Alston & Bird is a law firm, and Deeply Saddened Daschle isn't a lawyer. He probably technically can't be a partner, so they gave him a nice title: Special Policy Advisor. It's just a fancy way of saying lobbyist. From his
bio on the firm's website:
Senator Tom Daschle is Special Policy Advisor in Alston & Bird’s Washington, D.C. office and is a member of the Legislative and Public Policy Group. As a non-attorney, Senator Daschle focuses his services on advising the firm’s clients on issues related to all aspects of public policy with a particular emphasis on issues related to financial services, health care, energy, telecommunications and taxes. In addition, he advises on trade and international matters.