By Brian Malcom

I realize this is a blog about young lawyers, but let's mix a little politics with the law and see what we can learn from a lawyer at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. 

Yesterday, President Obama invited Sgt. James Crowley and Henry Louis Gates, Jr. to the White House for some frosty beverages.  Oh yeah, Biden was also there.  CNN reports that "[t]he president was drinking Bud Light, Biden was drinking Buckler (a nonalcoholic beer), Gates was drinking Samuel Adams Light and Crowley was drinking Blue Moon."  Aside from Biden ordering a non-alcoholic beer at a Beer Summit, this was a politically savvy and smooth move on the part of the White House. 

Obama and the White House have been dealing with a bit of backlash from Obama's now infamous remark that the police department "acted stupidly" in its arrest of Professor Gates.  Realizing that racial tension is not what a nation clawing its way out of a recession needs, Obama took a proactive move to smooth over the entire unfortunate situation and called a Beer Summit at the White House. 

This is thinking outside the box at its finest.  Young lawyers can learn the following from President Obama's hops-filled mediation:

• When seeking settlement or resolution to a controversy, all parties should be present.
• Sometimes mediations, settlement discussions, or resolutions can be found in unusual settings.  Go with it.
• A change of scenery, especially when the White House is involved, can really help all parties relax and listen to each other.
• Don't be afraid to sit down to a meal or for a drink with an adversary.
• Getting in front of a potentially explosive controversy could save you a lot of headache and your client a lot of money.
• If you're in politics and you're ordering a beer in a very public setting, order American.
• If you're attending a "Beer Summit" and the press is recording everything you do, you're better off not ordering a beer at all than ordering a non-alcoholic beer.