Staff Writer
Workspace: City of Jacksonville General Counsel Cindy Laquidara
City Hall became quieter by the day as the Fourth of July weekend approached, which was fine with the City’s new head of its legal department.
Cindy Laquidara made history by becoming the first woman to serve as General Counsel of the consolidated City of Jacksonville after being selected by Mayor John Peyton and approved by the City Council.
But there were no banners, bells or whistles when she moved into her new office July 1, and that’s just the way she likes it.
“I became a lawyer because I wanted to practice law, not something else,” said Laquidara, who admits the office can be political at times. “My job is to advise my client on the law. Sometimes it’s clear. If the law is gray, then I advise them that the law is gray and allow them to do the jobs they were elected to.”
If she had it her way, the only items in her office would be a desk, computer and case files.
“If it weren’t for Lynn (Davis, her secretary), that’s probably what I would have,” said Laquidara. “She was great in setting this up.”
The office is decorated with paintings, legal cartoons, family pictures and, below her collection of coffee cups, Peeps marshmallow treats.
“(Ethics Officer) Carla Miller and I are addicted to them,” said Laquidara. “If either one of us are having a tough day, when we really need some Peeps, we call each other.”
Laquidara got a taste of public service as an assistant general counsel for Jacksonville from 1985 to 1987, and returned in 1998 after some time in private practice where her last position was senior shareholder in Laquidara, Edwards, Cohen & Jacobs. Why did she choose to leave the private sector?
“I was bored,” said Laquidara. “There are many more issues that I can be involved with working with the City, like First Amendment issues. I also like being behind the scenes advising elected officials to help them do what they were elected to do.”
Elected officials are on the client list the General Counsel’s office serves. That list also includes a $5.1 billion public utility (JEA), a school district with more than 123,000 students, the Jacksonville Aviation Authority, the Jacksonville Port Authority, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority, five constitutional officers (Supervisor of Elections, Property Appraiser, Sheriff, Tax Collector and Clerk of Court), the Mayor and 10 executive branch departments, 19 City Council members, and more than 30 boards, commissions and agen-cies.
With this variety of clients, the General Counsel’s Office is diversified to handle a multitude of practice areas, including civil practice, with areas that include litigation (commercial, personal injury, constitutional, etc.), real estate, land use, environmental law, labor and employment law, workers’ compensation, eminent domain, foreclosures, evictions, bankruptcy, municipal finance, contract negotiation and drafting, and economic development and transactional areas.
Being the head of one of the largest law firms in the City makes Laquidara a visible part of both the government and legal communities, but working among 37 lawyers means she is still a face in the crowd.
“There are many faces to this office,” said Laquidara. “We have so many great attorneys doing such a great job, Butch Burkett, Karen Chastain, Debra Braga and Deborah Walters. It’s those people in the trenches that really feel the pressure.”
Laquidara has named Chastain as Chief Deputy General Counsel.
356-2466