Top Lobbyists 2014: Hired Guns

By The Hill Staff - 10/22/14

Call them the influencers.

From corner offices all over town, the members of The Hill's Top Lobbyists list are the advocates, lobbyists and professional agitators who shape the policy decisions made in the nation's capital.

While some fit the mold of a traditional lobbyist, others have made public relations, grassroots advocacy and even data-crunching the tools of their trade.

The broad sweep of The Hill's list means that only a portion of the people listed are officially registered to lobby the government, but that doesn't diminish their clout.

From "hired guns" who run into battle for clients, to association heads who wield the power of industries, to union leaders who exert might through membership, the names are all players to know in the competitive world of Washington advocacy.

Josh Ackil and Matt Tanielian, 
Franklin Square Group. 
The all-star team at the boutique shop lobbies for some of tech’s hottest companies.

Andy Barbour, Smith-Free Group. 
Barbour has spent more than a decade lobbying on financial services issues, and is dabbling in tech policy now that data breaches are becoming a concern for the industry.

Haley Barbour, Lanny Griffith and Loren Monroe,BGR Group.
The historically Republican firm continues to thrive in an unpredictable K Street environment by staying nimble, recently hiring its third Democratic lobbyist. 

Doyle Bartlett, Eris Group LLC. 
The firm Bartlett co-founded is still going strong after more than 10 years in the lobbying game.

Hunter Bates and Geoff Davis,Republic Consulting, LLC. 
Bates, the former chief aide to Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Davis, an ex-Republican congressman from Kentucky, have built a small but mighty shop with an impressive client roster.

Jeff Berman and David Russell,Bryan Cave LLP. 
Russell, a former aide to the late Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), is adept at the appropriations process, while Berman is a connected Democrat who earned his stripes on several presidential campaigns.

Dan Boston, Health Policy Source Inc. 
The former top lobbyist for the Federation of American Hospitals is a go-to guy on the Affordable Care Act and worked as the sole outside lobbyist this year for the craft store Hobby Lobby, which won a battle over the employer birth control mandate.

Chuck Brain, Capitol Hill Strategies LLC. Brain served as a congressional liaison in the Clinton White House and now helps blue-chip companies — including Citigroup and Merck — navigate Congress.

Dan Bryant and Holly Fechner, Covington & Burling LLP. 
With the deft advocacy of Bryant and Fechner, Covington leaves no public policy issue untouched.

David Castagnetti, Mehlman Castagnetti Rosen Bingel & Thomas.
The die-hard Red Sox fan takes a no-nonsense approach to advocacy, going to bat with a bipartisan firm that has connections all over Capitol Hill.

Manus Cooney,American Continental Group. 
With experience at Napster in the private sector and time on the Senate Judiciary Committee, Cooney comes armed and ready for the battle over patent reform.

Al D’Amato, Park Strategies LLC. 
The former New York senator has assembled a shop with a diverse client roster that includes several large defense companies.

Linda Daschle, LHD & Associates Inc. 
Daschle, the former acting administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration, brings a command of the issues to big names in the airline, aerospace and defense industries.

Licy Do Canto,The Do Canto Group, LLC.
Do Canto is an ardent defender of public health programs and makes disadvantaged communities his main focus.

Ken Duberstein and Marti Thomas, The Duberstein Group Inc.
From America’s Health Insurance Plans to Goldman Sachs and The Weather Co., Duberstein has a flourishing book of business.

Steve Elmendorf and Jimmy Ryan, Elmendorf | Ryan LLC.
The Democratic heavyweights had a hand this year in everything from patent reform to Dodd-Frank implementation to immigration.

Victor Fazio, Joel Jankowsky, Scott Parven and Bill Paxon, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. 
The new king of K Street rose to power on the strength of this core team of lobbyists who help keep the firm front and center in every major policy debate on Capitol Hill.

Mitchell Feuer, Rich Feuer Anderson. 
Feuer is a number to have on speed dial when it comes to the complexities of financial regulatory policy.

Elizabeth Frazee and Sharon Ringley, TwinLogic Strategies LLP. 
Business is booming at the boutique shop that Frazee and Ringley built together.

Sam Geduldig and Steve Clark,Clark Geduldig Cranford & Nielsen, LLC. 
Clients can’t get enough of this well-rounded Republican firm, which continually breaks its revenue records.

Chris Giblin and Moses Mercado,Ogilvy Government Relations. 
While Ogilvy has downsized, the leadership of Giblin and Mercado ensures that it remains mighty.

Nick Giordano, Washington Council Ernst & Young.
Giordano is a leading expert in all things taxes, the policy area where there is never a shortage of work.

