Class Notes All in the Alumni Family
1965
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Douglas Letter ’78
Impeachment Insider Douglas Letter wasn’t spotlight hunting when Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi asked him to become the House of Representatives’ general counsel in December 2018. Months later, however, the impeachment of President Trump vaulted Letter straight to center stage. One of the key figures in coordinating the House team’s impeachment prosecution strategy, he found himself in heated battles with the White House and the subject of lengthy Washington Post and CNN.com profiles. Congenial and self-effacing, Letter credits his staff of nine attorneys (and others who have volunteered) for deftly juggling a tidal wave of tasks. His unorthodox tendencies toward sleep (or lack thereof) also helped the cause. “I nap during meetings, just doze right off,” Letter
50 Berkeley Law Transcript Spring 2020
Michael Cole published his first novel, Jury Verdicts, after retiring as assistant campus counsel in UC Berkeley’s Office of Legal Affairs. The book is about a network television game show that involves the show’s creator, and how he developed it based on an actual verdict. Barry Michaelson completed 19 years as an Orange County Court Commissioner in Family Law. Winner of the 2018 Commissioner of the Year for California by the California Court Commissioners
Association, he also received the Orange County Family Law Bar Association Judicial Officer of the Year award.
1969 John Marshall received the President’s Award from the San Fernando Valley Bar Association for his work on behalf of the association. Chair of the real estate and health care practice groups at Lewitt, Hackman, Shapiro, Marshall & Harlan in Encino, California, he has also been honored with a “Valley’s Trusted Advisor” award by the
says. “No, seriously, I’ve always been fine on four hours a night and I do have a few exercise routines that keep me sane.” He has experienced many surprises over the past year, including some unexpected common ground with House Speaker Pelosi. “She’s a major Grateful Dead fan,” Letter says. “I grew up going to Grateful Dead concerts, and it’s terrific to realize I’m working with another DeadHead. We’ve also enjoyed bonding over the San Francisco 49ers’ resurgence this year.” During his 40 years at the Department of Justice, where he directed the Civil Division Appellate Staff, Letter represented Democratic and Republican administrations. He then spent a year teaching at Georgetown Law and working for a public interest litigation institute, never anticipating a higher-profile role. Yet in talking to people on Pelosi’s staff and
