The Experience of Top Political Lawyers
Political Law is a very broad term, but it most commonly refers to lawyers that advise the government and candidates on issues related to political campaigns. Election law, campaign finance law and lobbying regulations are most relevant to the practice.
Lots of students I know are interested in practicing Political Law at a large law firm after graduation.
However, Political Law is a relatively small practice. It can be very difficult to find a way in as a new lawyer.
I took a look at the web biographies of 52 private practice Political Law attorneys that work in the Washington, DC office of large international law firms. Here are some interesting trends I found:
The Federal Election Commission (FEC) is a popular previous employer. Of the attorneys that I researched, the FEC (see picture above) was the single most common prior employer. (And this does not include attorneys that continue to work for the FEC while in private practice.) This is not surprising. The FEC is an independent federal regulatory agency that was created to enforce federal campaign law.
Campaign work is common, with specific firms often aligned with one party more than the other. Many of the attorneys I researched worked as field organizers, communications experts, interns or attorneys prior to their work in private practice (and sometimes while working for the law firm). Firms may have a connection to one particular party. For example, most political lawyers at Perkins Coie worked with Democrats; political lawyers at Jones Day often worked with Republicans.
Associates typically have interned for Congress or the White House in the past. With respect to the 28 political lawyers that are Associates at their respective law firms, it was very common to have worked as an intern at some point for a Congressman or at the White House. Work experience as a legislative assistant in Congress was not as common.
I offer these insights to reveal other avenues and ways into a Political Law practice at a top law firm. Campaign work and government experience offer other entry level avenues. While these positions may not pay as well in the short-term, they may produce the connections and experience you need for long-term success as a Political Law attorney.
Author’s note: To conduct this research, I looked at 52 law firm website biographies and public LinkedIn profiles for attorneys listed in the “political law” practice of the Washington, DC offices of these international law firms: Perkins Coie, Allen & Overy, Skadden, Jones Day and Covington.