Hello, Mr. Quinan, welcome to the Hot Bench. Could you please introduce yourself to our vast audience?
I am from Richmond, VA and went to Colgate University for undergrad. After college, I worked on campaigns in 2016, 2017, and 2018 (some were more fun than others) before going to the Senate from 2019—2022, spending most of my time working for Senator Dick Durbin. After graduation, I am excited to be going back up to D.C. to work in private practice.
From Capitol Hill to law school—a trailblazer I see. Do you have any good stories from your time on the Hill?
Oh yeah, the Trump years were, if nothing else, never dull. I was there for two impeachment trials, worked on two SCOTUS confirmations (again, one was more fun than the other), and was there for the fiasco that was 2020—with the pandemic, the protests, the election, and January 6 to top it all off. Thankfully, I stayed home that day—but it made for an eventful, if not exciting, end to a bizarre time in Washington. I’ll have to be a good comms staffer and keep anything more specific off the record for now.
Convenient that you didn’t clock in on January 6 . . . Do you have any ambition to return to politics? White House Counsel, perhaps? Or is civil litigation your life’s calling?
I will certainly not be going back into politics, at least not anytime soon. And as odd as it may sound, yes I do think litigation is as close to a “life’s calling” as I could have. As you probably know too well, I love arguing. And, for as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a litigator (like my father). So, unless I somehow develop a ninety-five plus mph fastball in the next six months, I think I’ll be in litigation for the long haul.
From what I experience on first base, it sometimes feels like you might hit ninety-five mph. Or maybe I just need a trip to the optometrist. With that segue, what has been your favorite class in law school?
There have been so, so many . . . but I think that my answer would be anything taught by Professor Collins. I loved my civil procedure class, and against all odds I loved Conflicts of Law. I love his teaching style and ability to keep the class engaged and laughing, even as we delve into complex and difficult issues.
Turning to an obvious passion of yours: beer-league softball. How have you been able to maintain a section team with a healthy roster through the years?
I think it all comes down to luck. We got lucky to have a section that has gelled so well together and that legitimately likes spending time with one another. So, since we’re all actually friends outside of school, it’s not too much of an ask to spend an hour with your friends drinking a beer and playing some softball. Aside from that, it is probably due to my magnetic personality and my preternatural leadership skills.
Another obvious passion of yours is history. Do you have any hot historical takes for the audience?
Ha, I am not sure that I do, at least not any that anyone here will understand. Unfortunately, law school has inhibited my ability and desire to read for pleasure, so I haven’t been able to do as much reading outside of school as I would like or used to. That being said, I am thankful that there are so many history-focused podcasts out there that are able to scratch that itch for me. In particular, and maybe this is a hot take (or a shameless plug) I am a huge fan of The Rest is History podcast, and am even a member of their fan club, if you can believe that.
A few of your younger friends at the law school often look to you for sage advice. Would you like to share any wisdom with the younger readers of this paper?
I would just recommend that everyone enjoy your time at law school and in Charlottesville. Big law hourly requirements aside, work is work: it’s not always fun, even the best jobs, and you will have to do it for the rest of your life. That’s the reason I am most glad to have taken some time off between undergrad and law school. It gave me some perspective and has allowed me to enjoy being here that much more. I really do think of it as a three year break from the slog of working and living in a city.
Finally, for a piece of hard hitting journalism, are you trying to hide your golf swing from me?
I am definitely worried about what it’s going to look like after more than a year of not picking up a club. But I’ll be out there soon enough—maybe I’ll surprise you. But from what I’ve heard, you are quite meticulous as a coach, so who knows. I am sure you will find more than enough to pick apart and get your revenge for all the times I yelled at you at Copeley.
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Interviewed by Garrett Coleman '25