There are plenty of ways for young lawyers to get their foot in the door at a blue-chip firm: Have a connection to a partner, clerk for a federal judge, play a role in a high-profile case. Then there are the more creative approaches.
Gregory Hawn, an associate at the Washington, D.C., office of Bracewell & Giuliani, is accused of falsifying his résumé and altering his law school transcript in an effort to get a job at Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw, according to the D.C. Bar Counsel, which has filed a series of ethical charges against Hawn.
The 2003 graduate of American University's Washington College of Law allegedly altered 12 grades on his transcript, raising his grade-point average from 3.12 to 3.59; claimed that he received an academic achievement scholarship and a legal writing award that he had not won; listed himself as co-chairman of an American Bar Association group when he had merely assisted in coordinating the group's activities; claimed he was the program director of a D.C. Bar committee when he was only a member of the group; and falsely represented that he was an "articles editor" on the AU Law Review when he was a "senior editor," according to bar counsel charging documents served on Hawn March 11.
When contacted by Legal Times Thursday, Hawn -- who worked in the firm's real estate, energy, finance and business technology practices -- expressed optimism that the charges would be resolved favorably, but declined further comment. Within hours, Hawn had resigned from the firm.
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