Rich Gold, Kathryn Lehman and Gerry Sikorski, Holland & Knight, LLP.
Holland’s bustling lobbying operation looks for new ways to solve old problems.

Fred Graefe,Law offices of Frederick H. Graefe, PLLC.
Healthcare clients trust Graefe with all their Medicare and Medicaid policy needs.

J. Steven Hart,Williams & Jensen PLLC
Hart, the chairman and chief executive of the law and lobby shop, has charted a smooth course at a time of industry turmoil.  

Ralph Hellmann and David Lugar, Lugar Hellmann Group LLC.
Hellmann has close ties to the new House Republican leadership, making him a dynamite partner with Lugar, who knows his way around the Senate.

Michael Herson, American Defense International Inc. 
Herson, a former White House and Pentagon official, pounds the pavement for the capital’s premiere defense contractors.

Mike House, Hogan Lovells, LLP. 
House is a time-trusted guide for clients as they maneuver through the legislative and regulatory mazes of Washington.

Mark Isakowitz, Fierce, Isakowitz & Blalock.
The GOP-leaning shop has the glow of success as it surges toward its highest earnings ever.

Joel Johnson, The Glover Park Group, LLC.
In addition to his work for corporate clients, the former Clinton White House aide serves as a go-between with the Egyptian government.

Mark Kadesh, Kadesh & Associates LLC
Kadesh has channeled his experience as a top Senate and campaign staffer into a vibrant practice that represents corporations, foundations and municipalities.

Matt Keelen, The Keelen Group LLC. 
Keelen’s campaign prowess has helped elect a slew of new members to the House and Senate, helping his firm cast influence across Capitol Hill. 

Rick Kessler, Levick Strategic Communications. 
Kessler and his team have brought a lobbying presence to Levick, giving the strategic communications firm another arrow in its quiver.

Ken Kies, Federal Policy Group LLC. 
Kies, who worked on the 1986 overhaul of the tax code as a congressional aide, is looking after the interests of Caterpillar, General Electric and Microsoft as Washington gives reform another go. 

Lisa Kountoupes, Kountoupes | DenhamKountoupes is a woman taking charge on K Street, blazing a trail with work for high-profile companies and trade groups.

Blanche Lincoln, Lincoln Policy Group 
Huge clients were already lining up to work with the former senator before she opened her own shop last year.

Bob Livingston, The Livingston Group LLC
The former Republican congressman from Louisiana is a master of the appropriations process. 

Chuck Loveless, NVG LLC. 
With more than a decade at labor powerhouse AFSCME, Loveless brings sharpness and smarts to this small K Street outpost. 

Steve McBee, McBee Strategic Consulting LLC.
Infused with the Silicon Valley spirit, McBee’s shop offers the total public affairs package.

Dan Mica,The DMA Group LLC
The former Florida congressman was on the frontlines for the Credit Union National Association for 14 years and still advocates on the group’s behalf.

Al Mottur, Marc Lampkin and Manuel Ortiz, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP
This bipartisan super group has ties to prominent policymakers; Lampkin, a former aide to Speaker John Boehner, is now the co-chairman of the firm’s lobby shop.

Edward Newberry, Micah Green, Kevin O’Neill, Trent Lott, John Breaux, Squire Patton Boggs. 
With an A-list crew of lobbyists, Squire Patton Boggs is reasserting its dominance on K Street after a tumultuous year.

Larry O’Brien, The OB-C Group LLC.
With a roster of hot companies and an active presence on the fundraising circuit, O’Brien is a Democratic lobbyist to watch.

Tom O’Donnell, Gephardt Group Government Affairs 
O’Donnell helped former Rep. Dick Gephardt hang a shingle seven years ago and has been scoring high-profile clients 

Marty Paone, Prime Policy Group.
Paone’s Senate knowledge has been an asset as he advocates for theKeystone XL oil pipeline project. 

Jeff Peck, Peck Madigan Jones.
Peck is a financial services guru at a firm known for its verve and versatility.

Steve Perry, Grayling.
With a globe-spanning reach,Grayling relies on Perry to keep the firm’s moving parts in harmony.

Jim Pitts and Chris Cox, Navigators Global LLC.
Having served in several Republican presidential administrations, Pitts and Cox have a Rolodex to envy among GOP lobbyists.

Heather Podesta,Heather Podesta + Partners LLC.
Podesta is a familiar face in Silicon Valley, where she’s scoring one innovative client after another.

Tony Podesta, Podesta Group 
The Podesta brand is often associated with Democratic politics, but his firm in unquestionably a bipartisan force.

