News & Politics

Power 150: Law & Lobbying, Experts & Advocates

Washington's most influential people in law, lobbying and advocacy

LAW AND LOBBYING

Bob Barnett. Dealmaker for Washington’s celebrity authors, including the Clintons, Bob Woodward, and Tim Russert.

Bob Bennett. Washington heavyweights (Clark Clifford, Caspar Weinberger, Bill Clinton) have for years called the pitbull trial lawyer when in trouble.

Tommy Boggs. A Washington institution—lawyer, lobbyist, Democratic insider. His is a full-service firm, but it tops all others in lobbying revenues.

Antonio Calabrese. Land-use lawyer. “If you’re a Northern Virginia developer,” says one insider, “whether you want to go to heaven or hell, you have to go through Tony.”

James Dyke. Mark Warner ally and top Richmond lobbyist. Chair of the University of the District of Columbia board.

Jamie Gorelick. She’s been at the top in government (Clinton Justice and Defense departments), business (Fannie Mae), and law (WilmerHale).

Warren Gorrell. A nationally recognized corporate-securities lawyer and managing partner of Hogan & Hartson, a top firm in the country.

Artis Hampshire-Cowan. A Howard University vice president and former Wayne Curry aide. “One of a handful of key go-to people in Prince George’s,” says one observer.

Vernon Jordan. The consummate political fixer pulls strings for the community. “He still has the biggest Rolodex in Washington,” says a fellow lawyer.

Mike Lincoln. A venture-capital and mergers expert. Legal Times last year named him one of the area’s top dealmakers.

Bruce McLean. Chair of the powerhouse Akin Gump law firm, civic activist, and member of the Georgetown law-school board.

Grover Norquist. His Wednesday breakfast gatherings rally conservatives as a lobbying force.

Brendan Sullivan. From Oliver North to the Duke lacrosse players, he’s the defendant’s choice among the white-collar set. “By the time somebody comes to me, they are pretty far up the creek,” Sullivan has said. “The good thing is they will pay almost anything.”

Ricardo Urbina. The first Hispanic appointed as a judge in the District, he’s spent 26 years in the Superior and US District courts. His most recent high-profile sentence: no jail time for Doug Jemal.

Juleanna Glover Weiss. Dick Cheney’s former spokeswoman and a principal in John Ashcroft’s lobbying firm. Parties at her Kalorama home are a networking paradise.

Anne Wexler. This ex–Jimmy Carter aide has close ties to Hillary Clinton. She’s active in the Economic Club, WETA, and the Community Foundation.

Richard Wiley. The former FCC head has helped build a quintessential Washington law firm—it’s powerful and rich. And be careful if you challenge him at tennis: He hits forehands with either hand.

EXPERTS AND ADVOCATES

Will Baker. Turned the Chesapeake Bay Foundation into one of the nation’s most influential environmental groups.

Chris DeMuth and Strobe Talbott. DeMuth’s American Enterprise Institute and Talbott’s Brookings Institution provide safe harbor for intellectuals and a platform for the pundit class.

Steve Fuller. The George Mason economist charts the region’s growth for politicians, business executives, and reporters.

Walter Isaacson. The former Time editor, who decamped from Manhattan to take over the Aspen Institute, cuts a swath intellectually and socially.

Alice Rivlin. A government pro—with stints in the White House and Federal Reserve—who’s an expert on District housing, finances, and healthcare.

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