DLA Piper

Part of the Powerbase Brexit Portal.

DLA London, 3 Noble Street

DLA Piper is a global law firm with lawyers in 40 countries.

It also has a significant lobbying business. Its lobbying income in the US in 2016 was $6.7m (2015 income was $9.5m).

Lobbying practice

Alongside PR and dedicated lobbying agencies, law firms also provide lobbying advice to their clients. The practice is commonplace in the US. While there are fewer players in the UK, those law firms that do give such advice, have influence. DLA Piper is one with a significant lobbying practice in Britain. Its areas of practice include the following:

Brexit lobbying

In addition to its legal services, DLA Piper says it can help make sure that a client's priorities 'are included in the Brexit process' and any EU/UK trade agreement through 'strategic advocacy' and other services.

Brexit services it offers clients include: providing intelligence on the process; representing client interests in the EU and UK; and 'creating strategies to minimise risks and capitalise on opportunities.'

DLA says it 'will ensure that [a client's] sector, industry, and corporate priorities are recognised and included in the Brexit process and the resulting EU/UK trade agreement.' 'Our extensive knowledge of the EU and the UK institutions', it says 'gives us access to relevant stakeholders... in Brussels, London, and the capitals of EU Member States'.

Brexit team

DLA Piper's Brexit Committee, which coordinates the firm's approach to the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, includes:

• Paul Hardy, Brexit director. Hardy was most recently EU Legal Adviser to the House of Lords. Hardy's background 'makes him uniquely placed to provide in-depth analysis and advice on the political, policy and legal implications of Brexit,' says DLA Piper. Hardy's job is Legal Director and Brexit Director in DLA Piper’s Litigation and Regulatory group.
• Richard Bonnar, leads DLA Piper's Public Sector practice in the UK
• John Forrest, Head of International Trade, London.

Lobbying for PPP and PFI

DLA Piper claims to be specialist in delivering PFI and PPP projects for the private sector. It claims to 'understand... how to secure business for the private sector'.

Local lobbying practice

Winning local planning battles has long been a lucrative area for lobbying and PR companies. DLA Piper claims an enviable track record in delivering planning permission.

A 2010 brochure for its 'Property and Planning Communications' practice says:

'Communicating effectively with decision-makers and the communities they represent has never been more important for those operating in the property and development sectors. From proposing a supermarket extension, to a new town, to a major infrastructure project, landowners and developers have to balance the planning and legal arguments with the need to secure political support. This is in addition to the national and local requirements to engage and consult with a wide range of stakeholders.

GGR - the strategic communications and public affairs practice of DLA Piper - provides targeted and informed communications strategies to support private and public sector clients to deliver their development objectives.

Working closely with clients' in-house and consultant teams, GGR has an industry-leading track record in delivering planning permissions for major regeneration and infrastructure schemes, retail, residential and mixed use projects. This means maximising public and political buy-in, whilst minimising and managing potential opposition.'

DLA Piper Scotland

DLA Piper also offers lobbying services to clients in Scotland. According to a former employee, DLA Piper provides 'strategic communications and government affairs advice to the firm’s clients with interests in Scottish public policy', particularly in the areas of 'infrastructure planning, housing, supermarket retail, health and aspects of energy.'

DLA Piper Scotland has helped clients in the following sectors:

• health sector, including major pharmaceutical and medical devices companies interested in Scottish health developments.
• energy sector, including Scottish coal and renewable energy firms.
• retail development sector, including lobbying for one of the largest retailers, and providing it with 'community engagement' services.

US lobbying practice

DLA Piper is a registered lobbyist in the US. It earned $6.7m from lobbying in 2016 ($9.5m in 2015).

Some of its biggest US lobbying clients in 2017 were: Booz Allen Hamilton | Apple | Coca-Cola | Raytheon and Association of Banks in Lebanon

Its lobbying clients in the US in 2016 were:
Association of Banks in Lebanon | ViaSat Inc | Analytical Graphics | St George's University | One World Technologies | Booz Allen Hamilton | Coca-Cola | Keefe Group | CAN Capital | Globe Metallurgical | Northeast MAGLEV | Ounce of Prevention Fund | Allstate Insurance | Qualcomm | Marriott | Raytheon | Comcast | Fermat Capital Management | PGA Tour | American Council of Life Insurers |1 Independent Fuel Terminal Operators Association | National Employment Opportunities Network | AdvaMed | PacStar | Experian | University of Utah | ZTE USA | AARP | Discover Financial Services | AFLAC Inc | Akers Biosciences | National Coalition on E-Commerce & Privacy | Modern Markets Initiative | Automatic Data Processing Inc | Trine University | Daily Mail & General Trust | Oracle Corp | Marsh & McLennan | National Association of Community Health Centers | Spectra Energy | Aeolus Kenya | Hannover Re | Patient Pocket | Westcor | Diageo | Fosun Industrial Holdings Ltd | Internet Commerce Coalition | Skyview Solutions | Western Exploration | American Beverage Association | Arab Bank | CGI Group | Charles Schwab Corp | Global Companies | Gulf Oil | Heiser, Fran & Gary |International Underwriting Association of London | Irving Oil | JD Irving | LA 2024 Bid Committee | Sorenson Communications | Swedish Match

