Akin Gump Led the Way in Lobbying Revenue in ’09

Led by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, law firms filled eight of the top 10 spots in the National Law Journal’s “Influence 50” ranking of the top-grossing Washington D.C. lobbying practices.

The 50 highest-grossing lobbying practices took in more than $1.1 billion in fees in 2009, according to the study. Overall revenue for the firms on the list was up 5.5 percent, which followed an increase of just 2.3 percent in 2008. No fewer than 33 of the firms on the list posted an increase in gross revenue in 2009.

“Clearly, this was a great year to be a Democratic lobbying firm,” said David Brown, editor in chief of The National Law Journal. “In the decade that we’ve been producing this survey, I can’t recall a time when so many firms saw such significant increases in revenue over the prior year. There’s no recession on K Street.”

Law firms took in about 66 percent of all lobbying revenue, which is about the same percentage as 2008. A major catalyst for the increase in lobbying revenue was the overhaul of the nation’s health care system. Big winners included the Podesta Group, which publicly reported $8.2 million in fees from clients lobbying on health issues in 2009; Alston & Bird with $3.9 million; Holland & Knight with $4.2 million; and Capitol Tax Partners with $3.6 million.

The top ten firms on the “Influence 50” were: