Consulting, lobbying firms stake place in elections
Many of the campaigns for candidates and initiatives on the Nov. 7 ballot had consulting and lobbying firms' fingerprints all over them. There were some definite winners and losers. The winners include:
- Critical Public Relations and Troy Corder, who successfully pushed for the Proposition 201 smoking ban and shot down Prop. 206 backed by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco.
- Riester, a public relations firm that led the opposition effort to the Prop. 107 gay marriage and domestic partner benefits ban.
Arizona is the first state to defeat a gay marriage ban. Riester, state Rep. Kyrsten Sinema, D-Phoenix, and labor unions fought off the ban.
- Molera Alvarez Group, which handled U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl's re-election victory over Democratic shopping center developer Jim Pederson. Kyl held off Pederson on what was otherwise a big Democratic night.
- Hamilton, Davis, Gullett & Roman, which handled Prop. 203, which raises tobacco taxes and puts that money toward children's programs.
The losers on election night include:
- Sproul & Associates and Scottsdale attorney Len Munsil. Munsil lost big in the governor's race and Republican consultant Nathan Sproul worked for Munsil and the failed gay marriage ban.
- HighGround: The Phoenix consulting firm handled Prop. 206, which was backed by bar owners and R.J. Reynolds. Prop. 206 sought to exempt bars from a statewide workplace smoking ban. Prop. 201 includes all workplaces.
The 206 effort ran effective ads, had plenty of billboards and signs and more money than 201. It ended up losing in part because 206 was backed by the tobacco industry while 201 was supported by the American Cancer Society and Phoenix Children's Hospital.
- Copper State Consulting: Lobbyist Stan Barnes' group had an uphill climb in trying defeat Prop. 204, which requires large pens for calves and pregnant pigs. Barnes, farmers and ranchers opposed the measure, saying it would hurt agricultural businesses.
Voters sided with 204 backers, including the Arizona Humane Society and Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio.
The Bryan Cave law firm has raised more than $12,000 for charity through a client appreciation golf tournament and food drive. The charity events benefit the Real Gift Foundation for Homeless children. That group provides aid and assistance to children of homeless families. Bryan Cave has 800 attorneys nationwide, including a large office in Phoenix. A number of the firm's clients and other companies helped sponsor the charity efforts, including First National Bank of Arizona, Pitney Bowes, Arizona Center for the Blind, Duplex Legal Discovery and RSM McGladrey. "Bryan Cave is honored to be associated with an organization such as the Real Gift Foundation, which is impacting the lives of more than 12,000 homeless children attending Maricopa County schools in a direct, positive and meaningful way," said Managing Partner Lawrence Scarborough.
For more: www.bryancave.com.
Phoenix-based law firm Gallagher & Kennedy has added five associates. The new attorneys will work in the natural resources, criminal defense, tax and business practice areas. Four of the five will work at Gallagher's headquarters in Phoenix. The attorneys are Rhett Larson, Andre Carman, Janey Henze, Anda Lincoln and Suzette Long. Gallagher is one of the largest law firms in the state with about 100 attorneys. The firm has offices in several markets, including Phoenix, Prescott and Sante Fe, N.M. Its clients include Phelps Dodge Corp., Arizona Cardinals, Arizona Diamondbacks and Arizona Public Service Co.
For more: www.gknet.com.
The Phoenix law firm Tiffany & Bosco also is adding to its ranks. The firm now has 32 attorneys and is hiring high- and mid-level lawyers with experience in corporate finance, water, commercial litigation and real estate law. Tiffany & Bosco is based in the Biltmore area of Phoenix and has specialties ranging from banking and bankruptcy to real estate, personal injury and corporate finance.
For more: www.tblaw.com.
Reliability ranks as the most important factor in a relationship between a company and its legal counsels and representatives. That's according to a new survey released by Robert Half Legal, a headhunting and staffing firm specializing in the legal arena. Forty-five percent of attorneys polled for the survey cited reliability as the most important factor when getting repeat business from corporate clients. Relationships with their contacts ranked second -- with 20 percent. Fourteen-percent of the attorneys surveyed cited industry knowledge; 9 percent the ability to meet client deadlines and only 7 percent billing rates. The survey polled 150 attorneys from large law firms across the country.
For more: www.roberthalflegal.com.
