Greenberg Traurig was the highest paid litigation law firm to lobby state and local governments during the first half of 2018, the state's government ethics and lobbying watchdog said in a new report.

The Joint Commission on Public Ethics reported that lobbying groups spent a total of $129.9 million to influence state and local government decision-making between January and June—an $8 million increase over the same time last year.

Greenberg Traurig, an international law firm with offices in Albany and New York City, ranked as the fourth-highest paid lobbying firm in the state but was one of only two litigation law firms to rank in the top 10. It was paid more than $4.7 million by its clients to lobby state and local governments, according to the report.

Hinman Straub, an Albany-based law firm, was the only other law firm in the top 10. It was paid more than $3.3 million by its clients between January and June, according to the report.

The highest paid lobbying firm was Kasirer LLC, which received more than $6.2 million between January and June. Brown & Weinraub PLLC was second with more than $6 million in compensation and expenses. The latter firm was first in another area—it had 180 clients between January and June, more than any other firm in the state.

Brown & Weinraub, which also identifies itself as a law firm, is focused on government relations and strategic consulting but has also served as counsel to several figures in state government over the years, including former Gov. Mario Cuomo and several former judges of the Court of Appeals, according to founder Patrick Brown. About half of its lobbyists are attorneys. The firm represented several big clients this year, including Tesla and United Healthcare.

Greenberg Traurig represented several high-profile organizations, including the Real Estate Board of New York, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Wells Fargo Bank.

Filings show that REBNY paid the firm $126,000 from January through June. The firm lobbied on a few bills for REBNY, including one that would have effectively codified in statute the business model of Airbnb, which allows people to rent out space in their homes to others, much like a hotel. REBNY has sided with hotel groups against the legislation.

The MTA—a government body—paid Greenberg Traurig $84,000 during the same time to lobby on a handful of bills, including one from Assemblyman Joseph Lentol, D-Brooklyn, and Sen. Brian Kavanagh, D-Manhattan, that would mandate the MTA to develop a mitigation plan while the L train is shut down for repairs, starting in 2019. The bill was not passed.

Wells Fargo did not identify any specific legislation or regulations that it paid the firm to lobby on during the first half of the year, according to filings.

None of the three were among the top-spending clients in the state, which JCOPE also included in its report. The highest spender was health care union 1199SEIU, which was represented by Cordo & Co. and SKDKnickerbocker. SKDKnickerbocker was the fifth-highest paid firm in the state, earning $4.1 million during the first half of the year.

Greenberg Traurig did lobby, however, for the seventh-highest spending group in the state: FWD.US, an immigration and criminal justice reform group founded by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The group only paid Greenberg Traurig $37,500 between January and June, according to filings, but spent a total of $782,907 during the same time. Much of that money was spent on paid media and video production, but the group did lobby on a few bills.

One bill FWD.US paid Greenberg Traurig to lobby on, which lawmakers approved in June, is expected to create a new commission to investigate complaints of misconduct by the state's district attorneys. That bill, sponsored by Sen. John DeFrancisco, R-Syracuse, and Assemblyman Nick Perry, D-Brooklyn, was considered a long shot until the last week of session when it passed both chambers.

The legislation is now facing a legal challenge from the District Attorneys Association of New York State, which claimed in a lawsuit this month that the law is unconstitutional.

FWD.US is new, this year, to JCOPE's list of the top 10 spending groups in the state. Others are not. Uber Technologies, the Greater New York Hospital Association, AARP, New York State United States, the Healthcare Association of New York State and the Trial Lawyers Association are all repeats from last year's top 10 list.

Hinman Straub did not have any clients make the top 10 list this year, according to filings, but the firm did have a few important clients with issues before the state.

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York, for example, paid Hinman Straub $120,000 between January and June to lobby on diocese programs and at least two bills. One of those bills changed the funding structure for nonpublic schools so they could receive more money than in recent years. That bill passed.

The other bill, sponsored by Sen. Catharine Young, R-Olean, would have created a special public fund to pay for claims of child sex abuse statewide. The bill was introduced as an alternative to the Child Victims Act, which would extend both the criminal and civil statutes of limitations for cases of child sex abuse. Catholic leaders in New York are against the latter legislation. Neither have passed.

Lobbyists and their clients report both compensation paid for lobbying and lobbying-related expenses on their filings with JCOPE. This week's report showed that $113 million of the total amount spent lobbying, or more than 86 percent, was spent on compensation. The remainder was spent on advertising, events and other expenses.

Pitta Bishop & Del Giorno LLC ranked at the bottom of the top 10 highest paid lobbyists in the state, earning more than $2.5 million during the first half of the year. The firm, while not a law firm, is closely affiliated with Pitta LLP, a labor and employment law firm in Manhattan.

A spokeswoman for Greenberg Traurig credited the firm's success to its track record lobbying government officials.

“Clients choose lawyers to lobby because we are trained in the law and advocacy and matters are confidential,” the spokeswoman said. “Our team's first-hand government experience gives Greenberg Traurig credibility with government decision makers.”

Hinman Straub was not immediately available for comment on Thursday.

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