This career field is for you if you’re interested in providing issue expertise or advocating on behalf of an issue or organization to lawmakers. This work occurs in law firms, lobbying firms, industry associations, political action committees (PACs) and public relations firms.
Examples of law firms include Arnold and Porter and Covington and Burling. See this career chat with an alum to learn more about what work looks like here.
The most profitable lobbying firms in 2023, according to Bloomberg are:
- Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
- Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld
- Holland & Knight
- BGR Government Affairs
- Cornerstone Government Affairs
- Invariant
- Thorn Run Partners
- Capitol Counsel
- Forbes Tate Partners
- Crossroads Strategies
We have alumni at Invariant and Thorn Run. Other lesser known firms to consider are Monument Advocacy, Dentons Global Advisors, Subject Matter, Mehlman Consulting, Lewis-Burke Associates and Tiber Creek Strategies. Bloomberg has an exhaustive list of lobbying firms – click the link above for more ideas!
This work also happens and the state level. See our career chat with an alum who works in government relations in California to hear more.
A lot of lobbying occurs on behalf of entire industries – be it healthcare, energy, technology, or agribusiness. Check out The Hill’s Top Lobbyists to see the many associations represented at the federal level. Examples include:
- American Medical Association
- US Chamber of Commerce
- National Federal of Independent Businesses
- American Gaming Association
- National Retail Federation
- National Education Association
- Motion Picture Association
- Blockchain Association
CauseIQ has another list of trade and professional associations. Check out our career chat with an alum at the Internet Association to hear more about work in this space.
Ok, the difference between an industry association and a PAC is a little confusing. PACs are tax-exempt 527 organizations that pool campaign contributions from members and then donates the funds to campaigns and candidates that reflect/support the membership’s interests. Often an industry association also has a PAC. Sometimes a single corporation has their own, too (Home Depot, for example). Some PACs give almost exclusively to one party (eg, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees gives 99% of it’s money to Democrats) and some spread their funds pretty evenly (eg, the National Association or Realtors gives close to 50% to each party). Some other issue-oriented or ideological PACs include:
- American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC)
- EMILY’s List
- Club for Growth
- Moveon.org
This is also a category that is a little squishy and overlaps a bit with consulting. Edelman is the standard-bearer in this category. Other well-known firms include Weber Shandwick and FleishmanHillard (headquartered here in STL!). PR firms that are more policy-focused (and with WashU alum) include: