Twins have a very special bond, and some of them can’t help themselves but to go through all of life’s journeys together. Take Justin and Asher Griffin, of New Jersey, for example. Their father was Black and their mother was white, and as mixed-race children, they said they had a hard time fitting in. But from high school to college to law school to Biglaw, they were inseparable, following in each other’s footsteps — sometimes at the same time, sometimes separated by a few years.
The Griffins both attended Princeton at the same time, but diverged before law school because Justin had been recruited by the Cleveland Indians to play minor league baseball. He gave himself two years to get into the major leagues, but later joined his brother Asher at Stanford Law. Justin started working as an associate for Quinn Emanuel after graduation in 2004, but Asher turned down his offer even though he’d interned there as a 1L. Instead, he moved to Texas to join Baker Botts.
Asher later left Baker Botts for litigation boutique Scott Douglas & McConnico, where he became partner in 2008. Justin remained at Quinn Emanuel, where he made partner in 2013. It wasn’t until 2020 that the brothers would finally have the opportunity to be reunited in law practice.
Thanks to the firm’s success with remote work during the pandemic, two partners moved to Austin to work, and Justin quickly tried to bring his brother on board. In January, the firm announced it would be opening an office there, and Asher would be one of its founding members.
The American Lawyer has some details on the rarity of the Griffins’ situation:
It is rare for anybody, but especially a Black attorney, to reach the ranks of Big Law partnership. Less than 2% of Am Law 200 partners are Black. For twin brothers to do so—and at the same firm, within the Am Law 50—is perhaps one-of-a-kind.
“We can’t wait to be in a hearing together,” said Justin.
Congratulations to the Griffin brothers. Finally, Biglaw’s got Quinns — errr… twins!
Brothers in Law: Twins Reunite as Quinn Emanuel Partners [American Lawyer]
Staci Zaretsky is a senior editor at Above the Law, where she’s worked since 2011. She’d love to hear from you, so please feel free to email her with any tips, questions, comments, or critiques. You can follow her on Twitter or connect with her on LinkedIn.