Mark Burkhalter Joins National Government Affairs Practice at McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP

Speaker Emeritus of Georgia General Assembly to lead firm's UK Public Affairs efforts

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May 21, 2010, 08:07 ET

ATLANTA, May 21 /PRNewswire/ -- McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP (MLA) announced that Mark Burkhalter has joined the firm as a Senior Strategic Advisor and Independent Consultant focusing on national government affairs efforts as well as leading the firm's public affairs and economic development initiatives in the United Kingdom. Speaker Burkhalter will be based in the firm's Atlanta office, but plans to spend considerable time in London as well as in MLA's other domestic and international offices.

Speaker Burkhalter resigned from the General Assembly last month after 18 years of service. He left office as the Speaker Emeritus, after having served as Speaker of the House and the Speaker Pro Tempore since 2004 when his caucus won the House majority. From 2003-2004, he served as Administration floor leader for Governor Sonny Perdue.

"Mark has distinguished himself as one of the most effective policymakers in Georgia and we are delighted to welcome him to our team," said Eric Tanenblatt, head of MLA's national government affairs practice. "He has been a leading advocate for economic development initiatives and will be a major asset to the firm's efforts as we continue to expand our government affairs efforts in the U.S. and abroad."

"McKenna Long & Aldridge is uniquely suited to help both U.S. and overseas companies with their economic development, legal and regulatory needs," said Speaker Burkhalter. "I am excited to join a team of government and political leaders who are deeply committed to enhancing the firm's domestic and international reputation. I look forward to applying my years of public service and business experience for the benefit of the firm's clients throughout the U.S. and abroad."

Burkhalter was first elected to the Georgia State Legislature at 31 and served nine terms representing the Atlanta suburb of North Fulton County. He played a major and substantive role in developing and helping to pass several pieces of legislation to benefit the economic growth and development of the greater metropolitan Atlanta area. Burkhalter has earned many accolades such as being named twice by James magazine as the "most influential politician in Georgia" and being named by Georgia Trend magazine as one of the "100 Most Influential Georgians."

In 2008, he served on the Platform Committee of the Republican National Convention and was a leader for Governor Mitt Romney's Presidential campaign in Georgia. His political career also included serving on the legislative staff to U.S. Representative Newt Gingrich in Washington, D.C. Parallel to his service in government, Burkhalter has built a successful career in real estate development. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 1984 with bachelor's degrees in political science and German and Slavic languages.

About the Government Affairs Practice: Ranked as one of the top 10 law and lobbying firms by Legal Times, MLA is a nationally-recognized leader in the complex field of public policy and regulatory affairs. The Government Affairs practice is comprised of a bipartisan team of advisors and attorneys, including former U.S. Senator and Governor of Georgia Zell Miller, former chief of staff to Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue and longtime advisor to the late U.S. Senator Paul Coverdell Eric Tanenblatt, former U.S. Ambassador to Canada Gordon Giffin, former Governor of Vermont Howard Dean, former senior Clinton White House official Keith Mason, former U.S. Congressman Buddy Darden, former City of Atlanta officials Steven Labovitz, Sharon Gay and Hakim Hilliard, political law lawyers Randy Evans and Stefan Passantino and Georgia state government affairs leader Bo Moore.

About McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP: McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP is an international law firm with 475 attorneys and public policy advisors. The firm provides business solutions in the areas of complex litigation, corporate, environmental, energy, and climate change, finance, government contracts, health care, intellectual property and technology, international law, public policy and regulatory affairs, and real estate.