As Congress works to finalize a financial regulatory reform bill, one result is clear: The debate has been a boon to Washington lobby firms. Arriving on the heels of the health reform battle, the legislation sent a flock of new and old clients to K Street. Among the top 10 firms with the most financial reform clients, some are household names and others are boutique firms, but almost all employ representatives with close ties to Capitol Hill.
To the right are the top 10 firms ranked by number of clients that hired the firm for financial reform legislation. Figures reflect lobby disclosure forms filed for all of 2009 and the first quarter of 2010; dollar figures represent billing of those clients on all issues, not just financial regulatory reform.
| 20 clients | Clark Lytle & Geduldig Billed clients $1.26 millionFirm’s Sam Geduldig is former political director for House Minority Leader John Boehner.Clients included American Bankers Association, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and Ernst & Young. |
| 19 clients | Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP Billed clients $3.42 millionFirm’s Michael Levy is former senior aide to then-Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin.Clients included Electronic Payments Association, Western Union, Ace Cash Express. |
| 18 clients | Ogilvy Government Relations Billed clients $6.78 millionFirm’s Dean Aguillen is former senior adviser to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.Clients included Constellation Energy, American Petroleum Institute, Electric Power Supply Association. |
| 17 clients | Peck, Madigan, Jones & Stewart, Inc. Billed clients $4.50 millionFirm’s Jonathon Jones is ex-chief of staff to Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del.Clients included U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Harley-Davidson Financial Services, and the International Swaps and Derivatives Association. |
| 17 clients | Rich Feuer Group Billed clients $3.85 millionFirm’s Mitchell Feuer is former counsel to Senate Banking Committee.Clients included Goldman Sachs Group Inc., Barclays, and Citigroup Management Corporation. |
| 15 clients | Williams & Jensen, PLLC Billed clients $2.46 millionFirm’s Joel Oswald is former Republican staffer on Senate Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee’s securities and investment subcommittee.Clients included Managed Funds Association, TD Ameritrade, and The Vanguard Group. |
| 15 clients | Quinn Gillespie & Associates, LLCBilled clients $3.75 millionFirm’s Jack Quinn is former White House counsel to President Bill Clinton, later won a pardon for financial fugitive Marc Rich.Clients included BlackRock, Inc., Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd, and MetLife. |
| 15 clients | Elmendorf Strategies, LLC Billed clients $1.49 millionSteve Elmendorf served as a senior advisor to former House Democratic Leader Dick Gephardt.Clients included Ford Motor Co., Ernst & Young LLP, and TIAA-CREF. |
| 14 clients | Venable LLP Billed clients $1.50 millionFirm’s William Donovan is former chief lobbyist for National Association of Federal Credit Unions and has lobbied on financial issues since 1976.Clients included ING Bank, FSB, Hilton and Direct Marketing Association. |
| 13 clients | Smith-Free Group Billed clients $1.61 millionFirm’s Andrew Barbour is former lobbyist for Financial Services Roundtable and former aide to Rep. Bart Stupak, D-Mich.Clients included Financial Services Roundtable, MasterCard Worldwide, and Bank of America. |
Source: U.S. Senate Office of Public Records, analyzed by Center for Public Integrity