Refusal to join the Association of Professional Political Consultants

Following a committee inquiry chaired by Labour MP Tony Wright, it emerged that DLA Piper was one of three agencies refusing to join the APPC. Tim Clement-Jones, Liberal Democrat spokesman on culture and sport in the House of Lords, is founder and chairman of the lobbying arm of the firm, Global Government Relations (GGR). This creates - in the eyes of the APPC - a conflict of interests, as members cannot employ sitting peers or MPs. GGR's then head of media Eben Black, instead of Clement-Jones, was due to appear before the committee.

Lobbying for Turkey

On 10 October 2007, the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs passed Resolution 106, which accuses the Turkish rulers in 1915 of genocide. There was an intensive on behalf of the Turkish government to sway the committee, described by Ali H. Aslan as follows:

Both the Turkish and the US governments strongly opposed the resolution and were joined by DLA Piper, the Livingstone Group, public relations company Fleishman-Hillard and other companies that officially conducted lobbying activities on behalf of Turkey as well as by big corporations that have sizable commercial deals with Turkey such as Boeing and BP.

Lobbying for the UAE

DLA Piper was among the PR firms listed on by the Saudi Arabian government's Foreign Agent Registration Act filing as 'active foreign principals for Saudi Arabia', working to shape public opinion in the Kingdom's favour following the controversial execution of Shiite cleric Sheik Nimr Baqr al-Nimr.

The firm receives a fee of $50,000 a month for services including '[contacting] Members of Congress, congressional staff and Executive Branch officials in connection with strengthening the ability of the United States and Saudi Arabia to advance mutual national security interests.'

People

Global

Co-Chairmen

• Tony Angel, United Kingdom. Former managing partner at Linklaters, 1998–2007, executive managing director and head of EMEA at Standard & Poor's, where he was a member of the global operating committee and helped guide the credit rating agency through the intense scrutiny that accompanied the global credit crisis.
• Lee Miller, United States. Former chairman of Rudnick & Wolfe before its merge with Piper & Marbury in 1999.

Joint Co-CEOs

• Sir Nigel Knowles, United Kingdom. Started working at Broomheads as a trainee in 1978 and graduated to managing partner in 1996. Through various mergers, Broomheads became DLA which then merged with Piper Rudnick and Gray Cary in 2005.
• Terence O'Malley, United States. Was chairman and CEO of Gray Cary when it merged with Piper Rudnick and DLA in 2005.

Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific

Co-Managing Directors, Groups and Sectors

• Simon Levine, United Kingdom
• Juan Picón, Spain

Managing Director, Europe and Africa

• Federico Sutti, Italy

Managing Director, Europe and Middle East

• Dr Ulrich Jüngst, Germany

Chief Operating Officer

• Andrew Darwin, Australia

General Counsel, Europe, Middle East and Asia Pacific=

• Amber Matthews, United Kingdom

Americas

Co-Chairmen

• Roger Meltzer, United States
• Cameron Jay Rains, United States

Co-Managing Partners

• Michael Poulos, United States
• Stasia Kelly, United States

Chairmen Emeritus

• Francis Burch Jr., United States. Former chairman of Piper & Marbury before its merge with Rudnick & Wolfe in 1999.
• George Mitchell, United States. Chaired the peace negotiations which led to the 1998 Belfast Peace Agreement and former US special envoy for Middle East Peace from January 2009 to May 2011 and US senator 1980-1989.

