Carnahan joins Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner

Former U.S. Rep. Russ Carnahan has joined Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner in St. Louis as a senior policy advisor in the firm’s public policy & government affairs group.

He was drawn to BCLP by the chance to combine his work in government and the law and “to work with such a great firm with deep roots in St. Louis that’s grown into a firm with a global footprint and a great reputation for results for their clients,” he said.

Carnahan will assist clients with issues before Congress and federal agencies. He described the work as covering a wide range of issues and industries. 

“Many of the processes and relationships that are involved in government relations are similar, regardless of your industry,” he said. 

Carnahan, a Democrat, served in Congress from 2005 to 2013, representing Missouri’s 3rd Congressional District. As a representative, he served as senior whip from 2009 to 2013, as chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on International Organizations and as co-chair of several bipartisan caucuses. 

He went on to serve as a partner with Carnahan Global Consulting in Washington, D.C. and St. Louis, where he specialized in international business, legal and government consulting. His work focused on issues of renewable energy, sustainable building technology, historic preservation, transportation infrastructure and transition to commercial electric vehicles. 

Most recently, he worked to help elect President Joe Biden. Given Carnahan’s own background in renewable energy and sustainability — both priorities of the new administration — he is particularly eager to help his clients navigate new federal policies, he said. 

“While there’s a lot of advances in the market and in technology, oftentimes the public policy lags behind in those areas,” he said. “With the new administration, there are going to be new priorities and changes, and those kind of changes create opportunities.” 

Carnahan is the son of former U.S. Sen. Jean Carnahan and the late former Gov. Mel Carnahan. His wife, Debra, is principal with Carnahan Global Consulting and a former assistant U.S. attorney and St. Louis municipal judge. 

He said he’ll be based in the law firm’s St. Louis office but will work closely with its Washington office and others in the firm’s global footprint as needed. BCLP’s international scope also was an attractive factor in his decision, he said.  

“It’s just another area where my background with international organizations fits with what the firm is doing, and I’m excited about that work as well,” he said.