Private Practice & Legal Career | Erik Swenk

Court three to five days a week across six counties, then nearly a decade in public service hearings.

I began my legal career running my own law firm, where I was in court three to five days a week — hearings, motion practice, and trials throughout six counties in Central Florida. I represented financial institutions in creditors’ rights matters and gained extensive courtroom experience in those years.

I also served as a volunteer attorney with the Ninth Circuit State Attorney’s Office. With my law enforcement background, I had hoped to become an Assistant State Attorney.

Before that opportunity materialized, I was offered a position with the Office of Appeal Hearings under the Inspector General’s Office at the Department of Children and Families. I have now served there proudly for many years.

Those chapters — private practice and public service — still shape how I prepare, how I listen, and how I treat every person who comes before me.