The POWER List: Lawyer-Lobbyists 2021

Staff Report//January 25, 2021//

Listen to this article

Lawyers and lobbyists aren’t so different. Both work for the best outcome for their clients. Both pore over the smallest details of statutes and alert themselves to changes in the law. Both are regulated by state authorities and appear at public hearings, yet their most important work often is done behind closed doors.

Yet the number of people in Missouri who serve in both capacities is small. Many prominent lobbyists have no background in the law, and many attorneys rarely if ever set foot in the state Capitol. Those who wear both hats bring a unique perspective to a tough profession.

In this latest edition of Missouri Lawyers Media’s POWER LIST, we examine the most powerful Missouri attorneys who also serve as registered lobbyists.

Our editorial team interviewed attorneys, reviewed Missouri Ethics Commission records and consulted Missouri Lawyers Weekly’s archives to arrive at a list of what we believe are the most powerful lawyer-lobbyists in Missouri.

While the status of our subjects’ lobbyist registrations and law licenses are objective matters, their power is, of course, in the eye of the beholder. Some obtain it through long years and long hours at the Capitol; some have clients who cannot be ignored. Some win by getting new laws passed; others score victories by killing new laws — or at least making them better then they might otherwise have been.

We welcome feedback from our readers regarding lawyers who should have been included or perhaps we might have missed.

Let us know what you think, and stay tuned for new versions of THE POWER LIST this year.

The POWER LIST was written by Senior Reporter Scott Lauck and Staff Reporter Jessica Shumaker. Reach them at [email protected] and [email protected], or Editor Cindi Lash at [email protected]