The Twittering of Fame - Alex Spiro, Quinn Emanuel Partner, Twinkles (for now) As Elon Musk's Personal Lawyer

"Musk's personal lawyer, Alex Spiro of Quin Emmanuel [sic], was on hand, effectively splitting the workload with Musk ... Spiro took on legal, compliance and content moderation work. While Spiro's role is not formal, one person close to the deal described him as the 'de facto' head of legal for Twitter right now.” - Insider, October 28, 2022

At Quinn Emanuel, where he is a partner, Spiro co-chairs Investigations and more. Focusing in on one major client - and even being physically embedded at their sites - is common among Big Law lawyers. And in that specialized role they can become stars in the legal sector firmament. 

That's exactly how Jones Day's partner Don McGahn became famous. During the 2016 US Presidential election McGahn glued himself to serving Donald Trump's campaign. Later, as many know, he left Jones Day to head legal at the White House, then returned to Jones Day when that role was over. Paul Weiss associates manning the lucrative Apollo account could be based at the client's headquarters.

Obviously, already Spiro has become famous. But, given Musk's stormy relationship with lawyers one wonders how long this particular relationship will last.

At Tesla, Musk had gone through five heads of legal in three years. More recently Musk fired Twitter Chief Legal Counsel Vijaya Gadde. In January 2021, she had permanently banned Trump from Twitter.

Musk's business approach could be called The Management of Unpredictability. So it is foolhardy to speculate Spiro's longer-term branding.

Because of his association with Trump and far-right issues McGahn is being vilified in some circles. The expose on Big Law "Servants of the Damned" by David Enrich - which ranks on Amazon at 14,201 - targets McGahn. That extends to Jones Day. However, the career of McGahn and the business of Jones Day continue to thrive. There can be a decoupling of public relations and business success.

Therefore we wonder: If Spiro is ousted by Musk from serving the Twitter account could Quinn Emanuel also take it on the chin? What would be the implications for both Spiro and Quinn Emanuel?

Fame is an unstable entity. That is a core meme in the history plays of William Shakespeare.

So, it's no surprise that a Harris poll found out that, even in this era of influencers, only three out of five want to be famous. 

In an interview with The National Law Journal, Paul Weiss Chairperson Brad Karp observed that there was "some cost to being so visible." But, as those who understand the business of law know, it is that high profile which is a platform for new business development. Annually, as Insider documents, Karp brings in about 20 new accounts.

In my intuitive career coaching, the majority of clients are focused on earning a good living, not becoming powerful brandnames. The volatile economy itself sets in play too many flashpoints in a career.

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