Virginia A. Seitz (Duke University, Buffalo Law School) is nominated to be the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Legal Counsel. She would replace Jonathan Goldman Cedarbaum, who was appointed Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General on July 18, 2010. The office has not had a Senate-confirmed head since 2004.
The following information is from her Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire.
Her vitals:
- Born in Wilmington, Del., in 1956.
- Her nickname is “Muffy.”
- Earned a philosophy, politics and economics degree from Oxford University in June 1980.
- Has been a partner at Sidley Austin LLP since 1998.
- Worked at Bredhoff & Kaiser, P.L.L.C. from 1987 to 1997. Was an associate from 1987 to 1992 and partner from 1993 to 1997.
- Clerked for U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. from 1986 to 1987.
- Clerked for U.S. Court of Appeals Justice Harry T. Edwards in Washington, D.C., from 1985 to 1986.
- Clerked for the Migrant Legal Action Program in Washington during the summer of 1984 and from January 1985 to June 1985.
- Clerked at Allen, Lippes and Shonn PC, in Buffalo, N.Y., from October 1983 to April 1984.
- Was a summer law clerk at the now-defunct Saperstein, Day in Buffalo, in 1982.
- Was a history teacher and field hockey coach at The Park School in Buffalo during the 1980-81 school year.
- Was a National Merit Scholar in 1974.
- Was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University from 1978 to 1980.
- Volunteered during President Barack Obama’s transition in the administrative agency review project, specifically cataloging the status of legal matters involving administrative agencies.
On her Office of Government Ethics filing, Seitz reported her partnership share income from Sidley in 2009 as $562,241 and, for about nine months in 2010, as $338,006.
UPDATE: On her Senate Judiciary Committee financial disclosure, Seitz reported assets valued at $3.9 million, mostly from real estate and cash on hand and in banks, and a $10,529 mortgage for a net worth of about $3.9 million.
