Governmental Relations

Experience

Government entities - including legislatures and various agencies - have an enormous impact on the way organizations do business. To help our clients not only comply with applicable laws and regulations, but also to shape the policies and decisions that affect them, we offer a comprehensive governmental relations, legislative, and regulatory practice in New Jersey.

Our strength as advisors and advocates comes from our extensive political experience, our intimate knowledge of government processes, and continuing interaction with public officials. We have a familiarity with the halls of government built on long-standing relationships with legislative leaders, executive departments, and administrative agencies.

The Governmental Relations Practice Group handles legislative and regulatory matters for major property, casualty, and life insurers; financial institutions; and real estate developers.

Areas of Focus

• Analyzing, monitoring, and reporting to clients on pending and final actions by New Jersey executive departments and the Legislature.
• Appearing on behalf of clients in hearings and proceedings before legislative committees and administrative agencies.
• When appropriate, arranging meetings between clients and key personnel in the legislative and executive branches.
• Advising clients on techniques and strategies for affecting legislative and regulatory actions.
• Drafting legislative amendments, proposed regulations, formal comments on regulations, and legal opinions interpreting proposed and newly enacted laws and regulations.

We regularly appear before the New Jersey Legislature and nearly every department and agency of the New Jersey state government, including the departments of Banking and Insurance, Environmental Protection, Community Affairs, and Transportation.

Representative Matters

• Represented various prominent property and casualty insurers before the New Jersey Legislature in connection with major reforms to the New Jersey automobile insurance marketplace.
• Represented the property and casualty and financial services industries in influencing significant legislative and regulatory proposals affecting them.
• Represented various property and casualty insurers, negotiating the terms of their market entry into New Jersey and obtaining necessary regulatory approvals from the Department of Banking and Insurance.
• Represented the New Jersey Urban Redevelopment Authority in budgetary negotiations with the New Jersey legislative and executive branches.
• Represented numerous large developers, appearing before the New Jersey Department of Transportation to obtain major access permits and highway improvements.
• Represented major developers in obtaining wetlands permits from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and appearing before that agency with regard to land use regulation and sewer connections, including assistance in connection with large-scale office and warehouse development in Central New Jersey.
• Represented an insurance client, handling all regulatory approvals before the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance for the acquisition of a major property and casualty insurer and its New Jersey business.
• Represented various insurance clients in the acquisition and sale of insurers or book transfers and numerous other holding company transactions.
• Represented a major trade association in hearings before the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities regarding changes to the New Jersey one-call system.
• Represented various clients before the New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance regarding market conduct exams, financial exams, consumer complaints, and other compliance issues.

Attorneys in the Governmental Relations Practice Group work closely with colleagues in the Firm's other Practice Groups, including Energy & Utilities, Environmental Law, Insurance, Real Estate, and Transportation, providing clients with comprehensive representation.