Ileana Ros-Lehtinen Hired by Akin Gump
The former South Florida congresswoman has joined Akin Gump's public policy practice in Washington, D.C.
January 07, 2019 at 12:23 PM
3 minute read
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen
Former Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, one of many former members of Congress now moving into the private sector, has joined Texas-founded Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld.
Akin Gump has also hired former Texas Congressman Lamar Smith, the firm said Monday.
“As a firm that operates at the intersection of business, law and policy, we recognize the valuable skills, knowledge and perspectives that Reps. Ros-Lehtinen and Smith bring to our clients,” said Akin Gump chairperson Kim Koopersmith in a statement. “They will be great additions to our top-tier policy practice, and I am very proud to welcome two individuals with such long and distinguished careers on Capitol Hill to the firm.
Ros-Lehtinen, who doesn't hold a law degree, will work as a senior adviser in the firm's public law and policy practice based in Washington, D.C.
“As home to the largest public policy practice in Washington, Akin Gump has always been a successful advocate on behalf of its clients, both domestic and foreign, on trade matters and other critical issues,” said Ros-Lehtinen in a statement. “My move here builds so well on the work I have accomplished during my time in Congress, and I am excited to begin this next chapter in my career.”
After 36 years in public office — nearly 30 of those years in the U.S. Congress representing South Florida, Ros-Lehtinen announced her retirement last year in an op-ed in the Miami Herald.
“This is a personal decision based on personal considerations,” wrote Ros-Lehtinen. Democrat Donna Shalala eventually defeated her Republican opponent Maria Elvira Salazar last November to replace Ros-Lehtinen.
Ros-Lehtinen was the first Cuban-American elected to Congress when she won her first congressional election in 1989, and the first Hispanic woman to serve in the Florida House, Florida Senate and U.S. Congress. Among her biggest policy achievements was her role in passing Florida's prepaid college-tuition program.
Akin Gump isn't the only big law firm picking up attorneys with government experience. Holland & Knight recently announced it hired former Republican Virginia Congressman Tom Davis as partner in its public policy practice group based in D.C. and Tysons, Virginia.
Davis served in Congress for 14 years before retiring in 2008. He was previously with Deloitte, where he was director of federal government affairs.
Lawyers have long bounced between the public and private sector, a process often referred to as “the revolving door.” Notable recent examples include former U.S. Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates' move to King & Spalding and, in the other direction, former U.S. Attorney General William Barr's journey from Kirkland & Ellis back to the Justice Department pending his nomination to U.S. Attorney General.
|Related Stories:
Another Year, Another Spin Through the Legal Industry Revolving Door
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2024 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
Trailblazing Broward Judge Retires; Legacy Includes Bush v. Gore
Trending Stories
- 1Decision of the Day: Judge Reduces $287M Jury Verdict Against Harley-Davidson in Wrongful Death Suit
- 2Kirkland to Covington: 2024's International Chart Toppers and Award Winners
- 3Decision of the Day: Judge Denies Summary Judgment Motions in Suit by Runner Injured in Brooklyn Bridge Park
- 4KISS, Profit Motive and Foreign Currency Contracts
- 512 Days of … Web Analytics
Who Got The Work
Michael G. Bongiorno, Andrew Scott Dulberg and Elizabeth E. Driscoll from Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr have stepped in to represent Symbotic Inc., an A.I.-enabled technology platform that focuses on increasing supply chain efficiency, and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The case, filed Oct. 2 in Massachusetts District Court by the Brown Law Firm on behalf of Stephen Austen, accuses certain officers and directors of misleading investors in regard to Symbotic's potential for margin growth by failing to disclose that the company was not equipped to timely deploy its systems or manage expenses through project delays. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton, is 1:24-cv-12522, Austen v. Cohen et al.
Who Got The Work
Edmund Polubinski and Marie Killmond of Davis Polk & Wardwell have entered appearances for data platform software development company MongoDB and other defendants in a pending shareholder derivative lawsuit. The action, filed Oct. 7 in New York Southern District Court by the Brown Law Firm, accuses the company's directors and/or officers of falsely expressing confidence in the company’s restructuring of its sales incentive plan and downplaying the severity of decreases in its upfront commitments. The case is 1:24-cv-07594, Roy v. Ittycheria et al.
Who Got The Work
Amy O. Bruchs and Kurt F. Ellison of Michael Best & Friedrich have entered appearances for Epic Systems Corp. in a pending employment discrimination lawsuit. The suit was filed Sept. 7 in Wisconsin Western District Court by Levine Eisberner LLC and Siri & Glimstad on behalf of a project manager who claims that he was wrongfully terminated after applying for a religious exemption to the defendant's COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The case, assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Anita Marie Boor, is 3:24-cv-00630, Secker, Nathan v. Epic Systems Corporation.
Who Got The Work
David X. Sullivan, Thomas J. Finn and Gregory A. Hall from McCarter & English have entered appearances for Sunrun Installation Services in a pending civil rights lawsuit. The complaint was filed Sept. 4 in Connecticut District Court by attorney Robert M. Berke on behalf of former employee George Edward Steins, who was arrested and charged with employing an unregistered home improvement salesperson. The complaint alleges that had Sunrun informed the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection that the plaintiff's employment had ended in 2017 and that he no longer held Sunrun's home improvement contractor license, he would not have been hit with charges, which were dismissed in May 2024. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Jeffrey A. Meyer, is 3:24-cv-01423, Steins v. Sunrun, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Greenberg Traurig shareholder Joshua L. Raskin has entered an appearance for boohoo.com UK Ltd. in a pending patent infringement lawsuit. The suit, filed Sept. 3 in Texas Eastern District Court by Rozier Hardt McDonough on behalf of Alto Dynamics, asserts five patents related to an online shopping platform. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Rodney Gilstrap, is 2:24-cv-00719, Alto Dynamics, LLC v. boohoo.com UK Limited.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
