Cooley, Sidley Austin Join Defense in Admissions Scandal

Cooley and Sidley Austin have joined a growing list of Big Law firms with lawyers who are representing defendants in the college admissions cheating scandal case.

Cooley partners Randall R. Lee and William Schwartz have been hired by Jane Buckingham. Buckingham, the founder and chief executive of Trendera, a youth marketing consultancy, allegedly paid $50,000 for someone to take the ACT college entrance exam in her son’s place.

Lee, who joined the firm’s Los Angeles office in February from WilmerHale, specializes in high-stakes litigation, investigations, and white-collar defense.

He’s a former Regional Director for the Pacific Region of the U.S. ...