Summary: Wiley Rein is working to purchase McBee Strategic in a deal that should close before the end of 2014.
It appears as though the future of lobbying law firm McBee Strategic is much clearer now that Wiley Rein is working on a deal to purchase the firm, according to Politico.
The deal should be finalized before 2014 comes to an end. McBee is going to operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of Wiley Rein, according to the deal. There have no talks of merging the operations of the two firms.
News of this potential deal comes just weeks after founder Steve McBee left the firm to join NRG Energy as a senior executive. He gave little notice about his decision. McBee is the lone owner of the firm. He began his position with NRG Energy on December 1.
When news first broke of the potential deal, McBee told The Washington Post the following:
“We think it’ll be the most diversified and integrated service provider in Washington,” McBee said. “I thought it’d be excellent for our clients and a way to leave the firm in a much stronger place as I transition out of it. It sets the firm up going forward to meet its high potential.”
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Wiley Rein’s main specialties are telecom law and communications. If this deal is completed, it would be the first attempt by Wiley Rein to own a separate entity that focuses on public relations and lobbying. Wiley Rein does have lobbying clients that include BBC Worldwide America, AT&T, Motorola Mobility, CBS and the National Association of Broadcasters.
Eric Bovim is the head of the McBee Gibraltar, is confident about the future of the firm. He said, “We have a robust pipeline and a lot of new client opportunities and expect to grow rapidly in 2015.”
Bovim would not comment about the leadership team at McBee or what the structure of it would be following the purchase by Wiley Rein. It is also not known if McBee will change its name or if it will even continue operations as McBee Strategic. There are research, public relations and lobbying operations at the firm.
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Wiley Rein has offered all of the 60 employees from McBee employment contracts. Executive vice president Matt Johnson has left the firm to join Podesta Group despite the offer of employment from Wiley Rein.
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