Government Affairs & Advocacy

Details

The practice is bolstered by attorneys with decades of experience in government-facing matters across key sectors. Our team advises on complex real estate, zoning, and land use issues; supports economic development as well as education and workforce development initiatives; advises health care providers on public policy; and works with federal and state legislators and regulators on insurance and employment matters. This breadth of experience enables us to offer strategic, practical guidance across a wide range of industries.

Our attorneys regularly appear before city councils, county commissions, and state agencies, offering guidance on zoning, licensing, environmental approvals, and regulatory compliance. With deep experience across real estate, employment, economic development, environmental law, insurance, and litigation, we provide practical solutions to clients in health care, education, energy, manufacturing, finance, and the public and nonprofit sectors. Whether advancing a statewide initiative or overcoming a local obstacle, we tailor our strategy to support each client’s goals—every step of the way.

Our services include:

• Legislative Strategy: Designing and advancing policy initiatives to further client priorities at every level of government.
• Policy & Budget Advocacy: Engaging strategically with legislators and agencies to shape public policy and influence appropriations.
• Regulatory Navigation: Advising clients through complex compliance landscapes and facilitating effective agency interaction.
• Coalition Building: Coordinating stakeholder alliances to support initiatives and amplify influence.
• Legislation Drafting & Monitoring: Preparing bill language and providing real-time analysis of evolving legislative and regulatory developments.
• Government Representation: Representing clients before legislative bodies, administrative agencies, and key public officials with clarity and purpose.

NOTE: Our Government Affairs & Advocacy practice is fully integrated within HunterMaclean and complements, rather than replaces, the work of existing lobbying or consulting partners

Experience

• Leading Georgia’s landmark, multi-year criminal justice reform efforts, with former Chief Justice Mike Boggs serving as co-chair of the Governor’s Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform to help design and implement bipartisan legislation focused on sentencing modernization, reentry support, juvenile justice, and public safety improvements.

• Chairing a statewide behavioral health and justice initiative through the Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission, working closely with executive leadership, court systems, and mental health experts to expand accountability courts and recommend legislative improvements in mental health diversion and corrections policy.

• Guiding national legislative reform strategy as Chair of the Council of State Governments Justice Center Board, collaborating with state policymakers and federal stakeholders to advance data-driven initiatives addressing incarceration, reentry, and systemic justice challenges.

• Directing efforts to modernize Georgia’s justice system, advancing legislative and regulatory reforms aimed at improving access to justice, enhancing transparency, and strengthening judicial operations at both the state and federal levels.

• Partnering with clients and stakeholders statewide to shape and pass the Georgia Restrictive Covenant Act (O.C.G.A. § 13-8-50 et seq.), establishing a more permissive, flexible, and predictable framework for employment-related restrictive covenants in Georgia.

• Collaborating with clients, stakeholders, and the Georgia Department of Labor to influence federal and state employment laws, driving clarity on arbitration, unemployment benefits, independent contractor status, joint employment, and wage and hour issues.
• Negotiating and structuring complex development agreements on behalf of private developers and local governments, aligning infrastructure commitments, zoning entitlements, and phased development strategies to support major commercial and mixed-use projects.
• Advising clients on local liquor licensing strategy and compliance, navigating municipal regulations, public hearings, and political considerations to secure on-premises and retail alcohol licenses across jurisdictions.
• Counseling clients on annexation strategy and execution, guiding property owners and developers through the legal and procedural steps to incorporate land into municipal boundaries to access infrastructure, tax incentives, and municipal services.
• Representing the prevailing candidate in an election contest in Chatham County Superior Court, defending the integrity of certified results in a contested county commission race.
• Providing expert testimony in multiple high-profile election contests, including two presidential elections and a U.S. Senate race, offering legal analysis and procedural insight in disputes involving ballot integrity and election law compliance.
• Developing election policy and adjudicating voter challenges for the Chatham County Board of Registrars, drafting operational procedures, resolving thousands of voter registration challenges, and guiding responses to State Election Board investigations.
• Offering legal analysis and procedural insight on revising short term rental ordinances for Glynn County as part of a working group of stakeholders and county officials examining vacation rental practices.
• Advising and collaborating with clients and governmental agencies, including the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, on coastal environmental and regulatory matters.

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