Counsel Chorus When Walter Smith joined his longtime friend John Ferren in the D.C. Office of Corporation Counsel in 1997, there was one drawback: Smith had to exit stage right, at least for a while. An amateur singer, Smith decided he simply wouldn’t have time to perform elsewhere while slaving away in the city’s perpetually overwhelmed legal office. But now that they’ve both left the office—Ferren joined the D.C. Court of Appeals in May, and Smith retired from his post as special deputy corporation counsel last week—the lawyers are collaborating again. Next week, the duo will pair up at Ferren’s Bethany Beach house, where they’ll begin writing their own musical. Smith says they’re considering putting the legal drama Inherit the Wind to music, but they may opt for Our Town, which he says would be simpler. They’ll also continue to tag-team on the District’s voting- rights suit, but they may be short on time: “Our dream, of course, is that we might produce this locally, and if it were really good, then we would take it to Broadway,” Smith says.