Nothing stimulates law firms inside the Beltway -- or outside -- quite as much as the prospect of new business. And the $789 billion stimulus package clearly looks like a potential bonanza to some lawyers. So within hours of the announcement by congressional leaders that a deal had been struck, Foley Hoag rolled out its new "cross-discipline stimulus response team" in an e-mail release that a number of reporters received early today. See the release here.

The Foley Hoag team includes lawyers with backgrounds in energy, the environment, life sciences, government strategies, and other areas. It is being led by Douglas McGarragh, who chairs the firm's infrastructure group, from the home office in Boston. The e-mail accompanying the release concludes that the firm would be happy to provide prospective clients with a "stimulating conversation" with McGarragh or other lawyers on the stimulus team.

                                                                                                              -- Peter H. Stone