Businesses facing legislative and regulatory challenges require sound and strategic advice to ensure that their views are heard in Congress, in the regulatory agencies, in state capitals, and among state attorneys general (AGs). The professionals in the Hunton government relations practice have the skills, discretion, and reputation to ensure that our clients’ views are given due consideration in the public policy debate.

Government Relations

Our government relations team is composed of lawyers and legislative professionals committed to representing our clients’ interests at all levels of local, regional, national, and cross-border governing bodies in the United States and abroad. In this wide-ranging practice, we combine legal and advocacy skills with strategic experience that has been developed over decades of work on an extensive variety of legislative, regulatory, and policy projects.

Members of the Hunton government relations team have years of experience in both private practice and the public arena. Our team includes several former counsel to congressional committees, the former vice president and senior policy counsel of the world’s largest retail trade association, as well as lawyers whose legal careers have focused on legislation, administrative, and regulatory matters. We can draw on the experience of regulatory lawyers from throughout the firm and can also work closely with our clients’ existing resources in order to deploy them to their greatest effect.

The effectiveness of our government relations practice is based upon our competence and credibility, and our history of advocacy before elected, appointed, and career officials. Our federal government relations practice is national in scope and assists clients in shaping legislation and regulations through direct lobbying and interaction with members of Congress, agency officials, and their staffs. We provide assistance on a broad variety of issues arising from various national energy acts, climate legislation, and major tax and budget bills, as well as the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Superfund Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act, comprehensive privacy legislation, and annual appropriations bills, particularly those involving transportation infrastructure and agriculture.

In addition to our government relations representation on environmental issues, we also leverage our decades of experience advocating for retailers and consumer-facing companies on data and technology legislation and regulations that impact their businesses. We have public policy leaders focused on consumer data privacy, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence (AI), and related e-commerce issues, providing strategic policy advice and engaging in advocacy efforts on behalf of companies, trade associations, and industry coalitions focused on these legislative and regulatory issues.

Our work before the executive branch goes hand in hand with our work before Congress, where the results achieved at one end of Pennsylvania Avenue are often influenced by actions taken at the other end. We understand how to maneuver around the political, legislative, and regulatory obstacles that can make the attainment of our clients’ goals difficult and challenging. Examples include:

• Our state government relations professionals represent client interests among state legislators and regulators, helping them develop and pursue strategies designed to further their business objectives.
• Our practice before state AGs addresses our clients’ needs as they face increasing challenges by state AGs and the effective use of AGs by the plaintiffs’ bar and by competitors.
• Our professionals are frequently called upon to provide long-range strategic planning assistance to clients in pervasively regulated industries who recognize that regulatory trends can have a significant impact upon business goals.

Lawyers in our congressional investigations practice have experience representing individuals, companies, and coalitions of clients in proceedings that often involve high-stakes consequences, including criminal referrals, draconian legislation, and damage to reputation. Our team includes former counsels to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, with first-hand experience conducting congressional investigations from the inside.