In an interview with the Baton Rouge Business Report, Adams and Reese GR Partner and Executive Committee Chair B. Jeffrey Brooks discussed the demand for local lobbyists as Louisiana’s influence continues in DC.
Adams and Reese government relations attorneys and advisors have a longstanding relationship with Louisiana’s delegation in Congress. Brooks, who helped establish the firm’s DC office in 1997, discusses how those relationships have led to increased business for lobbyists with those specific ties.
“I’ve been doing this most of my life, and our delegation over the years has been enormously powerful for its size,” said Brooks. “But this delegation — and not just because of Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise — could become one of the most effective of them all due to the various committees on which they serve.”
Brooks added that “relationships and trust are critical to a lobbyist’s success,” and therefore, Adams and Reese has seen a surge in demand from potential clients as a result. “I’m spending nearly a third of my time responding to new inquiries, from both inside and outside of the state,” said Brooks. “A lot of people profess they know the majority leader and the speaker of the House, but we not only know them, we’re trusted by them.”
Brooks is serving a sixth term as Executive Committee Chair at Adams and Reese. He has been an integral member of the firm’s Government Relations Practice. Adams and Reese has built a substantive GR practice with attorneys, advisors, and lobbyists across 20 offices in 10 states, including DC. Adams and Reese represents clients’ interests at the federal, state, and local levels, in diverse areas, including energy, transportation, public works, budget appropriations, education, and financial services, among others.
Read the full interview here.