Jack Quinn, Quinn Gillespie & Associates LLC. 
The former adviser to Bill Clinton has recently thrown his weight behind immigration reform and helping the families of terrorist attack victims.

Thomas Quinn and Robert Smith, Venable LLP. 
Quinn, a longtime Democratic operative, believes in classic shoe-leather lobbying, and Smith, a Republican, is adept at fostering bipartisan consensus.

Robert Raben,The Raben Group.
Raben added LGBT Strategies to the fold earlier this year, further burnishing his reputation as a lobbyist who champions social causes.

John Raffaelli, Jim McCrery, Shannon Finley, John O’Neill, Capitol Counsel LLC.
The sky’s the limit for this bipartisan team of advocates, and the shop’s revenue growth shows no signs of slowing down.

Barry Rhoads and Kai Anderson, Cassidy & Associates. 
Rhoads and Anderson are following in the footsteps of Gerry Cassidy, a K Street pioneer who became chairman emeritus of his namesake firm last year.

Ilia Rodriguez, DLA Piper. 
An alum of the White House and the Labor Department, Rodriguez is active on health and education issues. 

Emanuel Rouvelas, Bart Gordon and Jim Walsh, K&L Gates LLP. 
Rouvelas has been a powerhouse at the firm for decades, while Gordon and Walsh, a bipartisan duo of former members, anchor its stellar lobbying team.

Scott Segal, Bracewell & Giuliani LLP. 
Segal, who founded the firm’s strategic communications practice, leads the way on energy and environment policy.

Rhod Shaw, The Alpine Group. 
Shaw’s portfolio is wide-ranging but tilts toward technology; he works tirelessly to make more spectrum available for mobile users.

Rick Shelby, Capitol Hill Consulting Group. 
The Republican operative has a senior advisory role with the American Gas Association, which is helping utility companies safeguard their facilities from attack.

Tom Sheridan, 
The Sheridan Group. 
Sheridan fights to secure federal funding for initiatives like special education programs and anti-AIDS campaigns, and earlier this year began pushing for a long-awaited overhaul of toxic substances regulations.

Tracy Spicer, Avenue Solutions. 
Spicer and the boutique Democratic healthcare shop are on track for their best year ever.

Charles Stenholm,Olsson Frank Weeda Terman Matz PC.
The former Democratic congressman is active on budget issues, bringing authority and expertise to the task.

Alexander Sternhell, Sternhell Group. 
An alum of the Senate Banking Committee, Sternhell helps keep Wall Street clients ahead of the game.

Sandi Stuart, Stuart Murray Group.
Stuart, who worked at the Defense Department during the Clinton administration, has Google’s back as it works on privacy and cybersecurity issues.

Linda Tarplin, Tarplin, Downs & Young. 
Tarplin specializes in healthcare policy with skills that were honed during two Republican administrations.

Rich Tarplin,Tarplin Strategies, LLC. 
After helping to draft legislative strategies at the Department of Health and Human Services, Tarplin is well positioned to advocate for the health sector.

Dan Tate Jr.,Forbes-Tate. 
Once tapped by the Clinton White House to work with Congress on legislation, Tate now does the same for his stable of clients.

Mark Rayder,Alston & Bird. 
Rayder has been both an aide on Capitol Hill and a campaign operative, now devoting his Washington know-how to healthcare.

Billy Tauzin, Tauzin Consultants, LLC. 
The former chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee left Alston & Bird earlier this year to work at the lobby shop founded by his son.

Carl Thorsen and Alec French, Thorsen French Advocacy. 
Thorsen and French often work for clients whose issues fly under the radar of the major policy battles in Congress, as well as clients with large caseloads such as Comcast and Human Rights Campaign.

Robert Van Heuvelen,VH Strategies. 
A former chief aide to ex-Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.), Van Heuvelen keeps his nose to the grindstone for healthcare and energy clients.

Stu Van Scoyoc,Van Scoyoc Associates. 
Van Scoyoc has a knack for anticipating what’s needed to keep his firm near the front of the pack. 

Stewart Verdery and Jessica Herrera-Flanigan, 
Monument Policy Group. 
Verdery and Herrera-Flannigan have a wide-reaching practice that includes a coalition of tech companies pushing reforms to the National Security Agency.

Alex Vogel, Holtzman Vogel Josefiak PLLC. 
Vogel left another K Street firm to strike out on his own, now manning a political intelligence shop while remaining active in the government affairs space.

Vin Weber,Mercury.
The former Minnesota congressman stays at the center of the action in Republican politics.

Jonathan Yarowsky,Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr.
Yarowsky is among the elite lobbyists for tech, but also works for several industry groups, including the Beer Institute and the American Association for Justice.