Government Affairs

Businesses must be increasingly aware of new initiatives by the federal government in order to remain competitive and achieve their strategic objectives. With offices in Washington, D.C., we regularly represent clients before regulatory agencies and monitor and analyze Congressional and Executive Branch initiatives that may have a significant impact on our clients' businesses.

Regulatory Experience. We have experience in representing clients and assisting them in directly advancing their interests before the following regulatory agencies and Executive Branch departments:

• Environmental Protection Agency
• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
• Federal Trade Commission
• Occupational Safety and Health Administrations
• U.S. Department of Justice
• U.S. Department of Labor
• U.S. Department of Transportation

In particular, Scopelitis attorneys assist clients in achieving their regulatory objectives by developing an effective overall strategy for achieving regulatory or policy objectives; preparing effective presentations for meetings with government officials; drafting position statements, legal memoranda, rulemaking petitions and comments, and other advocacy materials; closely monitoring specific legislative, regulatory, policy, or other government initiatives and providing regular communications to clients on these issues; and litigating matters before administrative agencies and the courts.

Information-Gathering and Other Services. We also assist clients in navigating their way through the maze of federal government bureaucracy, including providing the following services for all government agencies and departments based in Washington, D.C.:

• Identifying the appropriate government official(s) with responsibility for a particular issue
• Ferreting out information and intelligence on Congressional and Executive Branch matters through our network of contacts in the government, at trade associations, and elsewhere and through familiarity with how the government functions
• Assisting clients in arranging in-person meetings with appropriate government officials
• Arranging for hand-delivery of agency filings, fees, letters, and other time-sensitive communications

Coalition Building. Nothing big gets achieved on Capitol Hill or in the federal agencies without forming or participating in a multi-company and often multi-industry coalition. We have experience assisting clients in pooling their resources to advance their common interests through coalitions. Scopelitis attorneys have helped to establish and provided counsel to coalitions at both the state and national levels. In addition, with our extensive contacts in the Washington, D.C. trade association community, we can assist clients in identifying existing coalitions that can effectively advance their views.