A Conversation with Leighton Lord – Candidate for Attorney General of SC.

MidlandsBiz:
Why did you decide to run for Attorney General?

Leighton Lord:
As with many people these days, I have been frustrated with the leadership in South Carolina and nervous about the future of the Republican Party. The decision came about as a result of conversations with friends about the need for people in the business community to step up and serve.  My idea was to recruit talented people from the business community.  In the process, however, it got turned back on me.  A friend said to me that I should run for Attorney General because I had been perfectly trained to do the job.  He said, if you aren’t willing to do it yourself, how can you expect someone else to do it. He was right!  It’s hard to believe, but I now have bumper stickers that say Leighton Lord for Attorney General. 

MidlandsBiz:
Should you win the Republican nomination and the election, what will happen to your job as managing partner at Nexsen Pruet?

Leighton Lord:
I love this job, the law firm and the people here, but I strongly believe that all public service involves sacrifice.  Should I be elected, I will have to give up my job here at Nexsen Pruet.  The job of Attorney General is full-time. 

MidlandsBiz:
What skills do you bring to the job?

Leighton Lord:
I am excited about this opportunity and I feel strongly that I have the skill set necessary to be a great Attorney General.  The office is very important to our State. 

At Nexsen Pruet, I manage a diverse group of lawyers in multiple practice areas and work to ensure top quality service for our clients.  The Attorney General’s office also covers a very diverse mix .  The AG operates as the chief securities commissioner for the state; it oversees charities, Medicare fraud, insurance fraud, and domestic violence, to name a few.  The AG’s office also issues matters of opinions on matters of law and represents State agencies. As the AG, I would manage these multiple areas and work to ensure top quality service to the citizens of South Carolina.   As the current Attorney General has said, it is an executive position that requires executive experience.

Prior to moving to South Carolina, I worked in the United States Senate for several years and gained a vast amount of experience in the criminal justice system from deportation of criminal aliens, to drug trafficking, to gang violence, credit card fraud etc. It was really like a graduate degree in our criminal justice system.  When I came to South Carolina, I thought that I would work for US Attorneys office, but the Democrats were in charge, so I went into private practice.  

MidlandsBiz:
How will you be different from previous AG’s?

Leighton Lord:
The main difference is that I have no future political aspirations. My goal is simply to be the best Attorney General that anybody can remember, and then to return to private practice.  Running for and holding public office can be a very strange process to go through. The only thing that I do not want to do through this process is to change. At the end of my time in office, I want to be respected by my friends, my family, and by the Bar as a great AG, not as a politician. 

I hope also to be a breath of fresh air in the political landscape of the state. I am not from any of the warring camps: I’m not a solicitor, I am not from inside the current AG’s office, I am not part of the legislature.  I would view my role as that of a neutral peacemaker.  I have a proven ability to manage in the private sector; I look to apply those same principles in the public sector.  Whether in a law firm, or in public service, you need to build relationships, develop consensus, and be patient.  Those are qualities that I bring to the table and how I plan on being successful in the role as AG. 

Though I am running as a Republican and have been a lifelong Republican, the office of the AG can, and should be, above politics.

MidlandsBiz:
What has been the reaction so far from the people you have talked to?

Leighton Lord:
It has been very encouraging.  The idea that we need someone in the office who knows how to run a business has resonated with people.  Business people respect private sector success and they are frustrated with politicians.  I look forward to having the credibility to look people in the business community in the eye and say: Step up. I did.