Terral Smith has no illusions about his place among Washington, D.C., lobbyists. The one-time legislative director to then-Texas Gov. George W. Bush candidly describes his relationship with clients as an “access deal” – he gives them access to the president’s closest advisers. “This role is a very niche thing, and it’s temporary. It’s here only as long as Bush and his people are here,” says Smith, who last year opened a D.C. lobby shop for Texas-based Locke Liddell & Sapp. “No one is going to hire me when President Bush isn’t president anymore.”
Until that time comes, though, Smith and other Austin transplants are making the most of their connections to the White House.
