The heart of the issue.
With extensive expertise across a variety of issue areas—from natural resources to energy to taxation, transportation, and insurance—and deep relationships with both political parties, our Political Campaigns and Consulting team is just as effective at supporting candidates running for office as helping change public perception around controversial issues.
View our attorneys in this practice
Members of our political consulting team have been involved in presidential races and national political committee work; led successful statewide and local campaigns for candidates and on highly charged issues; and served as senior advisors to local, state and national political figures. Our skill, experience, and deep interdisciplinary bench set us apart from other political consultants—as does our enthusiasm for taking on and winning challenging campaigns.*
Our team has both experienced political strategists and world-class attorneys who know election and campaign finance law inside and out. We’ve formed and provided counsel to a number of political action committees (PACs) and have also served as counsel to national campaign organizations, political parties, advocacy organizations and candidates, providing guidance in every aspect of campaigning.
Our wide variety of skills and expertise—in legal counsel, political consulting, legislative lobbying, election and campaign finance law, and public relations and communications—enables us to help clients seize opportunities and strategize more effectively. What’s more, years of working in the space have given us considerable political connections. Together, we’re helping candidates win office or helping a tough issue capture the collective conscience.
In addition to helping clients run campaigns and win elections, we help them influence policy makers and public opinion and strategize for the future. For example, we have successfully passed legislation that helps the economically disadvantaged with expanded access to health care and housing. But we also work to change the way policy makers and everyday citizens think and talk about poverty—and to do that, you need a strong political strategy and a partner who knows how to execute on it.
We’ve proven that we’re up to the challenge: ME was the first state in the nation to pass a law allowing same-sex couples to marry through the Legislature and signed into law by the governor, and we led the team that made it happen.
And members of our team have helped to successfully guide some of the biggest names in Republican politics through the rough-and-tumble First in the Nation Primary in New Hampshire.
We succeeded because we know how to formulate a complex political strategy and manage all its moving parts; are experts in leading and leveraging large and complicated coalitions; and can bring along politicians and other influencers who are skeptical about our ability to succeed. Plus, because our team covers both sides of the aisle, we’re able to earn diverse buy-in from a wide variety of stakeholders. By leveraging so many different angles for our clients, we can more effectively turn the competitive landscape in their favor.
We take on local, state, and national campaigns and causes that might scare others away—and we do it because we believe in them and we are fearless when it comes to defending our community and our clients.
For example, we’re proud to have been at the forefront of protecting the wind energy industry, which has opposition on both sides of the aisle, but is very popular with the public and is a strong source of growth for the local economy. Our success in defending wind energy is testament to our smart, flexible, and nuanced approach to coalition building—and the compromise it often entails. It also speaks to the importance of having an integrated, cross-discipline team: Our firm’s in-house expertise in public utilities commissions, siting and permitting law, and government relations contributed tremendously to our clients’ success. It could contribute to yours, too.
- National corporations
- In-state trade associations
- In-state corporations
- Small businesses
- Nonprofits
- Local, state and national political candidates
- Political action committees and ballot question committees
- Political parties
- Advocacy organizations
- Foundations
Our practice includes:
- Campaign management
- Strategic communications and crisis management
- Coalition building
- Political organizing
- Media training
- Speech writing
- Social media engagement
*Crisis communications and public relations work is managed by The Bernstein Shur Group, Bernstein Shur’s public affairs subsidiary.