Lobbyist
Graphic by Alondra Pulido
Lobbyists are paid by an organization to promote that organization’s goals before members of the government. Although a JD is not usually required to become a lobbyist, the communication and analytical skills one learns in law school overlap with lobbying skills, making lawyers a competitive candidate in the ruthless lobbying industry. Many lobbyists are lawyers who have served in the government (the “revolving door”), and most attain their positions through referrals and networking. Many lobbyists have previous experience on Capitol Hill, especially experience in the legislative process and writing contracts. This experience helps them in their role as individuals responsible for researching and analyzing legislation, persuading government officials of their goals, and changing public opinion through the media.
As a lobbyist, one can lobby for organizations like The Balloon Council. The Balloon Council’s goal, in their own words, is “to tell the story of the ordinary, extraordinary balloon.” In recent years, lobbyists for The Balloon Council have fought state legislation banning the release of balloons. Additionally, one major issue of The Balloon Council that lobbyists work on is the sensitivity of the helium market—for example, The Balloon Council supported President Obama’s Helium Stewardship Act of 2013 which helped protect the helium market, and hence the balloon industry. This goes to show that, because lobbying organizations are so varied in their goals and political ambitions, individuals seeking to become lobbyists have a wide range of interests they can explore and choose to advocate on behalf of within the industry (though lobbyists tend to work in areas that they have relevant experience in).
Photo by Cytonn Photography on Unsplash
Current undergraduate students who do not wish to complete their J.D., but who want to pursue a legal degree may choose to attain a Master of Jurisprudence (M.J.) from the University of Washington. Additionally, current lobbyists or those wishing to establish themselves in the field who are unsure of whether they want to commit to a 3-year J.D. program, but believe that legal knowledge would be beneficial to their profession may also choose to pursue the program. Because lobbyist positions do not require a J.D. but do benefit from the knowledge of the legal system, the M.J. is a good fit for those wishing to become a lobbyist without a J.D.
Video: Interest Groups and Lobbying
Books
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The Ethical Lobbyist: Reforming Washington's Influence Industry
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Lobbyists in Washington aren't a new phenomenon. Since the early days of the republic, citizens and groups alike have hired professionals to press their interests with lawmakers. However, recent examples of misconduct--like that seen in the Abramoff scandal--highlight the unique ethical challenges this industry faces in the twenty-first century. Though major scandals happen less frequently than popularly believed, the more pervasive ethics problem is that members of the profession often cut deals that go against their clients' interests. They sacrifice the interests of those they represent in order to curry favor with lawmakers. In The Ethical Lobbyist, Thomas T. Holyoke exposes how current industry regulations fall short of ensuring principled behaviors and may actually incentivize unethical behavior. Holyoke presents the provocative argument that, in addition to welcoming stronger regulations, lobbyists need to borrow a page from the legal profession and adopt ironclad guarantees of principled representation. The Ethical Lobbyist puts forth a set of principles and a workable program for implementing reform. The result is a road map to reform that will transform "ethical lobbyist" from an oxymoron to an expectation--and change the industry and our government for the better.
Publication Date: 2016 -
Lobbying: The Art of Political Persuasion
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Publication Date: 2014Available online from ProQuest Ebook Central -
The Lobbying Manual: A Complete Guide to Federal Lobbying Law and Practice
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This updated Fifth Edition of the ABA bestseller provides guidance for compliance with the federal lobbying laws. It provides practical examples of how to be compliant, and covers all of the major federal statutes and regulations that govern the practice of federal lobbying. The book offers descriptions of the legislative and executive branch decision-making processes that lobbyists seek to influence, the constraints that apply to lobbyist participation in political campaigns, the techniques of grassroots lobbying, the professional norms of appropriate behavior that apply to lobbyists, and much more.
Publication Date: 2016 -
Practical Techniques for Effective Lobbying
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Publication Date: 2005Available online from EBSCOhost -
Vital Statistics on Interest Groups and Lobbying
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Publication Date: 2014Available online from Gale Ebooks
