Government Relations

Lobbying. Government relations. Campaign finance compliance and election law. Grasstops and grassroots lobbying. Administrative and regulatory rule making. Political action committees. You name it, we’ve counseled our clients through it—on the local, state, and national level, and on both sides of the aisle, for local and regional businesses and trade associations as well as Fortune 500 companies and multinational corporations. Additionally, we have extensive experience representing municipalities in the Legislature and representing clients in front of them. Plus, we do a great deal of work with nonprofits and in issue advocacy.

As a result of our wide-ranging experience and successful track record, we know key decision makers and have a well-earned reputation as hardworking, straight-shooting advocates who get results.

As a team, we are hands-on. Our daily presence in the halls of local and state governing bodies, familiarity with Congress, and broad contact with policymakers gives us more experience handling legislative and regulatory issues than any other group in the region. But we don’t just observe and report. We also regularly educate elected officials and decision makers on issues that affect our clients’ business interests. And we tirelessly advocate on their behalf to secure their ideal outcome.

Our team-based, bipartisan approach to government relations gives clients access to the full arsenal of legal tools available—and then some. We draw on the considerable expertise of our team’s lawyers, lobbying, and political consulting pros to provide support in the Statehouse and on the ground. As a result, we’re better able to create a narrative around an issue, build support from the public and in the media, and help clients gain additional leverage on their issue area.

We also lean on the expertise of attorneys in other Bernstein Shur practice groups, which is a huge benefit for our clients. For example, because we have the one of the largest municipal practice in the state, we have more experience handling local, state, and federal legislative and regulatory issues than any other law firm in ME, which makes us uniquely adept at navigating local politics.

For clients, the advantages of our interdisciplinary approach and in-house capabilities are clear: They get an experienced team that knows the intricacies of legislative and administrative processes as well as super-specialized subject matter expertise—and all in one seamless package.

When we meet with you, we’ll start by talking about your issue and what you need to accomplish. Then we’ll discuss how we’ll help you meet your goals.

If you think you’re fighting against the current, all the better; we specialize in the uphill battle and take pride in going above and beyond. We were behind ME’s campaign to allow same-sex couples to marry, for example, helping ME become the first state in the country to adopt what has become national policy. We’ve protected the wind industry, navigated complex regulations, building strategic coalitions, engaging the public, and leveraging the strengths of our energy practitioners and their permitting expertise. And we’ve subtly and successfully influenced other policies that may affect your everyday life in countless ways. If you’re surprised to hear the breadth and depth of our work, then we’re doing our job.