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Crowell & Moring Gains Six Seasoned Public Policy Lawyers; Democrats Strengthen Bipartisan Team

Firm News | 5 min read | 09.16.08

Washington, D.C. - September 16, 2008: In a move to boost its bipartisan government relations capabilities, Crowell & Moring LLP today added six lawyers from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP to its Public Policy Group. The team includes former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Assistant Administrator Elliott P. Laws, former White House National Economic Council Chief of Staff Thomas P. O'Donnell, veteran White House domestic policy advisor and Ways and Means staffer Florence Prioleau, former Deputy EPA Administrator (Acting) Peter D. Robertson, former White House and State Department official Joseph "Jody" Trapasso, and Kristina M. Pisanelli, a former Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy.

The move comes as Crowell & Moring brings its highly respected government relations subsidiary, C&M Capitolink, in-house to strengthen its multidisciplinary approach to client service. The seven senior public policy professionals from C&M Capitolink will join the Pillsbury hires and other firm attorneys in Crowell & Moring's newly formed Public Policy Group, combining former senior White House, Congressional, and Executive Branch officials from both political parties with scientists and industry consultants who provide specialized expertise to firm clients. Dr. Patrick Donnelly, who has served as head of C&M Capitolink, will serve as the group's co-chair with Robertson.

"We've assembled an impressive, multi-disciplinary team capable of advising on the full range of policy challenges our clients face on both sides of the aisle. And we've created it by attracting top practitioners and uniting them with our consulting practice so that the team can better operate in the Crowell & Moring way, which is truly collaborative," said Kent A. Gardiner, firm chairman.

"Crowell & Moring is a highly respected Washington firm with longstanding experience in helping clients navigate complex public policy processes. We are thrilled to be joining a firm with an impressive mix of substantive technical experts, highly regarded government relations counselors, and outstanding regulatory lawyers," said Robertson.

Elliott P. Laws advises clients on energy and environmental issues. He is a former President of Safety, Health, and Environment for Texaco Inc. and a former EPA Assistant Administrator for the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response, a Senate-confirmed position. Laws was also a Trial Attorney with the Department of Justice's Environmental Defense Section and an Assistant District Attorney with the New York County District Attorney's Office. He earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and his undergraduate degree from St. John's University. He joins the firm as a senior counsel.

Thomas P. O'Donnell counsels clients on public policy matters with a particular focus on financial services, trade, tax, CFIUS and OFAC compliance, international relations, higher education, health care, technology, and general business issues. He previously served as Special Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff of the White House National Economic Council (NEC) and as Chief of Staff and General Counsel of the President's Council of Economic Advisers (CEA). In 2000, O'Donnell served as Managing Director of the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles and reprised that role in 2004 as a Senior Consultant to the Democratic National Convention in Boston. This year in Denver he served as Senior Adviser for Podium Operations. O'Donnell is a 2008 recipient of the Burton Award for Legal Achievement. He earned a J.D. from the University of Texas at Austin and a B.A. from Yale University. O'Donnell joins the firm as a partner.

Florence Prioleau represents corporations, trade associations, and municipal governments on a full range of public policy concerns. She has counseled clients on matters including tax, transportation and public works, housing, and agricultural commodities. Prioleau is a veteran of the Carter White House, where she served as the Assistant Director for the Domestic Policy staff. She was also a professional staff member of the U.S. House Committee on Ways and Means. She earned a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A. from Goucher College. Prioleau joins the firm as a partner.

Peter D. Robertson, the former chair of Pillsbury's public policy and political law practice, served as Chief of Staff and acting Deputy Administrator of the EPA during the Clinton Administration. He represents corporations, governmental entities, and non-profit organizations before Congress and the Executive Branch on a wide range of issues, including climate change. Robertson's environmental practice includes counseling on the full range of regulatory, litigation, and enforcement issues with the EPA and the U.S. Department of Justice. He earned a J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A. with distinction from the University of Oklahoma. Robertson joins the firm as a partner.

Joseph "Jody" Trapasso represents clients before the U.S. Congress and federal agencies. His practice includes strategic counseling and advocacy on matters related to homeland security, international relations, the environment, education policy, political law, competition, and consumer protection. A veteran of five U.S. presidential campaigns, Trapasso served as Assistant Counsel to the President at the White House Office of Presidential Personnel. He also coordinated Congressional strategies on Latin American and Caribbean issues at the State Department during the Clinton Administration, and was later appointed by the President to serve on a NAFTA-related advisory board. He earned a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania Law School and a B.A., summa cum laude, from Connecticut College. Trapasso joins the firm as a senior counsel.

Kristina M. Pisanelli represents corporations, education institutions, and non-profit organizations on a broad range of public policy issues, including in the areas of health care, education, the environment, and appropriations. Previously, Pisanelli served as a Legislative Assistant to U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT). Her specific assignments in that office included Medicare, Medicaid and general health care policy; elementary, secondary and higher education issues; and other matters under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education. Prior to joining Senator Leahy's office, Pisanelli served as a policy analyst in the Office of the Governor of Vermont for the current Democratic National Committee Chairman, Howard Dean. She earned her J.D., cum laude, from Georgetown University Law Center and a B.A., magna cum laude, from University of Vermont. Pisanelli joins the firm as an associate.

Crowell & Moring's Public Policy Group provides advocacy and policy development services to clients seeking government relations and consulting assistance before the U.S. Congress, the White House, and other federal agencies, as well as state and local governments. The team's multi-disciplinary approach provides a distinctive combination of policy, legal, political and public affairs expertise with broad experience in the substance and procedure of executive and legislative branch lawmaking.

Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with more than 400 lawyers practicing in litigation, antitrust, government contracts, health care, corporate, intellectual property and a variety of other practice areas. More than two-thirds of the firm's attorneys regularly litigate disputes on behalf of domestic and international corporations, start-up businesses, and individuals. Crowell & Moring's extensive client work ranges from advising on one of the world's largest telecommunications mergers to representing governments and corporations on international arbitration matters. Based in Washington, D.C., the firm also has offices in California, New York, London, and Brussels.

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