Gordon Giffin worked for Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Georgia, soon out of law school in the 1970s, then went into law practice in Atlanta. In 1986, he joined what was then Long Aldridge & Norman (which is now Dentons).

Giffin was an energy regulatory litigator for two decades, and he also won a key case before the Georgia Supreme Court on sovereign immunity for IBM. He created the legal model for the local host entity for the 1988 Democratic National Convention in Atlanta and served as its general counsel. He also represented the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games in its interactions with the federal government.

Giffin took a break from firm life between 1997 to 2001 to serve as U.S. ambassador to Canada, where he was recognized by the Department of State for negotiating a cutting edge border agreement.

He is now Dentons' global vice chairman.

How did you come to work for Sen. Sam Nunn in the 1970s?

Throughout my early years, I was a student of politics, history and government. While at Emory Law School, I applied for an internship in the Washington office of Senator Nunn. Following an interview process run by the Institute of Government at UGA, I was selected as the first law student intern for the winter quarter of my third year (1974). I was stimulated by every day of my internship—working in the U.S. Senate, and being exposed to a remarkable talent like Sam Nunn was a dream come true. I then returned to Emory, completed law school and began law practice. In the fall of 1974, Senator Nunn offered me the position of chief counsel and legislative director, which I accepted and began full-time in the Senate in January 1975. I remained in that role, a dream job, until June 1979, when I returned to Atlanta to practice law.

There is no doubt that being able to work in the Senate as a young lawyer, being mentored by Sam Nunn, altered the course of my life for the better.

What drew you to represent clients with energy regulation issues?

When I decided to resume law practice, I identified two large firms and two new rising smaller firms in Atlanta to consider. Only one identified a specific role for my experience in dealing with government. Hansell & Post proposed that I become an energy regulatory lawyer and focus on work for their institutional client, Atlanta Gas Light Co. The others were positive about my joining but had a less distinct plan in mind. I concluded that having a specific practice field for a specific client as the foundation for returning to practice was the best choice.

Once again, I was fortunate with an opportunity, because that practice area and client were a core of my practice from 1979 to 1997, when I left to become U.S. ambassador to Canada. In 1986, I left Hansell & Post for one of the smaller firms I had originally identified in 1979, Long & Aldridge, and fortunately the work followed.

When you represented the United States as ambassador to Canada, what surprised you about our neighboring country?

I was born in Massachusetts, and my family moved to Montreal when I was 6 months old. We later moved to Toronto, where I finished high school, before returning to the U.S. for university. So I knew Canada well when I became the 19th U.S. ambassador.  

Canada is a proud, multicultural nation where people share our commitment to democracy, human rights, market economy and freedom. While we certainly have cultural, economic and political differences, no two neighbors in the world are as aligned as we are on the seminal issues of our time. For example, we jointly defend the airspace of North America through a treaty creating the North American Aerospace Defense Command. On 9/11, a Canadian general was commanding NORAD, and his orders scrambled U.S. Air Force jets to defend our airspace. Multiple U.S. commercial airliners made emergency landings in Gander, Newfoundland, that day and remained for days. We have no better friend.

As the global vice chair of Dentons, what misconceptions do lawyers have about how firms like Dentons are managed?

Dentons is literally the world's largest law firm—currently present in 90 countries. The primary misconception is that leadership is centered in one major city from which all wisdom emanates. Not so.

We have no headquarters and therefore no centralized wisdom. While we do have a global governing board (on which I serve), which has representation from every region, that establishes common policies. We are regionally and locally managed. We are proud that we are “in and of the community” wherever we practice. The model is actually unique, permitting lawyers to serve clients across the globe yet maintain a connection to their local practices and cultures—the best of both worlds.

What is one of your professional accomplishments of which you are proudest, and what was one of the biggest challenges in achieving it? 

My signature professional accomplishment was becoming U.S. ambassador to Canada. The steps to get there included living in Canada, working for Sam Nunn, developing an expertise in campaign finance law, which provided exposure to elected officials across the country, becoming involved with the Democratic Leadership Council, becoming counsel to the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta and through all those steps getting to know Gov. Bill Clinton, which led to becoming his Georgia campaign chair. While President Clinton suggested a few roles in the White House, becoming ambassador to Canada was my choice.

All that said, the biggest challenge was the process of being confirmed by a U.S. Senate controlled by the political party other than the president's. The FBI background investigation is thorough, and the Senate process is daunting. The fact that as a young lawyer I worked in the Senate for a highly regarded senator made a significant positive difference.

I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the lawyers who made a significant difference in the development of my career:

• Walt Drake and Robin Harris at McCurdy, Candler & Harris who gave me my start in developing as a lawyer; 
• Sen. Sam Nunn, my careerlong mentor and role model; 
• Al Norman and Tread Davis at Hansell & Post, who turned me into a lawyer;
• Clay Long at Long & Aldridge, who showed me how you could be an entrepreneur, a counselor and a lawyer at the same time; 
• President Bill Clinton, whose confidence in me permitted me to assume the professional role of a lifetime.