For nearly half a century, Paul Hancock has been the embodiment of justice — a government official pursuing civil rights violations, a mentor guiding scores of young lawyers and a successful private sector attorney defending Americans of all stripes.

For a portion of that time, I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Paul. He was heading up the housing section of the civil rights division of the U.S. Department of Justice while I was the division's spokesman.

By the time I arrived at the Justice Department, Paul was widely regarded as a civil rights expert with a wealth of experience, a deep intellect and an affable personality. He espoused the view that civil rights are most often embraced, not when they are viewed through a political lens, but when they are seen as a matter of decency and dignity. And as the spokesman, I appreciated his view that civil rights cases needed to be won in the court of public opinion as well as a court of law.

During his Justice Department years, Paul oversaw a robust housing discrimination testing program that identified real estate agents who discriminated against minorities. And he filed the first ever fair lending lawsuit arising from an enforcement program that he developed — a program for which he received recognition by Attorney General Janet Reno.

He gained respect among the staff because he understood that just because the government could extract an exorbitant fine from a violator, it didn't mean that it was always the right thing to do. Indeed, it was that sense of fairness, together with his ability to give meaning to the cases he filed, that he agreed to hold news conferences to highlight the actions of his legal team.

Paul's interest was not in shaming a lender as much as showcasing the law and ensuring all Americans understood their rights. He used the public platform to make sure financial institutions, real estate agents and apartment owners — as well as those who used their services — understood that the civil rights division was open for business.

Because of those programs, the division filed a record number of housing and lending discrimination cases during Paul's tenure.

In addition to overseeing a swath of civil rights cases, Paul used his position to mentor younger attorneys. He ensured they understood not only the intricacies of the law but also the impact that the law could have on people — something that Reno spoke of often.

He sparked their interest by speaking of his early days at the department when he had the chance to work with some of the former icons who helped to establish the civil rights division. He told of times during the Nixon administration when law enforcement officers unjustly rounded up protesters and brought charges regardless of whether the individual was protesting or just standing at a bus stop. And he spoke proudly of colleagues who participated in the Freedom Summer protests in the 1960s.

Indeed, Paul began his career at the Justice Department in 1970 and worked his way up from a trial attorney on desegregation cases to the head of litigation for voting rights. He then went on to head the housing rights section before ultimately being named acting deputy assistant attorney general for the entire division.

FLORIDA AG'S OFFICE

By 1997, after Paul's remarkable career at the Justice Department, Reno recommended him to Florida Attorney General Bob Butterworth, who hired him as a deputy state attorney general. At the attorney general's office, Paul managed the enforcement of consumer protection laws, child welfare laws and of course civil rights laws, among others.

Butterworth, who served in the position longer than anyone else, says Paul is among the finest, most ethical attorneys he has ever worked with. And he noted that it seemed every attorney Paul was up against would reach out and try to hire him after the case was over.

While most of the civil rights bar already knew of Paul's legal skills, he gained his greatest prominence when he argued Bush v. Gore on behalf of the state attorney general before both the Florida Supreme Court and the U.S. Supreme Court. Forever a footnote in history, Paul was the only attorney who successfully argued in the three hearings that resulted in rulings siding with the state attorney general.

Paul later joined Hogan & Hartson before becoming a partner at K&L Gates in Miami, where he has used his knowledge of housing, lending, consumer protection and civil rights laws to successfully defend against government overreach and unsubstantiated civil claims.

Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court rendered a seminal decision in a Fair Housing Act case Paul has defended since 2013, holding that plaintiffs must satisfy a proximate cause directness requirement. Currently, he has a case pending before the Florida Supreme Court that presents important questions concerning the proper standard for expert testimony and the separation of powers of the branches of Florida government.

Throughout the years, Paul has presented the views of the banking and mortgage lending industry, on behalf of trade groups, to judges and regulators. And he frequently counsels clients on the application and strictures of Florida's Public Records Act and Sunshine Law.

And even though he has dedicated the bulk of his professional career to public service, Paul still devotes significant time to representing clients on a pro bono basis. In fact, he is currently representing a local branch of the NAACP, advocating for the interests of African-American schoolchildren in a school desegregation case.

Those who know Paul best know you can take Paul Hancock out of the civil rights division, but you can't take civil rights out of Paul Hancock. Indeed, everything Paul has done throughout his still very active career has been to seek justice, for everyone — and at every stage, he has succeeded.

Myron Marlin is a former practicing attorney who served as the chief spokesman at the U.S. Department of Justice. He started at the department as the spokesman for the civil
rights division.