PUBLIC POLICY PRACTICES WITHIN U.S. LAW FIRMS

Infuence Revenue as a percentage of firmwide gross revenue (2014)

1. Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck: 18% 
2. Manatt, Phelps & Philips: 14% 
3. Covington & Burling: 14% 
4. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: 13% 
5. King & Spalding: 13% 
6. Mc Kenna Long & Aldridge: 10% 
7. Wilmer: 10% 
8. Holland & Knight: 10% 
9. K&L Gates: 9% 
10. Wiley Rein: 7%
11. Alston & Bird: 6% 
12. Venable: 6% 
13. Arent Fox: 6% 
14. Nelson Mullins: 5%
15. Mc GuireWoods: 5% 
16. Hogan Lovells: 5% 
17. Dentons: 4% 
18. Squire Patton Boggs: 4% 
19. Steptoe & Johnson LLP: 4%
20. Arnold & Porter: 3%
21. Greenberg Traurig: 3%
22. Mc Dermott Will & Emery: 3%
23. Polsinelli: 3%
24. DLA Piper: 2%
25. Bracewell & Giuliani: 4%

Top 20 Law Firms with the Highest Revenues from Lobbying and Influence Work

1. King & Spalding: $ 117.8 million
2. Akin Gump: $ 110.2 million
3. Wilmer: $ 108 million
4. K&L Gates: $ 104.9 million
5. Covington: $ 99.9 million
6. Hogan Lovells: $ 93.7 million
7. Holland & Knight: $ 71.9 million
8. Dentons: $ 48.2 million
9. Manatt: $ 43.9 million
10. DLA Piper: $ 43.2 million
11. Squire Patton: $ 37.7 million
12. Alston & Bird: $ 36.4 million
13. Greenberg Traurig: $ 34.2 million
14. McGuireWoods: $ 31.7 million
15. McKenna Long: $ 30.9 million
16. Brownstein: $ 29.9 million
17. McDermott: $ 28.9 million
18. Venable: $27.5 million
19. Arnold & Porter: $ 20.8 million
20. Arent Fox: $ 16.9 million

The National Law Journal (NLJ) tracks law firm revenue derived from traditional lobbying work in the government's legislative branch and before some political appointees. There’s a growing hidden world of influence that sweeps in millions of dollars each year for law firms. The lawyers and lobbyists who make this money still represent clients' political points of view and still, in essence, lobby. But they count the work separately from what federal disclosure laws require they report to Congress quarterly as so-called LDA numbers, or information published under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995. Four law firms said they took in $100 million or more for public policy work: Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld; K&L Gates; Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr; and King & Spalding, which reported the most public policy business in 2014, with 
$117.8 million in revenue.

King & Spalding's take includes $4.45 million in traditional lobbying work, plus another $113.4 million as other public policy business that includes about a dozen different types of influence tasks, such as strategic consulting, public relations, grassroots organizing, political law and state attorneys general lobbying. The firm does the largest amount of its public policy work in government investigations, an "area of focus" that brings in lawyers and lobbyists from across several different traditional practices.

According to the NLJ data, corporate and private clients bought more than $1.5 billion of public policy influence services from the 50 top law firms and lobbying organizations in 2014. Of that revenue, firms disclosed 35 percent to Congress. That portion represents the traditional pound-the-pavement legislative advocacy on Capitol Hill and before some political appointees that results in quarterly filings.

But 15 law firms said that their largest sources of public policy revenue came from other approaches that don't require disclosures to Congress. This type of work often still relies on the skills of lobbyist-lawyers to petition, persuade and build support. The lawyers instead focus on non-legislative branches of government, such as agencies and commissions.

In congressional lobbying, the work is done when the bill is signed. The firm keeps the Hill informed and link the regulatory, the compliance, the litigation. It's a continuum of services. Large firms, such as Covington & Burling, Den­tons and Wilmer, say that clients have clamored for more of the influence service known to some as "law-plus."

The slowdown of legislation out of Congress has caused more lobbyists to focus their skills on executive branch players. Sometimes the lobbyists will generate support for regulations through grassroots strategy and social media. Other times they'll submit comments to agencies on regulatory proposals and lobby departments and commissions, which can trigger some public lobbying disclosures to Congress.

Besides traditional lobbying and regulatory law, Dentons, for example, offers to clients advocates who focus on state attorneys general investigations, congressional investigations and crisis communications, among other public policy services. 

Sample Services

Range of Services (Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck)

• Legislative Consulting
• Lobbying,
• Policy Development,
• Public Relations Strategy,
• Political Messaging
• Representation in front of the Congress, federal agencies and regulatory bodies.

Range of Services (Manatt, Phelps & Philips)

• Assess key political risk and opportunity factors
• Engage the interest and support of key federal, state and local officials for clients’ business objectives
• Secure international, federal, state and local funding for clients’ projects
• Protect clients against adverse regulation, legislation and policy actions that could negatively impact their businesses
• Advocate for legislative, regulatory and policy actions that could improve the terms on which clients do business
• Advise clients regarding anticipated regulatory, legislative and other important emerging developments, and help them assess and respond to the business impacts of these changes
• Facilitate clients’ pursuit of competitive government contract and financial assistance opportunities, and guide them through the applicable laws and regulations to ensure compliance
• Safeguard clients’ vital interests in key business concerns, such as land use, environmental compliance, tax policy and employer-employee relationships
• Establish and maintain strategic partnerships with key public relations professionals, grassroots coalitions, media consultants and community organizations to manage and promote clients’ objectives and organizational effectiveness.

Range of Services (Akin Group Strauss Hauer & Feld)

• Development of comprehensive strategic and tactical plans to achieve specific legislative, policy or regulatory objectives at all levels of government in the United States and abroad
• Direct advocacy with government decision-makers
• Formation and coordination of professional teams—including, for example, media, local counsel and/or other consultants—to advance client objectives at a single level of government or in multiple government venues (e.g., state/federal, multistate, international)
• Support for advocacy by client government relations staff
• Drafting, analysis and monitoring of legislation, policy and regulations
• Legislative and oversight investigation, including witness hearing preparation
• Formation and management of coalitions
• Management and organization of grass roots and grass tops lobbying efforts
• Advocacy related to mergers and acquisitions
• Planning and communication of public policy initiatives
• Counseling on election law, ethics rules and political compliance
• Advocacy and management of state referenda and initiatives.