Political Law | FEC Matters | Lobbying Rules and Ethics

ELECTION LAW & GOVERNMENT ETHICS

Wiley Rein has the premier Election Law & Government Ethics Practice in the country, recognized in Chambers USA 2012 as "the gold standard in this business." Led by nationally known election law specialist Jan Witold Baran and former Federal Election Commission (FEC) Chairman Michael E. Toner, the group is consistently ranked in the highest tier of national political law practices by Chambers USA which has commended the group as a "formidable force in the U.S. political arena," "true experts who can handle even the most arcane questions." As the 2012 directory notes, "The team's deep and broad expertise enables it to act on a range of issues from both a compliance and investigatory perspective."

Our decades of combined experience with the substantive aspects of political law enable us to provide unparalleled counseling service. We regularly advise clients on the laws and rules pertaining to political law including federal and state regulation of lobbying, political contributions, political action committees, ethics and the use of corporate facilities for political purposes and corporate guidelines on related issues. We also provide guidance on related political law issues including the activities of foreign nationals and overseas corporations in Washington, DC and elsewhere around the world.

The scope of our counseling ranges from providing answers to discrete questions to implementing comprehensive compliance programs and conducting meticulous compliance audits. We possess unparalleled knowledge of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA), as amended by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA), the Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA), as amended by the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act (HLOGA), the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), and the Congressional and Executive branch ethics rules, to name a few. We also maintain detailed surveys of state campaign finance, lobbying, gift, and pay-to-play laws and requirements.

Our political law and First Amendment litigation and advocacy experience is second to none, involving challenges to laws and client defense. We represent clients before the U.S. Supreme Court, federal and state courts, as well as federal agencies and boards, like the FEC and the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE), and state agencies. Clients include many of the country's most prominent corporations, trade associations, nonprofit organizations, public officials, political parties, individual campaign committees and candidates.

Recommending Wiley Rein for customer service, Chambers USA (2012) notes that "the team provides well-conceived guidance for clients—it's often the advice around which the rest of the legal community coalesces."

Representative Clients
Our attorneys represent more than 150 U.S. and foreign corporations and trade associations, as well as individuals, elected officials and political organizations. Chambers USA (2011) notes that Wiley Rein is "the firm of choice for major corporate clients, while its popularity with a number of nonprofit organizations and Political Action Committees (PACs) is based on its thorough working knowledge of regulatory compliance matters." A sampling of the industries and clients we serve includes:

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