Legal Largess

Of all the constituencies making a mark on the election for Municipal Court judge, perhaps the most important is the legal community. Who do they feel most comfortable with?

A review of campaign disclosure statements shows that lawyers are clearly throwing their support behind Ron Albers. Of his nearly 400 individual contributions, raised between January 1995 and today, an overwhelming majority, 58 percent, come from private- and public-sector attorneys. Only 7 percent of his donations come from political activists.

Conversely, the majority of Matthew Rothschild's financial support comes from the world of politics. Forty percent of his donations come from lobbyists, consultants, lawyers who are politically active, and politicians. A mere 23 percent comes from attorneys.

-- George Cothran