BY AMY DRISCOLL

 This is not where Kendall Coffey once envisioned himself.

 The former chief of South Florida's most powerful law enforcement agency -- the ex-U.S. attorney himself -- has found himself squarely in opposition to all that he once held dear.

 He is now a relentless courtroom adversary of Janet Reno, his old boss. He has become the government's toughest opponent in the fight over custody of Elian Gonzalez.

 Yet on his office walls, Coffey still proudly displays plaques memorializing his law-and-order achievements under Reno.

 ''It has been,'' he pauses, carefully selecting his words, ''a bit awkward at times.''

 It has also been a personal watershed for Coffey. Though he has represented high-profile clients since a fall from grace four years ago -- Miami Mayor Joe Carollo and television reporter Michele Gillen, for example -- no other case has put him at such public odds with the cause that once defined him.

 These days, Coffey, 47, is everywhere. As spokesman for Elian's case, he has appeared on CNN and the Today show and Good Morning America. After the government's raid on the Gonzalez home, it was Coffey on TV day and night, proclaiming the predawn seizure of the boy ''shameful.''

 Since the raid, Coffey is a force in Miami once again. He has since served as mediator in the war between Carollo and City Manager Donald Warshaw. And in the streets of Little Havana, Cuban Americans now stop their cars in the middle of traffic to shake his hand and embrace him. They call him friend, amigo, ''the American who is with us.''

 For Coffey, this new role comes with a price.

 ''The people in the U.S. attorney's office are some of the finest men and women I have ever known,'' he said Wednesday, looking haunted. ''I loved those people. And I still feel very close to them.''

 ONETIME 'DREAM JOB'

 Coffey had spent three years in his ''dream job,'' running the U.S. attorney's office in Miami under Reno. He supervised more than 200 prosecutors from Key West to Fort Pierce, and spearheaded crackdowns on health-care fraud, violent gangs, cargo theft and the Colombian drug cartels. He made immigration issues a centerpiece of his administration.

 Lee Stapleton Milford, Coffey's former chief assistant, said the former Dade County Bar president quickly earned respect. ''He brought tremendous energy and great ideas to his position as U.S. attorney,'' she said. ''He made a point of reaching out to the law enforcement and defense communities.''

 And then it all ended. In 1996, after his office lost a major drug-smuggling case, Coffey resigned under pressure amid allegations that he had bitten a dancer on the arm in an episode at an adult nightclub. His career as South Florida's top prosecutor was over.

 But Coffey didn't retreat into the shadows. Though he returned to private practice, he remained in the public eye, channeling his passion for service into a series of high-profile cases.

 The first came about a year after his resignation. He began representing Carollo in the civil vote-fraud case that eventually overturned the mayoral election of 1997.

 A PERFECT FIT

 The case was a perfect fit for Coffey, providing him with two of the things he missed most from the U.S. attorney's office: a cause he could believe in and issues intricate enough to challenge his lawyer's mind.

 ''When I took that case, everyone was turning their back on Joe [Carollo]. The only thing left to him was the legal system,'' Coffey said.

 Other headliners followed. In March last year, Coffey won a dismissal of a racial and sexual discrimination lawsuit against Gillen, a television reporter for WFOR-Channel 4. A cameraman had accused her of touching him and discussing her sex life during assignments with him, but a judge ruled that there was no case under federal law.

 In June, Coffey helped win a stunning acquittal for Miami shipping agent Neal Harrington in a well-publicized corruption case at the city port. Harrington and two other defendants -- Port of Miami Director Carmen Lunetta and San Francisco financier Calvin Grigsby -- were charged with embezzlement and money-laundering in a 10-count indictment. A federal judge acquitted all three.

 The port case put Coffey in direct opposition to his former colleagues at the U.S. attorney's office, a difficult time for him. ''In a lot of ways, that was more uncomfortable than the Elian case has been,'' he said.

 'A GOOD MAN'

 Then came the call from Gonzalez family advisor Armando Gutierrez in late January. Gutierrez wanted to put together a legal dream team. He wanted the former U.S attorney on the team.

 ''He's a good man, people know him and he has great credibility,'' Gutierrez explained. ''Plus, he's a workaholic. The man doesn't sleep. And he has experience in federal court.''

 Coffey wasn't immediately convinced. He asked to meet the family.

 ''I walked away feeling as though I could give them my full support. These were not career anti-Castro activists. They were committed to this child. I had to feel it was in the best interests of the child before I could say yes.''

 Former colleague Bruce Udolf said he thought Coffey's ''judicious'' temperament and clout in federal court made him a valuable addition to the Elian team.

 'REASON AND CALM'

 ''When I found out he was representing the family, I was optimistic because I knew he would bring some reason and calm to a situation that needed it,'' Udolf said. ''He's just the kind of person they needed.''

 Coffey expected to be just another face in a legal team of a dozen attorneys. But as the legal arguments became increasingly concentrated in federal courts, his role began to broaden.

 A dizzying media blitz began, with Coffey as near-constant spokesman. It wasn't a role he automatically embraced. Though he understands the need for publicity at times, he doesn't enjoy the media glare. Early-morning TV appearances usually meant sleepless nights beforehand, he said.

 ''You'd wake up at 2 and 3 and 4 . . .,'' he said. ''It continues to be a source of anxiety and discomfort for me. I would much rather be in court.''

 During negotiations prior to the raid, Coffey also spoke to Reno on the phone for the first time since his resignation.

 The conversations were polite, he said, even though both sides were worn out. ''As exhausted as I was, she had to be just as weary,'' he said.

 Thursday, he will return to the courtroom to argue the case before the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

 ''Legally, the issues are very compelling,'' he said, enthusiasm in his voice. ''As a lawyer, this is what it's all about. You live to advocate for your client.''

                     Copyright 2000 Miami Herald