CCJ Directory

Karl A. Racine, the former and first-elected Attorney General of Washington, D.C. leads bet-the-company litigation, investigations, and enforcement actions at Hogan Lovells, while also leading the firm’s State Attorneys General practice. Racine became the District of Columbia’s first elected Attorney General in 2015, building the office into the top public law firm in America and establishing himself as a leader among U.S. attorneys general. Recognizing his sophisticated work and impressive results on national issues, the bipartisan National Association of Attorneys General awarded Racine the Kelley-Wyman Award—the top award given to an AG.

As AG, Racine focused locally on preserving affordable housing, cracking down on slumlords, battling wage theft, protecting consumers, reforming the juvenile justice system, and safeguarding public integrity. Nationally, his office rose to prominence on emerging issues that intersect with artificial intelligence, big data, privacy, competition, and ESG. Importantly, Racine’s work made a name for DC as a model jurisdiction in consumer protection matters. Racine draws on over 30 years of legal and leadership experience. Before becoming AG, he forged a distinguished private practice, becoming the first African-American managing partner of a top-100 American law firm. With a long history of success and high-profile work, he has defended leading companies in civil litigation, white-collar investigations and criminal matters. Previously, he served as Associate White House Counsel to President Bill Clinton and a D.C. Public Defender.

Racine serves on the board of directors of DXC Technology, a Fortune 500 global IT services business that helps clients modernize operations and drive innovation and Safe Harbor Financial, a financial services technology firm that serves the regulated cannabis industry. Born in Haiti, Racine came to D.C. at the age of three. He earned a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania, where he captained the basketball team, and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.