Washington Legal Foundation

The Washington Legal Foundation (WLF) claims its goal is to defend and promote the principles of freedom and justice. On its website it says “ Since our founding, we have litigated 865 court cases, participated in 650 administrative and regulatory proceedings, initiated 135 judicial misconduct investigations, and filed 140 attorney and judicial reform actions and petitions'.

Defending "Free Enterprise"

Vice President Donald Rumsfeld has stated 'WLF is the country's leading non-profit pro-free enterprise law and policy center. By combining the litigation capability of a high caliber law firm with the strong advocacy techniques of a prominent think tank, WLF is energetically and effectively working to help create a legal environment that encourages economic growth.'

According to WLF’s web-site:” WLF strives to defend free enterprise principles by working with public policy professionals who share our goals".

• American Corporate Counsel Association
• American Enterprise Institute
• American Legislative Exchange Council
• American Tort Reform Association
• Cato Institute
• Center for Defense Information
• Center for Security Policy
• Heritage Foundation
• Hoover Institution
• Lawyers for Civil Justice
• Manhattan Institute For Policy Research
• National Association of Manufacturers
• Rand
• Center for Regulatory Effectiveness
• Center for Strategic & International Studies
• U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Legal Reform
• Alliance for Digital Progress
• Asbestos Alliance
• Center for National Security Law
• Common Good
• Levick Strategic Communications
• The Coalition and Center for Ethical Medical Testimony

'Part of WLF's mission is to advance balanced discussion on issues that affect the free enterprise system. WLF often participates in timely legal and public policy debate with the following organizations':

• American Civil Liberties Union
• Association of American Trial Lawyers
• Center for Science in the Public Interest
• Consumer Attorneys of California
• Consumer Federation of America
• CorpWatch
• Earth Justice
• Greenpeace
• Natural Resources Defense Council
• Physicians for Social Responsibility
• Public Citizen
• The Foundation on Economic Trends
• Trial Lawyers for Public Justice
• Union of Concerned Scientists

Funding

The Washington Legal Foundation has an annual budget of over $4 million. It has received some $95,000 from Exxon since 1998 .

Links to Republicans

The WSL website lists the following board members who were appointed to serve in the Administration or were elected to office :

• Spencer Abraham, Secretary of Energy
• Senator George Allen (VA)
• John Ashcroft, United States Attorney General
• Susan G. Braden, U.S. Court of Federal Claims Judge
• Richard A. Hauser, General Counsel, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
• Richard J. Leon, U.S. District Court Judge
• Gale Norton, Secretary of the Interior
• Theodore B. Olson, United States Solicitor General. Described as “one of the most prominent ultra-conservative lawyers in Washington”. He used to be on the board of the WLF and head of the Washington D.C. chapter of the Federalist Society .
• Harold D. Stratton, Chairman, Consumer Product Safety Commission
• Larry D. Thompson, Deputy Attorney General
• Tommy G. Thompson, Secretary of Health and Human Services
• Joe Whitley, General Counsel, Department of Homeland Security

Legal Policy Advisory Board

• Dick Thornburgh – Chair of board - Kirkpatrick & Lockhart LLP, Washington, D.C.
• Frank J. Fahrenkopf, Jr - Chairmen Emeritus - Hogan & Hartson LLP; law firms clients include American Chemistry Council, Biotechnology Industry Organization; Edison Electric Institute; General Electric; General Motors; Glaxosmithkline; Koch Industries; Pharmaceutical Research Manufacturers of America (Pharma); Unocal corp.
• Ernest Gellhorn - Chairmen Emeritus - George Mason University Foundation Professor of Law
• Richard K. Willard - Chairmen Emeritus - Senior Vice President and General Counsel, The Gillette Company.

Board Members

• Joseph A. Artabane - Artabane & Belden, P.C. | Mary Azcuenaga - Heller Ehrman White & McAuliffe, Washington, DC; firm’s clients include Microsoft; Credit Suisse First Boston; GlaxoSmithKline: McDonald's; BP (Atlantic Richfield; Pacific Gas and Electric Company and Philip Morris amongst others | Thomas E. Baker - Florida International College of Law | Haley Barbour – Republican Governor of Mississippi, friend of President Bush | Randy E. Barnett - Boston University School of Law | Thomas Hale Boggs, Jr. - Patton Boggs LLP – registered lobbyist for Arctic Power, Bechtel National Inc, BNFL, BP Amoco Corp, Clorox Co, Shell Oil, Wal-Mart Stores amongst hundreds of others | Gary B. Born - Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering, London; firms clients include BAE Systems; Bayer A.G; Unocal, Phillips Petroleum, and Citibank amongst others | The Honorable M. Jane Brady - Attorney General, Delaware | Michael K. Brown - Crosby, Heafey, Roach & May, Los Angeles, California

The Honorable James H. Burnley, IV - Venable LLP Arnold Burns - Arnhold & S. Bleichroeder, Inc. The Honorable Tom Campbell- Haas School of Business, University of California at Berkeley Michael A. Carvin- Jones Day Alan F. Coffey Jr - McLean, Virginia Charles Cooper - Cooper & Kirk Joseph E. diGenova - diGenova & Toensing William A. Donohue - New York Richard Duesenberg - Former Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Monsanto Company The Honorable Harold Furtchgott-Roth - American Enterprise Institute Stuart M. Gerson - Epstein Becker & Green, P.C, Washington, DC Albert Gidari - Perkins Coie LLP, Seattle, Washington Benjamin L. Ginsberg - Patton Boggs LLP Professor Lino A. Graglia - University of Texas at Austin, School of Law Professor William F. Harvey - Indiana University School of Law Professor Maurice J. Holland - University of Oregon, School of Law Clarence T. Kipps, Jr - Miller & Chevalier Philip A. Lacovara - Mayer Brown Rowe and Maw Susan W. Liebeler - Lexpert Research Services, Los Angeles, California Roger J. Marzulla - former President of MSLF and husband of Nancia Marzulla the President Defenders of Property Rights. Roger is on the board Arvin Maskin - Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP; Professor John Norton Moore - University of Virginia, School of Law Glen D. Nager - Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue W. Hugh O'Riordan - Givens, Pursley & Huntley Boise, Idaho Robert D. Paul-, White & Case

• Stephen B. Presser - Northwestern University, School of Law
• George L. Priest - John M. Olin Professor of Law & Economics Yale University
• William H. Pryor - Attorney General, Alabama
• Charles F. (Rick) Rule - Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson
• Peter J. Rusthoven - Barnes & Thornburg, Indianapolis, Indiana
• Mark Shurtleff - Attorney General, Utah
• Don Stenberg - Former Attorney General, Nebraska
• Robert S. Strauss - Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P.
• George J. Terwilliger III - White & Case
• Steven J. Twist - Assistant General Counsel, Viad Corporation
• Dennis C. Vacco - Waste Management, Inc.
• William F. Weld - Leeds Weld & Co, New York, New York
• Wayne Withers - Emerson Electric Company

Contact

Address:

2009 Massachusetts Avenue,

N.W, Washington, D.C. 20036

Website: http://www.wlf.org/

Notes

[[Category:Tobacco industry funding]