As the race to the White House heats up, lawyers from Am Law 200 firms in early-primary states are gearing up to volunteer for their chosen candidates.

In New Hampshire, Manchester-based Nixon Peabody litigation partner Gordon MacDonald is currently surveying the field and deciding which candidate to back. MacDonald previously served as New Hampshire campaign director, a paid position, for Dan Quayle’s presidential run in 2000, and more recently as statewide vice-chair, a volunteer position, for Mitt Romney’s presidential run in 2008. “As a paid employee, I ran the operation in New Hampshire, which covered everything, including hiring staff, planning events and trips, organizing volunteers, and handling the press,” says MacDonald. “As a volunteer, it’s different. It’s more about helping reach out to ­activists.”