Thompson Coburn launches new bipartisan Lobbying & Policy group in Washington, D.C.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Thompson Coburn is proud to announce the addition of four experienced lobbyists to the firm's Washington, D.C. office. This group of three attorneys and one senior government affairs strategist will form a new Lobbying & Policy group that will connect Thompson Coburn's clients to a variety of opportunities at the federal level, particularly in the areas of higher education, intellectual property, and technology.

Joining the firm are partners Kenneth D. Salomon, James M. Burger, Christopher T. Murray, and Senior Manager of Government Affairs Haley E. Davis. They previously served as members of Dow Lohnes Government Strategies LLC.

Former U.S. Senator Christopher S. "Kit" Bond and Illinois Senate President John J. Cullerton, both Thompson Coburn partners, also will serve as members of the group. While neither is a registered federal lobbyist at Thompson Coburn, they both will assist in providing strategic advice on government affairs and public policy to Thompson Coburn clients. The group will be based in the firm's Washington, D.C., office, and joins its Federal Practice Group, which represents the legal interests of a wide variety of industries before agencies of the U.S. government.

"We're proud and honored to welcome this outstanding group of professionals to our firm," said Thompson Coburn Chairman Tom Minogue. "Over the course of their distinguished careers, they have forged deep connections in Washington and have longstanding experience working on federal legislation, regulations, and enforcement in the areas that critically affect our clients."

"Together with our attorneys, our bipartisan Lobbying & Policy group will help our clients more closely investigate, monitor, and positively address the public policy issues that affect their day-to-day operations."

Ken Salomon will serve as chair of the Thompson Coburn Lobbying & Policy group.

"We are delighted to join a nationwide firm like Thompson Coburn, whose talent, technology, and transparency allow it to offer highly effective legal services to its distinguished roster of clients," Salomon said. "We look forward to exploring the ways we can help those clients achieve their objectives across a range of critical government issues."

The new members of the Thompson Coburn Lobbying & Policy group include:

Kenneth D. Salomon
Over the course of his 40-year career, Ken has advised clients in the areas of government relations and public policy across a broad range of issues. He is a former Deputy Chief Counsel to the presidential advisor on communications and information policy and a former senior legal counsel at the Federal Communications Commission. As a lobbyist, Ken has led multiple Congressional and Administration lobbying campaigns, including a recent successful effort to stem "naked" short selling of publicly traded securities. Ken is an honors graduate of both The George Washington University School of Law, where he earned his J.D., and Tufts University, where he earned his B.A.

James M. Burger
Jim has worked extensively on legal and policy issues arising from the intersection of digital technology, intellectual property protection, and government regulation. A senior in-house attorney at Apple Computer for nearly a decade and the former head of Apple's Washington, D.C., office, Jim has represented the Computer Industry Group and other information technology entities in efforts to secure copy protection rules for DVDs, Blu-Ray discs and digital music downloads. Jim also has represented clients before the Administration, Congress, and the FCC related to federal legislation and international agreements affecting U.S. intellectual property law. Jim received his bachelors, masters, and law degrees from New York University.

Christopher T. Murray
Chris's practice focuses on the political and regulatory issues affecting the education sector. He has extensive experience representing institutions, associations, and companies related to eLearning, Title IV program compliance, medical education, federal workforce and military education programs, education technology, foreign sanctions, and accreditation. Chris is a frequent speaker and author on various education policy topics, most often on the intersection of technology and education. He received his J.D. from Vanderbilt University Law School and his B.A. in Government and Theology from Georgetown University.

Haley E. Davis
Haley has extensive experience representing clients before Congress and the Administration in the areas of education, energy, tax, and transportation. She is skilled in leading legislative fly-ins, monitoring and analyzing Congressional and regulatory developments, designing comprehensive advocacy plans, and building coalitions that leverage an industry's strengths and sphere of influence. A former assistant to Congressman Bill Shuster (R-PA), Chairman of the 113th House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Haley has also worked on fundraising projects for the National Republican Congressional Committee. As a Blount Scholar, she earned her B.A. in Political Science from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. Haley is currently working toward her M.A. in Political Communication at the American University in Washington, D.C.

About Thompson Coburn
Thompson Coburn is a full service law firm with 340 attorneys nationwide, practicing in more than 40 areas of law. In 2012, the firm was selected as one of the top 13 firms in the nation at "providing value for the dollar," as ranked by BTI Consulting, the country's leading provider of strategic research to law firms and general counsel. Thompson Coburn is now celebrating the 30th anniversary of its Washington, D.C. office.

For more information, visit www.tclobbying.com.

SOURCE Thompson Coburn