Chief Operating Officer

• Bob Bratt, United States

General Counsel

• Peter Pantaleo, United States

UK Staff

Simon Airey | Ioannie Alexopoulos | Kirstie Allerton | Jeremy Andrews | Tony Angel | Fabrice Armand | Robert Arnison | Vinita Arora | Charles Arrand | Colin Ashford | Stephen Atkinson | Christopher Baird | Anu Balasubramanian | Max Ballad | Nick Bamford | George Barboutis | Toby Barker | Aileen Barry | Martin Bartlam | Howard Bassford | Mark Beardwood | Claire Bell | Sarah Bell | Claire Bennett | Petra Billing | Robert Bishop | Stephen Blacksell | Rosemary Bointon | Richard Bonnar | Simon Boon | Stephen Bottley | Neil Bowker | Iain Bowler | David Bradley | Earle Brady | Ian Brierley | Lee Brierley | Peter Brook | Ilyas Bulut | Kit Burden | Mark Burgess | Catherine Burton | Philip Butler | Duncan Calow | Tamara Calvert | John Campion | James Carter | Kate Cervantes-Knox | Alan Chalmers | Philip Chong | Linos Choo | Matthew Christmas | David Church | Michael Cieslarczyk | Andrew Clarke | Mary Clarke | Tim Clement Jones | Alastair Clough | Roger Collier | Veronique Collin | Mike Conradi | Charles Cook | Adam Cooke | Simon Cookson | Jane Cotton | Sarah Coucher | Liam Cowell | Michael Cowley | Kate Creer | Richard Crossfield | Sian Croxon | Alan Cunningham | Jamie Curle | John Curran | Alastair J Da Costa | Andrew Darwin | Andrew Davies | Andrew S. Davies | Tim Dawson | Gordon Day | Sarah Day | Ugo de Vivo | John Delamere | Alex Dell | Stephen Dick | Thomas S. Dick | Paul Dineen | Ian Doig | Huw Dolphin | Ben Donovan | Jean-Pierr Douglas-Henry | Nigel Drew | Alistair Drummond | Gurpreet Durha | Helen Dyer | Andrew Dyson | Jonathan Eatough | Steven Egecombe | Paul Edwards | Sara Ellington | Hugh Evans | Alison Ewart | Jonathan Exten-Wright | Susan Fanning | David Farmer | Silvia Farre | Michael Fiddy | Tim Field | Dr Sharon Fitzgerald | Nick Fitzpatrick | Paul Fleming | Laura Ford | Louise Forrest | Christian Francis | Mark Franklin | John Gallon | Maher Ghanma | Duncan Gillespie | George Godar | John Gollaglee | Mark Goodwin | Charles Gordon | Luca Gori | Benedict Gorner | Roger Gough | David Gray | Paul Gray | Clare Gregory | Ray Gribben | Alexander Griffith | Edward Griffiths | Martin Griffiths | Smridhi Gulati | Andreas Gunst | Helen Hall | Stephen Haller | Chris Hanson | Jeremy Harris | Wendy Harrison | Adam Hartley | Jon Hayes | Noel Haywood | Amy Heading | Jonathan Hearn | Nick Helm | Louise Hendry | Tom Heylen | Nicola Higgins | Dominic Higham | Mark Hilton | Teresa Hitchcock | Kate Hodgkiss | Richard Hopkinson-Woolley | Nigel Howard | Ruth Hoy | Stephen Hoyle | Gawain Hughes | Adam Ibrahim | Sheila Irvine | Amy Jacks | Mark Jackson | Melanie James | Paul Jayson | John Jeffreys | Steven Jenning | Nicholas Jew | Ben Johnson | Alexandra Kamerling | Tony Katz | Martin Keates | Jon Kenworthy | Sion Kenyon | Tom Kerr Williams | James Kerrigan | Stephen Ketteley | Gail Keville | John Kittle | Sir Nigel Knowles | Jakub Kubicki | Tim Lake | Joseph Lam | Guy Lamb | Jim Lavery | Christina Lawrence | Michael S. Lebovitz | Janet Legrand | Simon Levine | Jonathan Lisle | Vivian Liu | Matthew Lonergan | Roger Loo | Tony Lopez | Betty Louie | Natasha Luther-Jones | Mark Lynch | Lillian Mackenzie | Yunus Maka | Fei Mao | Nick Marsh | Tim Marshall | Emma Martin | Vikki Massarano | Valerie Mather | Amber Matthews | Richard May | Corinne McCarthy | Mark McGiddy | Richard McGrane | Lee McGuirk | Gareth McIntegart | Michael McKee | Rob McKie | John McKinlay | Stuart McMillan | Derek Medlam | Ronan Mellon | David Miles | Sam Millar | Ben Miller | Alison Mills | Emma Mills | Patrick Mitchell | Patrick Mitchell | Hazel Moffat | Elia Montorio | Charles Morrison | George Mortimer | David Morton | Duncan Mosley | Ashley Mott | Robert Mower | Laura Nadel | Martin Navias | Suzannah Newboult | Jayne Newton | Richard Norman | Mark O'Conor | James O'Donnell | Richard OBank | Hannah Ogilvie | Elizabeth Osako | Joanne Owen | Ailish Oxenforth | Allison Page | Simon Palmer | Dimitri Papaefstratiou | Prakash Paran | Nicholas Patrick | Kate Payne | Tony Payne | Lorinda Peasland | Martin Penn | Jim Pinsent | Duncan Pithouse | Stewart Plant | Stuart Ponting | Tony Potts | Jonathan Procter | Catherine Radcliffe | Simon Rae | David Raff | Bonella Ramsay | Jonathan Richards | Michael Ridley | Anna Robson | Laurence Rogers | Julie Romer | Philip Rooney | Robert Russell | Paul Rutherford | Robert Salter | Jessica Sanders | Alexander Sarac | Matthew Saunders | Charles Severs | Glenn Sharpe | Edward Shaw | Catherine Simister | Callum Sinclair | Richard Skipper | Neil Slater | Stephen Sly | Andrew Smith | Paul Smith | Rob Smith | Robert Smith | Richard Smyth | Patrick Somers | Hilary Stewart-Jones | Ciaran Stone | Paul Stone | Matthew Swynnerton | Andrew Symons | Alex Tamlyn | Ben Taylor | Leon Taylor | Richard Taylor | Sandy Telfer | Elinor Thomas | David Thompson | Fiona Thompson | Roy Tozer | Chris Tulley | Tresna Tunbridge | Catherine Usher | Jeff Vernon | Kate Vernon | Mark Vipan | Drew Wallace | Sandra Wallace | Darren Walsh | Pattie Walsh | Kathryn Ward | Jonathan Watkins | Wendy Watson | Nicholas West | Bruce Westbrook | Richard Wilkinson | John Wiks | Colin Wilson | Josh Wong | Alasdair Wood | Ian Wood | Brian Woolcock | Richard Woolich | David Wright | Neville Wright | Simon CJ Wright | Stephen Wright | Tim Wright | David W. Young

