LeClairRyan's State Government Relations practice area attorneys bring a deep menu of resources to bear on behalf of our clients. We tap into those resources to create practical solutions and achieve measurable results for our clients. Our attorneys have a comprehensive understanding of governmental and political processes at all levels and a clear grasp of how our clients' businesses and industries are affected by decisions made in the public sector. We are fluent in the language and intricacies of all aspects of government contracts, and we are attuned to the specific issues representing areas of greatest concern to the industries we serve. Our attorneys have access to the resources and flexibility necessary to devise cross-disciplinary solutions to meet each client's needs.
State Government Relations
Our attorneys with state government relations experience utilize our talent and extensive industry knowledge to create comprehensive solutions to meet our clients' legal needs—solutions designed to deliver meaningful, measurable results. As a group, our lawyers benefit from years of legal practice in the areas of greatest concern to our clients, extensive knowledge of the state's elected officials and a firm grasp of the practical workings of the legislative and regulatory processes.
Our attorneys are solidly grounded in the workings of state and local government, many through previous employment in those arenas. Some have played significant roles at the highest levels in the successful campaigns of elected state officials.
Among the services we provide to our clients are:
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Issue advocacy and strategy
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Legislative advocacy before local and state legislative bodies and the executive branch
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Political action committee (PAC) formation and administration
We have experience representing a wide variety of business and trade association clients in some of the most complex—and sometimes controversial—matters coming before the Virginia General Assembly. Among the high-profile issues in which we have been involved on behalf of clients are utility deregulation, health care, regulation of the alcohol and gaming industries, state oversight of environmental compliance and establishing tax policy for Virginia industry.
Administrative Law
Our attorneys who focus on administrative law have a keen understanding of our clients' industries and businesses as well as strong working relationships with relevant regulatory agencies. Many of our attorneys on this team have worked in government as agency officials or counsel. We know the law intimately because we have played a role in shaping it. We understand the processes involved in getting laws changed, and we know the decision-makers, the statutory scheme, and the core issues behind those laws.
Dealing with regulatory policy development, compliance and litigation is a fact of life for many businesses. Our attorneys can help by assisting clients with regulatory representation that encompasses the adoption of rules and regulations, licensing issues, disciplinary actions and government contracts.
Our attorneys are widely recognized for their ability to structure and advocate practical solutions to complex legal challenges, which we do both within the context of state and federal government regulatory and administrative agencies and within the highly-charged political atmosphere of the Virginia General Assembly. We routinely appear before and work closely with regulatory agencies, boards and commissions in the development and implementation of public policy.
Our attorneys' intimate familiarity with and comprehensive understanding of regulatory priorities empowers them to successfully craft proposals that avoid lengthy and costly disputes on compliance issues while at the same time maintaining positive working relationships with regulatory officials. Our proactive approach to the practice of administrative law strives to avoid the courtroom whenever possible; however, in cases where that has been unavoidable, we have successfully litigated cases in both the trial and appellate courts.
Many of our attorneys in this practice area have been chosen by their peers for leadership positions on local and state bar committees concerned with administrative law and a number have been named to Virginia Business magazine's list of the top lawyers in Virginia.
Alcohol Beverage Control
An important issue for many businesses engaged in the hospitality and tourism trade is alcohol beverage control, and our depth of experience in this area makes us a trusted legal partner for many businesses in this industry. We offer a full range of services in this area, including representation in alcohol board licensure and enforcement matters, drafting distribution agreements and franchise litigation between manufacturers and importers and their distributors.