While plenty of industries are reeling due to COVID-19, federal disclosures for the first quarter of 2020 confirm that Capitol Hill lobbying isn't one of them.

With the exception of Squire Patton Boggs, Big Law lobbying practices that cracked the top 10 by revenue last quarter each saw an uptick from the same period last year. For the two revenue leaders, the year-over-year gains were substantial: 31% for Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, which pulled in $12.6 million, and 25% for Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber & Schreck, with $11.5 million.

"There was some conventional wisdom coming out from last fall that suggested during a presidential election year, everything would seize up," said Brownstein partner Marc Lampkin, who leads the firm's Washington, D.C., office. "Then COVID-19 comes along and deepens the attention and focus on policy makers. It certainly created an opportunity for lobbying firms and practitioners."