Brent Heberlee, Kate Belinski and Timothy Jenkins of Ballard Spahr. (Courtesy photo)

Adding federal lobbying to its government relations practice, Ballard Spahr has taken a quintet of professionals from Nossaman's Washington, D.C., office, including three lawyers.

Lawyers Timothy Jenkins and Kate Belinski are joining the Philadelphia-based firm as partners, along with Brent Heberlee as of counsel. Senior policy adviser Sherry Harper Widicus and compliance manager Emory Rogers are also making the move. Jenkins, Belinski, Heberlee and Widicus are all registered lobbyists.

The group has worked together for over 10 years, Jenkins said.

Kenneth Jarin, who co-leads Ballard Spahr's government relations, regulatory affairs and contracting group, said his group has been looking to expand into the federal level in its government relations work for several years, adding to its state and local capabilities.

“At least since I've been chair of the firm, since 2011, part of what our plan is for the Washington office is to grow it with more traditional Washington-type practices,” firm chairman Mark Stewart said. When Jenkins and Belinski's team came along, he said, “There was an immediate sense that this was the group that we have been looking for.”

Jarin said a number of lawyers already at Ballard were familiar with Jenkins and Belinski's group.

“They come to us as a successful group, and we think they'll be even more successful as they integrate into the Ballard practice, and all of our practice groups work with them to build their practice,” Jarin said. “Many of their clients also require representation at the state and local levels, and similarly many of our existing clients require support at the federal level.”

Jenkins represents companies in lobbying registration and election law, gift rules matters, pay-to-play provisions and in matters involving the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the Foreign Agents Registration Act.

Belinski handles compliance matters with regard to lobbying and public policy in terms of campaign finance, government ethics and administrative law. Before going into private practice, she was senior counsel to the chair of the Federal Election Commission.

Ballard Spahr's government relations group spans 15 offices across the country. Jenkins and Belinski said that was a major factor in their decision to join the firm.

“Nossaman was basically California and Washington, and there was nothing in between,” Jenkins said. California is a hard market to break into, he said, and it's difficult to make an impact politically there.

Belinski said they also sought to become part of a firm where the government relations function is integrated with the legal functions, rather than operating as a subsidiary.

There has already been some interest from the group's clients—which are mostly in the pharmaceutical and financial services industries—in expanding their work with the group under Ballard Spahr's footprint, Jenkins said.

Among their clients, which he said number about 50 or 60, are Eli Lilly and GlaxoSmithKline. The latter was an existing client of Ballard Spahr, Belinski said, and “they were pleased to see we had joined Ballard.”

Jenkins said the work between the professionals in his group, across the lawyers, lobbyists and advisers, is “seamless.”

“Even though Kate focuses on the compliance side, she's very sophisticated in the public policy arena,” he said. “She and the rest of us are very focused on how can we get them to yes.”

Jenkins said his group is more connected on the Democratic side, and, “Obviously the House flipping increases our attractiveness in the corporate community and association world in D.C.” Still, the group may look to add a professional with more of a Republican party focus, he said.

Belinski noted that the compliance practice is “completely bipartisan.”

In a statement Wednesday, a firm spokesman for Nossaman said the firm wishes the group well. “We have a strong public policy practice on both coasts, and are privileged to partner with market-leading clients to promote their interests and achieve successful results at the local, national and federal levels of government,” the statement said.

READ MORE:

One Year After Lindquist Merger, Ballard Spahr Still Focused on Midwest

Cozen O'Connor Hires Pros With Local Government Ties

McNees Acquires Pennsylvania Lobbying Subsidiary