Personnel note: Adams and Reese taps Patrick Gillespie to enhance Florida government relations practice

Image via Adams and Reese.

The law firm of Adams and Reese has hired former Department of Management Services (DMS) Deputy Secretary of Business Operations Patrick Gillespie to enhance its government relations practice in Tallahassee.

Gillespie has worked in the state capital for the past seven years and has more than 12 years of experience in various roles within the Florida political process.

“Patrick understands how business gets done in Tallahassee, particularly with a focus on procurement and contracts,” said Herschel Vinyard, Counsel for Adams and Reese in Jacksonville. “He will draw on his experience to help business partners achieve their goals with government. We are excited for him to help bring winning strategies and guidance to a variety of our clients.”

As Deputy Secretary, Gillespie oversaw more than 400 employees in real estate development and management, state purchasing, telecommunications, fleet management and private prison oversight, while overseeing policy and budget development and engaging legislative leaders about department priorities.

“Patrick’s work on the Governor’s senior leadership team underlines his readiness to assist Adams and Reese in demonstrating its strengths in Florida’s capital city,” Adams and Reese Partner and Intersection of Business and Government Practice Group Leader Brad Lampley said.

“His unparalleled knowledge of state-level government operations, policy and the procurement process in Florida makes him an essential partner for clients looking to do business in the Sunshine State.”

Through his position at DMS, Gillespie provided integral work securing funding for and assisting with design of the State Emergency Operations Center; architectural, structural, systems and access modernizations to the Florida Capitol; and other major projects the state has begun in recent years.

He coordinated with the House Speaker’s and Senate President’s Offices, as well as Cabinet and state agency offices to communicate construction progress and to resolve tenant needs.

Gillespie oversaw approximately $900 million in active construction throughout the state, as well as reforms to procurement strategy, upgrades to the Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System, various statewide technology platforms and systems, and has been a point of contact for legislative policy and funding priorities.

He led the team that develops and executes statewide contracts used by state and local government for a variety of commodities and services.

“I am excited to lead this practice area and provide clients with guidance and strategy in the often difficult-to-navigate world of public procurement, contracting, and account management,” Gillespie said. “I am grateful for the opportunities offered to me by the State of Florida and I look forward to using my experience in support of businesses and organizations that wish to provide solutions and value to the state.”

Prior to his role as Deputy Secretary, Gillespie served as Senior Director of Special Projects at DMS, where he led a variety of IT system implementations, managed high-profile projects, and developed planning for the beginning of construction at the Florida Capitol.

Adams and Reese was founded in 1951 as a multidisciplinary law firm. Today, it employs nearly 300 attorneys and advisors throughout the United States and Washington, D.C. It holds a place on The American Lawyer’s list of top law firms nationwide and is among the top 200 on the National Law Journal’s NLJ 500 list of the nation’s largest law firms.