January.03.2019
Orrick today announced the expansion of the firm’s market leading state legislative practice with the hiring of Michelle McGann and Robert Williams, two nationally recognized leaders in state legislative affairs, as senior strategists in the Washington, D.C. office.
Michelle joins Orrick from the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC), where she was executive director of its legislative caucus, while Robert joins from the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), where he was director of corporate relations. They join a group that is increasingly at the center of the highest profile issues before state legislatures and regulators—whether it’s the legalization of sports betting, fintech, telemedicine, broadband initiatives, daily fantasy sports, alcohol delivery, communication taxes, or energy transmission and storage. The Group’s clients include the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, PGA Tour, DraftKings, FanDuel, Warby Parker, Getaround, DISH Network, Drizly, Sling TV, and LS Power.
“We could not be more excited to add senior leaders from the two premier national organizations focused on state legislation. This investment reflects Orrick’s commitment to finding innovative alternatives to costly litigation and boardroom battles for our clients’ most important issues,” said Jeremy Kudon, head of Orrick’s Public Policy Group.
In addition to her work with the RSLC, Michelle has previously played key roles for the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the National Republican Congressional Committee and various individual political campaigns. Prior to his work for the DLCC, Robert held various positions with the National Conference of State Legislatures.
Financial Times awarded Orrick with its Most Innovative Regulatory Work for a Client in 2016 for the Public Policy Group’s efforts legalizing fantasy sports in New York and 19 other states, and in 2017 recognized the group’s work in states across the country enacting legislation criminalizing Sextortion. With the addition of Michelle and Robert, Orrick’s Public Policy Group now has 13 members in five Orrick offices, including New York, Washington D.C., and Sacramento.