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LAW FIRMS STAKE THEIR CLAIM IN FLORIDA’S INFLUENCING BUSINESS WINTER 2016 INFLUENCE | 83 BY JIM ROSICA It shouldn’t be surprising that more law firms in the capital are beefing up their lobbying practices. “As lawyers, we have a deeper understanding of the laws, as they exist and which changes to them will work,” says Hayden Dempsey, a lawyer lobbyist with Greenberg Traurig in Tallahassee. He should know. Dempsey has worked for four governors, most recently as special counsel to Gov. Rick Scott. The influence community also took note of a recent merger: Former House Speaker Dean Cannon’s governmental affairs firm combined with Orlando based law firm GrayRobinson, creating the third-largest influence shop in Florida. That made GrayRobinson, as FloridaPolitics. com previously reported, “even more of a competitor to top lobbying heavyweights for well-heeled, A-list clients needing representation before the Legislature and state agencies.” And while the pure-play lobbying firms still rake in the biggest bucks, law-firm based shops are moving up. Take Greenberg Traurig’s coming in fifth place in third-quarter 2016 earnings, at a median of $1.03 million. The Florida Bar, which regulates the state’s 104,000 attorneys, has taken notice. There’s been a rise in lawyers starting “purely government relations firms and not the typical law firms,” says Nikki Fried, a lawyer and medical marijuana lobbyist. The Bar now has a “Governmental and Public Policy Advocacy Committee,” and Fried is its vice chair. The section’s membership list, with 66 members as of July, reads like a who’s who of Tallahassee influencers. “There wasn’t a voice for lawyer-lobbyists,” Fried says. “We’re in a unique position. We’re not traditional practitioners. We don’t file motions; we don’t go into court.” But as attorneys, “we’re trained to think differently,” she adds. “We’re trained to know all the moving parts in statute and how they work together.” In this feature section, INFLUENCE is taking a long look at two lobbying law firms, Foley & Lardner and Greenberg Traurig, to show how their lobbying sets them apart. The story package also includes mini-profiles of Florida’s most successful lawyer/lobby shops and an introduction to Liz Dudek, who’s trading in a long career in state government for advocacy in health-related topics. >>


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