Officially In: Howard W. Gutman to Brussels

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On June 11, President Barack Obama announced his intent to nominate Howard W. Gutman to be Ambassador to Belgium. Official bio released by the WH below:

Howard Gutman is a partner with Williams & Connolly LLP. Identified as one of "Washington's Top Lawyers" by Washingtonian magazine, Mr. Gutman’s practice areas focus on commercial litigation, including securities, contracts, antitrust, labor, banking, real estate, intellectual property, insurance coverage, international law and partnership disputes. Mr. Gutman's clients have included Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, financial services firms, labor unions, pension funds, law and accounting firms, government entities, real estate developers, sports teams, and political candidates. He is also litigation counsel for Friedman, Billings & Ramsey, a top ten U.S. investment bank. Mr. Gutman previously served as a Special Assistant to F.B.I Director William H. Webster, focusing on counter-terrorism and counter-intelligence; as a law clerk to Justice Potter Stewart on the United States Supreme Court; and as a law clerk to Judge Irving L. Goldberg on the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Mr. Gutman has been an Editor of Litigation Magazine for over 24 years and an active participant in the ABA's Litigation Section. He is a member of the Board of the Washington Hebrew Home in Rockville, Maryland. He is a graduate of Harvard Law School and Columbia University.

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OpenSecrets.org of the Center for Responsive Politics has named Mr. Gutman one of President O’s bundlers, raising more than $500,000 for the campaign. [Bundlers are people with friends in high places who, after bumping against personal contribution limits, turn to those friends, associates, and, well, anyone who's willing to give, and deliver the checks to the candidate in one big "bundle."]

If confirmed, Mr. Gutman would replace Sam Fox, a political appointee commissioned during a recess of the Senate in 2007 (an earlier nomination of Jan 9, 2007 was withdrawn Mar 28, 2007).

Related Items: (additional items added from OpenSecrets.org on 6/19/09)

• President Obama Announces More Key Administration Posts, 6-11-09
• Williams and Connolly, LLP Biography: Howard Gutman
• OpenSecrets.org from Center for Responsive Politics: Obama_ambassador_Data_090612.xls (Excel file)
• Obama's New Ambassador Nominees Gave Big -- and Bundled Bigger