News & Events
Legal Community Eyes Positions in Obama Administration
by John Pacenti
December 17, 2008 | Daily Business Review
Miami attorney Thomas Equels has five kids in college but, given the opportunity, he might just take a job in President-elect Barack Obama's administration in Washington, D.C.
"I haven't thought it through, but I've always had a strong belief in public service, that it's part of every citizen's duty," said Equels, a Democrat who runs the Equels Law Firm. "I believe we have a duty to serve in whatever capacity we can. Certainly, if I were invited, I would give it serious consideration."
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Florida is a swing state, and Obama will want it represented in his administration.
There are not a lot of lawyers under 45 in the Justice Department, and numerous South Florida attorneys in their 30s raised money for Obama during the election, Wagar said.
"I know there are a lot of folks thinking, 'Can I afford to do this because it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity?'" he said. "They are at the point in their lives that they can take a pay cut and move to Washington."
Kendall Coffey, a former Miami U.S. Attorney and now a partner at Coffey Burlington in Miami, agreed.
"I do hear from time to time from individuals who are sort of thinking aloud about this," said Coffey, a Democrat who worked on election protection efforts this year. "This is an extraordinary time. It's so much excitement about this administration. A lot of people are giving thought to being part of it."
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Coffey said the South Florida legal profession is primed to contribute because it deals with issues the new administration must tackle, from high-level criminal and white-collar litigation to environmental and constitutional law.