D.C. law practice has experienced seismic change during the first year of the current Administration, according to panelists speaking at the D.C. Legal Market Conference 2025 organized by Sandpiper Partners.
In particular, mastering government relations is a key component in solving client-focused legal issues. One panelist noted that clients are often demanding meetings of multidisciplinary teams which include government relations firms and other policy-focused entities to work alongside their key law firms. Another panelist pointed out that the government’s dismantling of various regulations has forced companies to focus on persuading key government policymakers rather than on arguing legal merits.
As a result, government relations is now a mandatory element of solving client legal problems. While firms will continue to build their public policy focused practices, that’s not enough. Clients will continue to utilize Republican-dominated public affairs firms that have immediate access to the top decisionmakers in the current Administration.
This is confirmed by the Lobbying Disclosure Act revenues for the third quarter of 2025. For the first time in recent memory, the top places are now longer dominated by law firms with strong policy practices, but by two independent lobbying firms, Ballard Partners and BGR Group.
The only conclusion one can reach is that the withering of the Rule of Law is no longer limited to political prosecutions and immigration enforcement, but extends to much of the overall D.C. legal practice.
