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NEWS JULY 27, 2020 ¦ 19

Pandemic-Related Work Brings Windfall in
Typically Down Lobbying Quarter

By Patrick Smith

Several federal relief programs, coupled with varying industries looking to take advantage of those available funds,

drove a strong Q2 showing for lobbying firms.

Typically the fiscal quarters leading up to a U.S. Hauer & Feld, which led the pack in Q1, showing a
presidential election are marked by a downturn slight decline.
in business for the lobbying industry. This makes After Brownstein at $12.9 million, the top five
sense, as there is often an air of uncertainty about who firms included Akin Gump with $12.4 million, a
firms and their clients should be lobbying when it is slight drop from their group-leading $12.6 million
unclear which political party will be in control come in the first quarter but a 21.4% increase year over
the new year. Like it has done with everything else, year; Holland & Knight came in at $7.15 million,
the pandemic has turned that on its head. up 19% year over year; Squire Patton Boggs at $6.67
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck topped the sec- million, up 11% from the same period in 2019; and
ond quarter lobbying revenue list, bringing in $12.9 K&L Gates at $5.1 million, up 15.4% YoY.
million over the last three months, which according Marc Lampkin, the government relations co-chair
to their internal numbers is a 29% increase from the and Washington, D.C., office managing partner at
same period in 2019 and a 17% increase in the firm’s Brownstein, said he believes the increase in business
haul from the first fiscal quarter. is due to three primary factors: The complications
They weren’t the only ones doing well. Four of the around understanding the initial federal responses
top five law firms for lobbying revenue saw an in- to the pandemic, such as the CARES Act, the Pay-
crease from Q1 to Q2, with only Akin Gump Strauss
¦ Continued on PAGE 20

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