One of the most Influential Minority Lawyer in America, 45, Venable, Washington

Racine is managing partner of his firm and a litigator who focuses on corporate defense and white-collar and commercial cases. He served as associate White House counsel during the Clinton administration, advising on the range of investigations launched by Congress, the Justice Department and the independent counsel's office, and helping to vet candidates for the bench and other presidential appointees. In December, the District of Columbia Bar tapped him for the commission that recommends appointees to the District of Columbia Superior Court and Court of Appeals. A 1989 graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, Racine began his career at Venable that same year as a litigation associate. In 1992, he left the firm to become a staff attorney with the D.C. Public Defender Service. Before returning to Venable, he practiced with Cacheris & Treanor.