Syl is a veteran lawyer and lobbyist with over forty years of experience representing clients in both the State of Florida and Washington, D.C. After graduating from law school, he obtained a position as an attorney advisor in the General Counsel's Office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, where he defended the Department in federal court on cases involving laws governing the Medicaid and Medicare programs under the Social Security Act. During his time in federal service, Syl also had the distinction of serving as a Special Assistant to the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia and as an Assistant Director of the Cuban-Haitian Task Force at the U.S. Department of State -- where he was responsible for advising members of the Task Force, including the White House and Department of Justice, on federal domestic assistance programs. Upon completion of Syl's federal service, he became a partner in the lawyer lobbying firm of former Florida Congressman William Cramer where he specialized in the representation of local Florida governmental entities such as the cities of Miami and Miami Beach, Miami Dade County and the Miami Dade County School District in connection with their issues before the Executive and Legislative branches of the U.S. government. Syl spent twenty five years representing Florida interests in Washington, D.C. He is currently a Senior Partner in Ballard Partners and has been a member of the Washington, D.C. Bar for more than thirty years.