Government Affairs

Global advocates for your business opportunities

From new regulatory regimes for AML to the phase-out of hazardous chemicals, governments’ policy decisions often have far-reaching effects on businesses. We understand the issues where business, policy and politics intersect. Through advocacy, we help you achieve your strategic business objectives.

We are former politicians, trade negotiators, government ministers, sector and regulatory lawyers and political advisors with a wealth of experience. We know what it takes to negotiate complex trade agreements, and we know what regulatory authorities expect. We offer you integrated legislative and parliamentary advocacy and public affairs services. And we provide public policy and advocacy campaigns and strategic communications advice.

Our clients include sovereigns – governments, central banks and state-owned enterprises – commercial clients and international organizations. We advise them on how best to navigate the domestic political and regulatory landscape to do business in highly regulated sectors, such as banking, telecoms, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, energy, and more. We also provide counsel on national security, cyber-threats and multifaceted cross-border regulatory, licensing and approval processes.

“We are former politicians, trade negotiators, government ministers, sector and regulatory lawyers and political advisors with a wealth of experience.”

With 90+ offices in 40+ countries throughout the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific, we’re supported by sector-focused and international trade lawyers. Working with our networks in Whitehall, Westminster, EU institutions and member state capitals, we use our legal experience to promote more effective government affairs campaigns for clients. Many of our attorneys and other professionals previously held senior-level elected, appointed, and staff positions in federal and state governments.

We provide contentious and non-contentious export controls, customs regulations, regulatory trade and financial sanctions advice. Through advocacy and regulatory understanding, we help you manage your regulatory risk. You can then shape your regulatory environment and improve and better manage your supply chain resilience in an increasingly difficulty policy setting.

Awards and recognition

Experience

Designed and delivered a four-part revolving training programme for diplomats and senior officials on the EU institutions and decision making processes with intensive practical content focussed on how to approach the EU and ensure effective influencing.
Advised a non-European airline which had been placed on the EU’s list of banned carriers to manage its relations with the European Commission, develop a corrective action plan and secure its removal from the list.
Worked and continues to work with major companies in the air passenger and cargo sectors to monitor, engage in and influence EU and national rulemaking covering areas such as passenger rights and security.
Organisation of high-level briefing sessions for clients with drafting team in both the Commission and European Parliament on the Solvency II Directive.
Representing a major insurer EU & UK regulatory affairs focused on a wide range of policy developments including insurance, data protection and EU/ US regulatory dialogue.
Representing a trade association from a Managing Director and Secretariat perspective in relation to all interactions across the EU and legislative policy issues.
Advising a major financial services organisation in relation to their UK stakeholders engagement.
Represented a Chinese telecom company on sanctions issues and Congressional investigation into whether the company’s products could be used to aid espionage and cyber-spying. Our attorneys successfully advocated on behalf of the client to protect their brand in the US and continue to do so.
Represent a US joint venture with Japan to develop a high speed rail system in the northeast corridor of the US on environmental impact issues relating to rail corridor development as well as relevant appropriations to fund various rail programs and the American Jobs Act which contain rail development authorizations for true high speed rail as well as creating a national infrastructure bank to support rail development projects.
Represent a Middle Eastern cable and satellite news television channel in the purchase and launch of a US TV channel. Providing a continued government advocacy campaign to minimize adverse reaction to the acquisition by outreach to the Administration, Congress and third-party groups (think tanks, community leaders, etc.) and regulatory approval by the FCC and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS).
Worked with a large Defense company to resurrect a billion dollar defense weapons system, which had been initially cancelled by the Defense Department. The effort involved drafting legislative language and creating a significant strategy for advocating before all Congressional Defense committees.
Advising the nation’s first proposed offshore wind farm in a multifaceted regulatory and legislative licensing and approval process, including the Department of the Interior, the Department of Energy, the FAA, the Coast Guard, the EPA, the Corps of Engineers and other agencies, while defeating all legislative challenges initiated by project opponents.
Represented an early education group and helped develop multifaceted congressional strategy to secure an additional $1.1 billion in funding for early education programs.
Represent the National Coalition on E-Commerce and Privacy, which has been at the forefront of every major public policy and regulatory development involving the collection, security and use of personally identifiable information.
Advise clients on lobbying and ethics regulation matters including: training for company attorneys on political law compliance; political activity and PAC strategies; and advise on state lobbying and pay-to-play compliance matters.
Served as counsel to a small innovative, pharmaceutical company in developing legal, legislative and media strategies to preserve the full patent life of the companies pioneering lifesaving drug. We worked closely with senior Administration policymakers to achieve a positive outcome for our client.
Represent Analytical Graphics Inc. (AGI) to develop and execute a high level Congressional outreach campaign to advance the sale of AGI's Space Situation Awareness (SSA) technology to the US Air Force. Our representation is focused on educating Congress as well as key stakeholders at the Department of Defense and US Air Force on the benefits of using AGI’s commercial technology solutions.
Represent a Middle Eastern banking industry association before the US government to develop coordinated strategies for addressing international money laundering, terrorism financing, and sanctions compliance efforts.
Advise an international paint manufacturing company on general Congressional outreach and legislative monitoring of the Chemical Safety Improvement Act (CSIA) of 2013.

Contact

Global leaders

Paul Hardy

Socio

Richard Sterneberg

Head of Global Government Relations

News and insights

Event

Webinar: The 2024 US presidential election and its impact on Israel's cross-border...

17 de diciembre de 2024 .1 minute read

Publication

Fast-track Approvals Bill sees major changes at the eleventh hour

17 de diciembre de 2024 .7 minute read

News

DLA Piper’s Steven Phillips and Tony Samp named to The Hill’s 2024 Top Lobbyists list