Quick Facts
Biography
Quentin Palfrey (born 1974) is an American lawyer, policymaker, and candidate for the Democratic nomination for Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor. He previously served as the Executive Director of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) North America at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as the Co-Director of the Global Access in Action project at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University.
During President Obama’s first term, Palfrey worked as Senior Advisor for Jobs & Competitiveness in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. In that role, he served as lead policy staffer on a patent reform effort that led to the signing of the America Invents Act and also coordinated White House input into a report to Congress on the national strategy for innovation and competitiveness. He has written and spoken widely on innovation, poverty, and evidence-based policy.
Early life & education
Palfrey attended Harvard College and graduated in 1996 magna cum laude, later returning to Harvard Law School, where he graduated in 2002.
Career
After graduating from law school, Palfrey served as a law clerk for Judge Max Rosenn on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. After a brief stint as a litigation associate at the New York office of Cravath, Swaine & Moore, Palfrey returned to Boston to serve as an Assistant Attorney General and later as the first Chief of the Health Care Division in the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General. During the 2008 Presidential campaign, Palfrey served as the voter protection director for President Obama’s campaign in Ohio.
Palfrey also served as Deputy General Counsel for Strategic Initiatives at the US Department of Commerce. As the first Chief of the Health Care Division in the Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General, Palfrey oversaw multi-million dollar consumer protection litigation and investigations relating to health insurance, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, healthcare providers and nursing homes and served on various boards. Prior to his Chief position, he was an Assistant Attorney General in the Insurance Division.
In September 2017, Palfrey announced his campaign for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts stating that "we need leaders who will fight for good jobs and fair pay, work to reduce inequality and poverty, and stand up against attacks on our diverse and inclusive American values."
Publications
- Expanding Access to Medications & Promoting Innovation: A Practical Approach, 24 Geo. J. on Poverty L. & Pol'y 161 (2017)
- State Judiciary’s Role in Fulfilling Brown’s Promise, 8 Mich. J. Race & Law 1 (2002)
- Federal Housing Subsidies, 37 Harv. J. Legis. 567 (2000)