Kenneth L. Wainstein (O'Melveny & Myers LLP)
Washington Wizards guard Gilbert Arenas has made some pretty poor decisions in the past month, but selecting Ken Wainstein as his attorney is not one of them, according to Marisa M. Kashino at Washingtonian magazine.
Among the list of items that “Arenas isn’t scoring many points for good judgment” for are bringing handguns into the Wizards locker room and inappropriate Tweets, according to Kashino. Despite these less-than-stellar decisions, hiring Wainstein might help keep Arenas out of future trouble and help him avoid jail time. Wainstein spent 19 years at the Justice Department in a number of key roles, including U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia from 2004-2006.
Although the U.S. Attorney’s office in the District of Columbia charged Arenas with with one count of carrying a pistol without a license, the Wizards star struck a deal with the office that Wainstein once headed. Under the plea agreement, Arenas pleaded guilty to the charge, which carries a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment. However, the plea deal calls for a jail sentence of six to 24 months, with probation, a split sentence or incarceration possible, although the government has agreed to seek a sentence at the low end of that range. Sentencing is set for March 26.
Kashino praises Arenas’ decision to hire Wainstein, as he “certainly knows his way around the U.S. Attorney’s office.” In addition, Wainstein, who is now a partner at O’Melveny & Myers LLP, “has been building a practice as a leader in the emerging subject of national-security law,” according to Kashino.
While Wainstein has never represented an athlete before, according to Kashino, he appears to be handling his first athlete-client well.
