A New Era of Advocacy
After a decade's worth of whipsaw national elections centering on the political themes of partisan gridlock and discontent with the old ways of doing business in Washington, it is easy to understand why lobbying and policy advocacy are undergoing dramatic changes. Making your voice heard in the corridors of power has never been easy. But in today's environment of hyperscrutinized decisions and actions, unprecedented partisan standoffs, and social media and echo chamber communications, only the most legislatively astute and politically savvy lobbyists are succeeding. The successful advocates are the ones who can accurately read the political tea leaves, identify opportunities for action, assess the opposition, harness inside- and outside-the-beltway resources, and formulate, in real time, a strategy that produces results despite the odds. The ones with the know-how to create and sustain a policy environment in which your viewpoints will prevail. Manatt's Federal Government Affairs and Public Policy Group has such advocates.
Strong Track Record
In this time of high-stakes policy-making and unprecedented transparency, when a news article, blog post or twitter feed about a new bill or proposed rulemaking can send a stock valuation soaring or plummeting or cause an entire industry to rethink its business model, getting your voice heard above the din requires an experienced advocacy team that's adept at executing targeted government relations campaigns in highly charged environments. Manatt has that experience, having devised and implemented winning strategies in Congress and the Executive Branch for some of the world's best-known companies, trade associations and not-for-profits.
Washington Insiders
Our successes are rooted in our government backgrounds. There is no better training ground. Nearly every member of our team has enjoyed highly successful and sustained careers in public service - as elected officials, political advisors, top staff or nationally recognized operatives. We enjoy the benefit of a team that includes former members of the U.S. House of Representatives, a White House Chief of Staff, top officials of both the Democratic and Republican Congressional Campaign Committees, and various other former Senate and House professionals, including committee staff directors, general counsel, and floor assistants to congressional leaders. Collectively, the team has amassed decades worth of working relationships and trust resulting from extensive dealings with Senate and House leadership and committee members and staff. Running just as deep are our relationships with elected officials and appointees in the White House and at the agencies, many of them former colleagues, or even staff, of our team members from their government days who have since risen to cabinet-level positions or are top staff in the West Wing.
Staunchly Post-Partisan
We believe clients are best served by a post-partisan government affairs team and have taken decisive steps to build that kind of a group. Within our team we have Republicans and Democrats, Blue Dogs and Mainstreeters, gray beards and young guns. This approach has proven highly successful for our clients. We've developed and implemented winning strategies on the Hill regardless of which party holds a majority in the House or Senate. And we've enlisted Administration support regardless of which party holds the Presidency.
Large and Diverse Client Base
We've been retained by companies across a broad array of industry sectors, including consumer goods and services; banking and financial services; real estate and infrastructure; transportation; agriculture and aquaculture; traditional and renewable energy; healthcare services; media and entertainment; national trade associations; and state, local and foreign governments. Frequent business before a large cross section of policymakers has enabled us both to expand and solidify our relationships, and ensures that we're better positioned than boutique or single-issue lobbying firms to observe the subtle interactions, scheduling challenges, instances of horse trading, and other intelligence that has become so critical to strategic maneuvering.
Coalition and Alliance Building
Corporate belt-tightening has, for many, led to greater reliance on trade and professional associations to shoulder the bulk of a company's government relations needs. However, when such organizations are themselves constrained by limited resources, or prevented from acting due to a diverse membership with divergent interests, we can work with you to explore the benefits and costs of forming ad hoc coalitions or alliances, and then assist on structuring, formation, governance, cost allocation, strategy and tactics.
Strategic Planning
Our federal government affairs practice is known for strategic thinking and the ability to execute. Most of our professionals come from distinguished careers in public service where one's ability to formulate a strategy, from conception to endgame, and then deliver on it is the standard of success. Applying this real-world experience to the needs of our clients, we develop a range of alternative strategies based on various political forks in the road, and then aggressively execute the agreed-upon plan, constantly refining and improving the strategic road map based upon emerging or changing situations and priorities.
Issue Tracking and Communication
The size of our practice benefits clients in two ways. When tracking bills, regulations and other public policy developments, we cast a wider net than would a firm with a smaller footprint. We're also able to spread the cost of issue tracking across a large client base. We monitor key U.S. regulatory and legislative developments, from new bills and resolutions to regulatory guidance and communications to committee meeting minutes and "podium policy" moments, then we share the important developments, along with our analysis of its potential impact on your business operations or bottom line. A hallmark of our approach is that we don't wait to hear from our clients; we constantly engage with decision makers and influencers as your eyes and ears.
Politics and Campaigns
While, in an ideal world, political campaigns and governance should never mix, it is often a practical necessity to carefully monitor and, at times, participate in the political process. We can assist you in forming a political action committee, advise you on how best to leverage the political programs of your trade associations, and help you make your views known at national political party conventions. As active participants in the political process ourselves, we maintain memberships, through our own bipartisan PAC, with all of the national party committees and important coalitions, including the New Democrat Coalition and the GOP Mainstreet Partnership, and also participate in congressional caucus events and policy forums, such as the Congressional Hispanic and Black Caucus Institutes.
On-the-Ground Presence
An area in which we have particular expertise is representing companies and organizations that have chosen not to maintain a Washington-based office. We are currently serving as "boots on the ground" for clients ranging from major food manufacturers to national trade associations. Because such clients are well outside the real-time flow of inside-the-beltway information, we ratchet up our information-gathering role and the level and frequency of client communication.