Providing the knowledge and experience to help you succeed.

When you deal with governmental matters, adopting the right strategy from the start can often mean the difference between success and failure. Our lawyers understand that various bureaucracies, the legislative branch, general politics and the media can—separately or in combination—doom your best-laid plans. That’s why getting it right from the start is so critical to your success. When you’re facing a governmental matter, you need the right team to first plan properly and then navigate the system appropriately, providing just the right balance of intensity as needed for your issue.

With offices in Boston and Washington, D.C., as well as a network of contacts around the world, Foley Hoag has the talent and connections necessary to accomplish your government-related undertakings. Led by Nick Littlefield, formerly the top aide to U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy, our Government Strategies Group has a sophisticated understanding of the regulatory process. We know the decision makers at the highest levels of government, and we deliver results for our clients.

Many members of our group have held senior-level positions at the federal, state and local government levels, including both Republican and Democratic Party affiliations. One member, Dennis Kanin, who serves our clients at the federal legislative level, managed Senator Paul Tsongas' campaign for president and worked with the senator as his top aide in both the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives.

Our government strategies lawyers can assess your issues, develop the necessary successful strategies, assemble the right multidisciplinary team of professionals and work with you to accomplish your goals.

Representative Experience 

  • Assembled and directed a team of professionals to respond to a legislative initiative in Massachusetts that would have imposed tighter controls on an internationally marketed prescription drug. On behalf of our client, a leading international pharmaceutical company, we brought together a public relations team, with statehouse lobbying support, to combat the action. By preparing the regulatory filings and developing the overall case strategy, our team was able to implement a plan that resulted in no change to the drug's classification. 
  • Successfully advocated an amendment to federal law that was adopted by the U.S. Congress to protect a satellite-based communications company’s broadcast interests. 
  • Developed, on behalf of a national insurance carrier, a regulatory strategy to respond to a state investigation of an offshore insurance carrier. With careful preparation and an understanding of the proper direction, the client completed the matter with minimal negative impact. 
  • Provided high-level strategic advice to navigate the legal and political hurdles necessary to help gain financial stability for a major HMO that was facing bankruptcy. 
  • Successfully advocated for a $2 million federal appropriation for program support on behalf of an educational organization. 
  • Assisted a national specialty retailer in an enforcement action initiated by the Massachusetts Attorney General regarding the retailer's discounting claims and compliance with consumer protection laws.