Specter ‘comfortable’ as a Philadelphia lawyer

Arlen Specter said it feels “comfortable” practicing law in Philadelphia again, after serving for 30 years in the U.S. Senate.

From a new corner office in a City Center high-rise, Arlen Specter said he will not miss the gridlock and partisanship that marked the last few years of his long tenure on Capitol Hill. His new digs are on the same floor as his son Shanin’s law offices, but he is working as a solo practitioner.

“I had negotiated with a number of law firms and my final decision was I liked my independence to chart my own course, handle matters of special interest to me,” Specter said.

Those special interests include raising money and awareness for medical research to find cures for diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. As a senator, Specter pushed for increased funding for medical research,  most recently winning $10 billion of extra funding for the National Institutes of Health.

The 81-year old who lost his bid for his sixth term in office says he is not planning on slowing down or retiring any time soon.

“I don’t know how to spell slowdown,” he said.

Specter hopes to serve on some corporate boards and is slated to teach a class on the Supreme Court at the University of Pennsylvania Law School in the fall.