Revolving Door

• Lord Tim Clement-Jones, London managing partner and chairman of the China desk.

Former Staff

• Jennifer Dunn. In 2007 it was reported Dunne was to be a member of the Advisory Committee on Trade Policy and Negotiations (ACTPN)
• Miriam Gonzalez Durantez, former partner. She is married to the UK Coalition's deputy prime minister Nick Clegg. Is now a partner at Dechert.
• Lord Norman Warner, DLA Piper claim his job was involved "deepening client relationships" and "introducing new contacts", whether or not these contacts were government related was raised. Warner claims he advised DLA Piper on "public services, public sector infrastructure and health regulation".
• Baroness Patience Wheatcroft, former paid adviser
• Baroness Elizabeth Symons , former international consultant to DLA Piper.

Affiliations

• Defence Manufacturers Association, member
• Nuclear Industry Association -has been a member since at least 2005 when it was DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary
• International Nuclear Services (INS)

• International Financial Services London - DLA Piper UK LLP is a member
• Atlantic Legal Foundation

• Francis B. Burch, Jr. Co-Chairman, DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP, Baltimore
• Frank H. Menaker Partner DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary, Senior VP & General Counsel
• Arthur F. Fergenson Partner, DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary US LLP Baltimore, MD

• Heartland Institute - Paul Fisher - Piper, Marbury, Rudnick & Wolfe
• William Cohen The Cohen Group has a strategic alliance with Piper Rudnick
• European Institute (USA) - DLA, Piper Rudnick Gray Cary LLP
• Bioindustry Association, member
• National Business Coalition on E-Commerce and Privacy - DLA Piper represents this business group that includes companies like Experian, Fidelity Investments, the Investment Company Institute, Charles Schwab & Co., Deere & Co, JPMorgan Chase, General Motors, Vanguard Group, Fiserv, Bank of America and Visa.

MP hospitality

On 24 November 2010, DLA held a breakfast meeting with the then Commercial Secretary to the Treasury, Lord Sassoon.

On 4 December 2013 , DLA had dinner with Lord Deighton, the Commercial Secretary.

Structure and history

DLA Piper is a legal services organisation whose members and affiliates are separate and distinct legal entities. Together, the organization boasts more than 3,200 lawyers in over 24 countries and 63 cities throughout the world.

DLA Piper was formed as a result of the 2005 merger of San Diego-based Gray Cary Ware & Freidenrich LLP, London-based DLA LLP (previously Dibb Lupton Alsop), and Piper Rudnick LLP (itself a 1999 merger of Baltimore-based Piper & Marbury and Chicago-based Rudnick & Wolfe).

It was known until 4 September 2006 as DLA Piper Rudnick Gray Cary.

It was the third largest law firm in the world by number of attorneys after Clifford Chance and Baker & McKenzie. (Financial figures for 2005 ranked the firm second to Clifford Chance in worldwide turnover with over $1.5 billion in revenue).

The firm's lobbying arm was formerly known as Global Government Relations.

Affiliations

• member of D Group

See also

• Global Government Relations
• DLA

Resources, References and Contact

London address:

Edinburgh address: Collins House, Rutland Square, Edinburgh, EH1 2AA