Washington Business Journal Quotes Brian Pomper on ‘K Street’ as Lobbying Nexus

For its article “K Street and D.C. lobbyists, the myth and the reality,” Washington Business Journal quoted Akin lobbying & public policy practice co-head Brian Pomper. The article looks at how K Street, a prominent commercial street in Washington, D.C., once home to, and a metonym for, the lobbying industry, has seen most lobbying shops move elsewhere in town. Akin is noted as one of the only two lobbying firms in D.C.’s top 20 that still maintain an office on K Street.

Brian noted that clients appreciate the office’s convenient downtown location, adding, however, “Many small boutique firms now operate successfully without permanent office space. I think it largely depends on client needs, particularly those clients who may not have a Washington office and may look to their lobbying firms for on-the-ground support.”

He also said that, while the firm focuses primarily on federal lobbying, it is also active in California because “California is by itself one of the largest economies in the world, and one with a very active legislature and aggressive regulatory climate that impacts our clients in any number of ways.”