitor General Clement Go Next?

Justice Department

Where Will Solicitor General Clement Go Next?

Posted May 15, 2008, 05:45 am CDT
By Debra Cassens Weiss

Solicitor General Paul Clement has announced he will resign on June 2, but he didn’t give any indication about his future plans.

Some managing partners have guessed Clement could command annual compensation at a big law firm as high as $2 million or $3 million, Legal Times reports. But friends told the publication he felt constrained by ethical reasons from talking to prospective employers until after he leaves the Justice Department.

Clement, who has three young boys, said he intends to spend the summer with his family.

He has argued 49 cases for the administration before the Supreme Court and is well-regarded by both conservatives and liberals. He was known for his willingness to de-emphasize ideology in an effort to attract a Supreme Court majority, the Washington Post reports.

When he joined the Justice Department as a deputy to Solicitor General Theodore Olson, Clement had never argued before the Supreme Court.

Justice Antonin Scalia, who had formerly employed Clement as a law clerk, praised him in a 2006 tribute, the Legal Times article says. "I am so glad he is solicitor general because he makes my job easier," he said.

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