Karl Racine’s journey is a testament to the transformative power of opportunity. Born in Port au Prince, Haiti, he arrived in Washington, DC, at age three after his family fled the oppressive Duvalier regime.
Raised in the very city he would later serve, he attended local schools before earning a bachelor’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania, where he captained the basketball team, and a law degree from the University of Virginia.
His legal career has been defined by an unusual synthesis of public duty and private sector acumen. Racine worked as a DC public defender and served as Associate White House Counsel to President Bill Clinton. In 2005, he became the first African American managing partner of a top 100 US law firm, a ground breaking achievement that underscored his visionary leadership.
Elected in 2015 as the District of Columbia’s first independently elected Attorney General, a post he held until 2023, Racine reimagined the office as a national benchmark. He championed affordable housing, pursued negligent landlords, fought wage theft, and safeguarded consumers.
He also introduced the nation’s first restorative justice programme within a prosecutor’s office, fundamentally reshaping the juvenile justice system. His contributions earned him the Kelley Wyman Award, the highest recognition from the bipartisan National Association of Attorneys General.
Today, Racine practices law as a partner at Hogan Lovells, where he directs major litigation and leads the firm’s State Attorneys General practice. From immigrant child to pioneering public servant, his enduring mission has been to wield the law as an instrument of fairness, equity, and justice for every community he serves.
