Sen. Christopher Dodd. Photo: Diego M. Radzinschi/ALM

It was a busy day on the hiring front for Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer, which said Tuesday that it had added Christopher Dodd, the former U.S. senator from Connecticut, and Steve Benz, who was head of litigation for pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly.

Both will practice out of the firm's Washington, D.C., office.

Dodd, whose tenure on Capitol Hill lives on in the shorthand for the post-financial crisis reforms known as Dodd-Frank, served five consecutive terms in the U.S. Senate before deciding not to run for re-election in 2010. His title at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer will be senior counsel.

“I am delighted to become part of the exceptional team at Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer,” Dodd said in a statement. “I believe that my experience navigating complex governmental, political, and business issues will be of benefit to clients facing challenges in an ever-evolving global economy.”

Dodd most recently worked as the Motion Picture Association of America's chairman and CEO before exiting in September 2017.

“Senator Dodd is widely respected in the business community and on Capitol Hill for his expertise and ability to work with colleagues from both parties,” said Richard M. Alexander, Arnold & Porter chair, in a statement. “He will be an effective strategic adviser and valued counselor to clients on a wide range of important legislative and policy issues. They include those affecting financial services, media and entertainment, intellectual property and data privacy, telecommunications, health care, national security, trade, sovereigns, and more.”

As for Eli Lilly's Benz, he is leaving the Indianapolis-based pharma giant to work as a partner in Arnold & Porter's life sciences and health care regulatory practice. Benz earned his law degree at the University of Virginia and is a former Air Force captain.

“Steve offers a critical in-house perspective to the firm and our many clients in the life sciences industry,” said Dan Kracov, who co-chairs Benz's new practice group. “He is a thought leader who is highly regarded in the field, and he has deep experience on anti-kickback and government pricing issues, areas of significant importance to our clients.”

Arnold & Porter is representing the pharmaceutical industry's top lobbying group in its prominent fight with the state of California about the list price of various drugs.

The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America sued California last month in an effort to block enforcement of new regulations requiring drug manufacturers to provide public disclosures about looming hikes in drug prices. More than a dozen pharmaceutical companies and associations spent hundreds of thousands of dollars lobbying against the California legislation implementing the regulations, according to public records reviewed by The Recorder. Eli Lilly spent tens of thousands of dollars lobbying over the legislation, according to state records.

Benz handled domestic and international governmental investigations, provided counsel on litigation risk, worked on Securities and Exchange Commission disclosures and company accruals for litigation, and gave advice on governmental affairs issues during his 15-plus years at Eli Lilly.