As Holland & Knight Lays Off Legal Staffers, Its Lobbying Arm Grows

Last month Holland & Knight laid off about 70 lawyers and 173 staffers, but its public policy and regulation practice is adding people.

The lobbying team has added more than a dozen members, bringing the total for the unit to about 70, the Washington Post reports. Now every member of the team is “scrambling to stay on top of provisions and changes in the mammoth economic recovery package,” the story says.

Rich Gold, who leads H&K’s lobbying unit, noted the contrast. “On the legal side of things, we've done our share of downsizing because of the economy, because of reduced demand," he told the Post. "But on the policy side, … we're picking up a couple clients a week at this point."

The law firm isn’t the only lobbying shop that is profiting, the story says. Disclosure records show that more than 2,000 companies and other entities have hired lobbyists since the November election, outpacing the number of new hires after the last two elections.

“Put another way, Main Street's gloom has been K Street's boon,” the story says.