(Raymond Pierce is donating one hour (non-legal advice) of his time to the winning bidder)


Raymond C. Pierce is a partner in the Cleveland Office of Baker & Hostetler. He concentrates his practice in general business and public policy. He serves clients in the energy, steel, banking, and construction industries. He also serves state governments in higher education and pension investment-related matters. In addition, Mr. Pierce works with the firm's Washington-based Federal Policy Group to assist clients with government-related issues.


Before his recent campaign for mayor of Cleveland, Mr. Pierce served in the administration of President Bill Clinton as a U.S. Department of Education Deputy Assistant Secretary. In this post, he directed the Department's largest compliance section and developed federal education policy that impacts school districts, colleges and universities. During his tenure he negotiated compliance agreements with six state higher education systems.


Mr. Pierce began his career in the John Walker law firm in Little Rock, Arkansas, handling a large employment discrimination class action lawsuit involving a major railroad company. Mr. Pierce served in the law department of the LTV Steel Company, handling matters in transportation, labor, construction, and commercial transactions. In addition, he helped develop a multimillion-dollar industrial modernization project between LTV and the City of Cleveland.


During his tenure with the federal government, Mr. Pierce was a frequent speaker on a wide range of law and public policy issues at conferences and annual meetings throughout the country, including those sponsored by: The National Association of State Universities and Land Grant Colleges, the American Council on Education, The National Conference of State Legislators, The U.S. Conference of Mayors, The University of Colorado, The University of Mississippi, The Darden School of Business at The University of Virginia, The National Research Council at the National Academy of Sciences, The Advancement Project at Harvard University, The National Collegiate Athletic Association, The American Association for the Advancement of Science, The National Association of Equal Education Opportunity, and the National Education Association.


Mr. Pierce has delivered the commencement address at five college graduation ceremonies. He is the recipient of various awards, including the Thurgood Marshall Foundation National Leadership Award and The Case Western Reserve University School of Law Distinguished Recent Graduate Award.


Mr. Pierce is a member of the Ohio, Arkansas, and American Bar Association.