Former Congressman Rick Lazio has joined Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrère & Denègre as a partner and will lead the firm’s new New York office. Lazio said he will focus on financial services and housing finance, including affordable housing issues. For now, Lazio, who will also spend time in the Washington, D.C., office, is the only attorney in Jones Walker’s New York outpost. The firm plans to add more attorneys for practices in corporate finance, banking and other financial services. Lazio said the firm will have permanent space by late summer in midtown. Jones Walker, founded in New Orleans, has 17 offices with about 375 lawyers.
Lazio served as CEO of the Financial Services Forum and was a member of the executive committee of JPMorgan Chase. He also served as managing director with the real assets group of JPMorgan Asset Management. Lazio, a Republican, ran unsuccessfully in 2000 against Hillary Clinton for the U.S. Senate and was defeated in the 2010 Republican primary for New York governor. Lazio said he has no plans to run for office again. “I expect I will continue to stay active in public issues, but I see my role as an adviser rather than a candidate,” he said.
