Big Law Throwing Harris Fundraisers with a Six-Figure Ticket Tier

Big Law donors are trying to help Vice President Kamala Harris build financial momentum after last week’s Democratic National Convention.

Sullivan & Cromwell senior chairman Rodge Cohen is part of a group hosting a lunch Tuesday in New York featuring Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, according to an invitation viewed by Bloomberg Law. Ticket prices for this event range up to as much as $100,000 per person, according to the invitation.

Jenner & Block partner Josh Hsu, a former White House counsel for Harris, is co-headlining a Tuesday evening reception in Washington, according to an invitation. The most expensive ticket is nearly $7,000 per person.

High-powered attorneys have been working their networks for Harris, also a lawyer, since she ascended to the top of the ticket following President Joe Biden’s July 21 announcement that he’s not running. Lawyers gave Harris more than $3 million during her first presidential run.

“If this momentum continues—if this optimism continues—there’s going to be absolutely no shortage of money contributed to the campaign,” said Mayer Brown partner Phil Recht, a Harris backer.

The host committee for Tuesday’s event in New York includes attorney and Women for Harris co-chair Melissa Prober, and Christopher Mann, a lead partner of Sullivan & Cromwell’s global infrastructure practice and sovereign finance practice groups. Emhoff is a former Venable and DLA Piper partner.

The host committee for the Washington event includes Skadden litigation partner Nina Rose and Johanna Shelton, a former director of public policy at Alphabet Inc.'s Google, who joined OpenAI in May as external affairs lead for US policy.

Those listed on the invitation didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Fundraising Blitz

Since Harris ascended to the top of the Democratic presidential ticket, those who have taken to the fundraising circuit include Paul Weiss chairman Brad Karp and former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates. A group called Lawyers for Harris reconvened to raise millions for Harris’ second presidential bid.

One bundler, Andrew Byrnes, told Bloomberg Law that in the last month bundling for the Harris campaign, he’s raised more than three times what he’d raised for the former Biden-Harris ticket. The majority of the tapped donors were lawyers, he said, while declining to specify fundraising figures.

Jenner & Block partner Dawn Smalls, who worked in Hilary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign, says she raised $100,000 in the first week of Harris jumping to the top of the Democratic ticket.

Gibson Dunn partner Scott Edelman said about 120 partners at the firm have committed to supporting Harris by hosting events or giving individual donations.

“This is what we all so badly needed, something to get people really excited again,” Edelman said.

WilmerHale partners hosted an August 12 Zoom event with North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, where tickets ranged from $1,000 to $25,000. The hosting partners included former deputy attorney general and current WilmerHale partner David Ogden and the firm’s energy and environment group co-chair Peggy Otum.

Adam Sieff, counsel at Davis Wright Tremaine’s Los Angeles office, said he expects a “critical mass of Davis Wright attorneys who will be supportive of this campaign.”

“I reached out to other attorneys, partners at the firm, the feedback that I received has been universally supportive and enthusiastic,” Sieff said. “People are looking for ways to be helpful.”

— Amanda Gordon contributed to this report.