Federal Practice

The federal government offers significant opportunities for you to protect or enhance your public and corporate interest. Having been ranked in the Top Ten law and lobby firms in Washington, D.C. by Influence magazine the last several years, it is here that the decades of experience, service and relationship building by Holland & Knight professionals become one of your strongest assets.

Our Washington-based lawyers and professionals have developed strong professional relationships on a bipartisan basis in Congress, the executive offices of the White House and key executive agencies. We offer you our comprehensive understanding of the federal policy and regulatory process. Our Federal Practice Team generally takes the lead on public advocacy projects on your behalf, but we also fully utilize all resources within Holland & Knight to ensure seasoned, creative and timely service to our public law clients.

We have substantive experience ranging in scope from admiralty to zoning. This interdisciplinary approach provides you with a full analysis of the legal, political, regulatory, business, international and media components that surround the public and private issues of importance to them.

Understanding All Aspects of Government

Our national network of experienced strategists and advocates focuses on clients' specific federal, state and local government strategy needs.

Governments – local, Tribal, state and federal – serve as regulator, customer, competitor, advocate and adversary. Holland & Knight strategists and advocates understand these multifaceted government roles and work with you to create innovative programs.

We use our presence on Capitol Hill to serve as a forceful advocate for you before Congress. When necessary, we prepare you to testify before Congress; brief Members of Congress on key matters affecting you and your constituents; provide industry leaders and your representatives the opportunity to meet face-to-face with key congressional leaders and delegations; and serve as a resource for senior staff professionals handling complex issues. All of these activities keep your voice front and center on critical legislative issues before federal policymakers.

We proactively engage in a dialogue with the Administration and relevant federal agencies that affect your work. We assist you with filing comments in significant federal agency proceedings, participating in technical workshops designed to evaluate solutions to pressing technical issues, and working closely with agencies to ensure that officials are aware of your views on critical issues.

The Holland & Knight Federal Practice Team combines in-depth understanding of governmental operations and political perspectives with significant knowledge of your substantive areas. This ensures that insights gained from the broad perspective will be applied, while recognizing your unique conditions and requirements, including specific service needs, customer expectations, historical and technological developments and/or political and regulatory constraints.

National Approach to Government Issues Advocacy

We are committed to providing you with national representation for foreign, federal, state and local matters. We have represented clients in the following areas: 

• National Advocacy – coordinating issues management at the local, state and federal levels on regulations, permits, legislation and all manner of crises.
• Corporate-to-Government Marketing – promoting products to state and federal governments for emerging and mature companies.
• Government-to-Government Coordination and Management – representing foreign, state and local government entities in their interactions with the U.S. government, including obtaining federal financial assistance.
• Appropriations – creating funding strategies for dynamic projects and programs sponsored by nonprofits, corporations and governments; working with corporate, nonprofit and governmental entities on policy issues in the appropriations process.
• Public Relations – delivering a potent combination of lobbying, coalition building and field operation capabilities, including media relations, crisis preparation and rapid response strategies and media training designed to complement your legislative or legal objectives.

Holland & Knight's Team Approach

Holland & Knight is one of the world's largest law firms and has significant resources to draw upon to represent you efficiently and effectively in our nation's capital. Our largest office is in Washington, D.C., and is home to more than 160 attorneys and professionals. Over 60 individuals, including lawyers, senior public affairs professionals and legislative assistants with prior Capitol Hill and executive branch experience, are dedicated to our Federal Practice Team.

Our philosophy is to function as an extension of your team – we serve as your Washington, D.C. based professionals. We perform this role for you by putting you and your staff in direct communication with Members of Congress and their staff, as well as the key decision makers in the executive branch. We communicate with you and your staff on a regular basis. We help craft a strategy to deliver your message through meetings and in writing, ensuring it is clear, concise, and understood by the decision makers on Capitol Hill and in the executive branch.

Our services are designed to meet your unique and evolving needs. However, no matter what the need, the key ingredient in our approach is client involvement. You play a hands-on role in crafting your policies and positions on legislative, regulatory and operational issues impacting your industry. We form a team with you and your staff to achieve your goals.

Client Service Team

The client service team we select for you combines federal legislative, executive branch and state experience. In addition, members are selected based on their availability to dedicate the time that high quality service demands to aggressively seek and pursue the opportunities that will make you a more visible presence in the nation's capital.

You are also assigned an engagement manager. The engagement manager serves as the coordinator of our efforts and is your direct liaison. Holland & Knight strives to meet your individual needs by assigning the most appropriate attorney, regardless of location, to each matter.

Holland & Knight's Industry Strengths

We represent clients before most significant federal agencies and departments. Through our collective federal legal experience and bipartisan political involvement, the Federal Practice Team has developed strong professional relationships with the majority and minority leadership of the House of Representatives and the Senate. We regularly work with a substantial number of Members of Congress and with the members and staff of every major congressional committee.

Over the years, we have been active in legislation involving chemical, telecommunications, health care, environmental policy and funding, banking, copyright reform, Indian affairs, tax reform, transportation, housing, defense, security, education, agriculture and food law, antitrust, federal program appropriations, foreign assistance, trade and federal procurement policy.