Could Alberto Gonzales be homeward bound?

KHOU is speculating about whether U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales could return to his hometown of Houston if he ends up getting the boot in Washington. Gonzales, a graduate of MacArthur High School in Aldine, was a partner with Vinson & Elkins from 1982 to 1997, when he became the Texas secretary of state (from there, he was appointed to the state Supreme Court and then became White House counsel to President George W. Bush; he was sworn in as attorney general in 2005). "I look forward to the day I can return to Houston," Gonzales said during a visit to the city last month. But would he be welcomed at home? For sure, legal observers say:

South Texas College of Law Professor Rocky Rhodes said there are few law firms in all of Texas who wouldn’t fight to get Gonzales to join them.

"Instant name recognition, and that’s a big key," Rhodes said.

Law firms are big business, competing for new clients. A well-known name on a firm's marquee can mean a lot.

Just look at one on a building downtown: Bracewell and Giuliani, as in Rudolph Giuliani.

The ex-mayor of New York City and now presidential candidate joined the Houston firm two years ago.

"It may be worth something," lawyer Larry Findler said. "Rudolph Giuliani is an American hero."

Of course, Guiliani didn't have the, uh, public relations problem Gonzales is facing now. But even that might not matter so much: Channel 11 brings up the example of Henry Cisneros, the political rising star who resigned as secretary of Housing and Urban Development in 1997 amid allegations that he had lied to the FBI about payments he made to his former mistress. After leaving public office, Cisneros became president of Univision and is now chairman of CityView, a company that finances and builds inner-city homes. As for Gonzales, Rhodes said, the qualities that could be getting him in trouble in Washington now may be just what a law firm would look for in hiring him: "What client wouldn't love a lawyer ... who's extremely loyal to them, puts their interest first over his own personal interests and who was willing to be the fall guy, if you will?" he asked.