Backing Christie Is Good Business for Bridge-and-Tunnel Lawyers
Republican presidential candidate New Jersey Governor Chris Christie speaks to guests gathered for a campaign event at Jersey Grille on July 24, 2015 in Davenport, Iowa.
Photographer: Scott Olson/Getty ImagesOne World Trade Center was finally rising over downtown Manhattan, after years of battles about its design, security, and cost, when a new problem emerged: The site’s political overseers wanted to oust the project’s lead law firm.
It was early 2010, and Chris Christie had just been sworn in as governor of New Jersey. His appointees to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey were pressing to have DLA Piper fired. The reason: A powerful Republican at the firm had refused to endorse Christie in the election, according to interviews with current and former executives at the agency. Port Authority officials resisted, concerned that switching lawyers would throw construction further behind schedule. Still, DLA’s billings from the WTC project dropped as it was passed over for new work.