The Rose Law Firm, which formerly employed Hillary Rodham Clinton, was the focus of investigations related to the Clinton family's business dealings, including the Whitewater development. Is the bloom off the Rose Law Firm?

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – When Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) addresses some 4,000 Democrats at the Alltel Arena here Saturday night, she’ll be less than a mile away from her old office at the Rose Law Firm. But judging by the fact that she doesn’t mention the blue-chip firm at all on her websites, she is putting a lot more distance between herself and Rose.

The chill seems to be mutual: Clinton -- arguably the firm’s most famous ex-employee as its first female partner, first lady of the United States and current Democratic contender for president -- does not merit a mention on Rose’s website.


The Rose Law Firm became emblematic of the scandals that dogged Clinton and her husband, Bill, while he was president: Whitewater; the death of Vince Foster, a Rose partner who became deputy White House counsel; and the missing billing records from Rose that were discovered in Hillary Clinton’s book room at the White House.

The aftermath of the spotlight cast by those scandals has been tough to overcome for the oldest law firm west of the Mississippi. These days, sources say, Rose is a paranoid shell of its former self. According to a legal directory, Rose employed 32 lawyers this year, down from the 53 that were listed in 1991, when then-Gov. Bill Clinton launched his presidential bid. Some of the Rose’s most powerful lawyers left over the past eight years to either start their own firms or join corporations.

Within the office, every document is shredded, sources say, to prevent dumpster-diving journalists from finding any material. Even case law books are shredded, instead of going to a local university, because partners feared the books would end up on eBay, said one source with Rose connections who spoke on condition of anonymity.

And with Hillary Clinton now in the presidential race, the firm is primed for more scrutiny, as her past will inevitably return for careful reflection. When she announced her exploratory committee earlier this year, partners sent out an e-mail warning attorneys not to speak to the media about her.

Steve Joiner, the firm’s CEO since last May, declined an interview for this story. According to FEC reports, he’s the only law partner thus far to contribute to Clinton’s exploratory committee; he gave $250 in March.

Few people wanted to talk about Rose in the present for fear of reliving the turbulent past. Even Kenneth Starr, the independent counsel who led the investigations of the Clintons, declined to be interviewed for this story. One source swept up in the Whitewater scandal said the only way anyone would talk about the firm was with a subpoena.

The Clinton connection wasn’t always so problematic, however. In January 1993, two days before Bill Clinton’s inauguration, Rose held a star-studded reception in honor of Hillary Clinton in the grand ballroom of Washington’s Mayflower Hotel. Then, in 1993, Rose opened an office in Washington – which it closed after a year.



Like many other law firms, Rose did some lobbying, as well. In 1991, the firm made news when three of its lawyers registered with the state to become lobbyists for the Arkansas Development Finance Authority. The lawyers worked on legislation that would permit the state to issue sewer bonds for cities. One lawyer who requested anonymity said that the firm no longer has the bond business monopoly that it once had.

The firm still lobbies, but one source said it doesn’t “wheel and deal” like in the old days. Over the past five years, Rose lawyers have lobbied the state legislature on behalf of New York’s First Union Real Estate Equity & Mortgage Investments, Pittsburgh’s Reynolds Metal Co. and Arkansas Gas Consumers.

In terms of legal clients, Rose represents Stephens Inc., one of the largest investment banking firms off Wall Street, and Tyson Foods Inc.



And it has maintained one powerful connection to the Clintons: It represents the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation, an international nonprofit.

“Two points can be made,” said Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch. “It provides a financial link between the Rose Law Firm and the Clintons at an important time. If the firm were going to the other side, they have financial disincentive to do so because they will lose money. It is financial insurance so the firm stays on their side through the campaign and the presidency.”

Fitton also said the connection protects both the firm and the Clintons.

“The firm has a reason to keep quiet because of attorney-client privilege, which could prevent any more investigations and inquires on the legal side.”

Suzi Parker is a freelance journalist based in Little Rock, whose work often appears in The Economist and U.S. News & World Report. She is the author of "Sex in the South: Unbuckling the Bible Belt" (Justin, Charles & Co., 2003).