Larry Lavender Joining Jones Walker's Washington Office

WASHINGTON, Jan. 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Jones Walker is pleased to announce that Larry C. Lavender is joining the firm's Washington office as Director of Government Relations. Mr. Lavender will join the firm effective February 1, 2012. He will leave his post as Chief of Staff of the Financial Services Committee for the U.S. House of Representatives effective immediately to run the reelection campaign for Congressman Spencer Bachus. For five years prior to working with the Financial Services Committee, he served as Chief of Staff to Congressman Bachus.

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During his tenure with the Financial Services Committee, which spanned the 2008 financial crisis, the Committee considered some of the most significant and far reaching legislation in its history. The Dodd-Frank Act is the most prominent example, but Housing and GSE legislation were also major issues.

In addition to managing the day-to-day operations of the Committee, Mr. Lavender assisted the Chairman and other members in developing policy and legislative strategy and was the Committee's principal contact with Congressional Leadership staff and other Committees of the House, particularly when considering cross-jurisdictional issues such as internet gambling, derivatives regulation and budget authorizations.

As Chief of Staff of the Committee, he interacted extensively with the Executive Branch, the SEC, the CFTC, the Federal Reserve, the FDIC, the OCC and other regulatory agencies, particularly in the interpretation and implementation of the Dodd-Frank Act.

Mr. Lavender stated, "Jones Walker attracted me because it is not only a government relations firm, but a law firm with a highly developed regulatory practice.  In the next few years, the greatest value that can be delivered to clients in the financial services industries will be in Congressional oversight and in the regulatory implementation of the massive array of legislation adopted in the aftermath of the financial crisis.  Being able to work with the Jones Walker team in those areas is an exciting and satisfying opportunity."

Palmer C. Hamilton, head of Jones Walker's Washington office, lauded Larry's hiring, "Few individuals have Larry's substantive depth on the wide range of financial services issues. And almost nobody has an equal sense of the current strategic lay of the land on the Hill and in the agencies. We think Larry will add a whole new dimension to our ability to advise our clients."

Mr. Lavender has also communicated extensively with international financial and accounting agencies and regulators, including those of the European Union, China, Israel, The United Kingdom and several African and Middle Eastern countries. This has included official visits to these and many other nations.

He has spoken and participated on panels for trade associations, think tanks and regulators including the Federal Reserve, the Municipal Securities Rule Making Board, the American Enterprise Institute, the American Bankers Association, The Institutional Investors' Forum and many others.

Early in his career, Mr. Lavender served for ten years with the City of Birmingham, Alabama, first as the staff director for the city council and later as the Chief of Staff to the mayor. During that time, he was intimately involved in the City's financial management, gaining a broad and deep understanding of municipal finance.

Mr. Lavender has been active in the management of political campaigns at the local, congressional district, and state-wide levels.

Outside the governmental arena, Mr. Lavender has extensive experience in the management of small-and medium-sized businesses, having owned and managed several manufacturing companies primarily supplying the heavy truck industry.

Mr. Lavender earned both his Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and his Masters in Business Administration from the University of Alabama in Birmingham.

Jones, Walker, Waechter, Poitevent, Carrere & Denegre L.L.P. (www.joneswalker.com), with more than 375 attorneys, provides a comprehensive range of legal services to a national and international corporate client base through offices in Alabama, Arizona, the District of Columbia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.

Contact: Carol Todd Thomas
504.582.8438
[email protected]

SOURCE Jones Walker