State and local government relations

Overview

McDonald Hopkins has a bi-partisan government relations group headed by two former legislators. Michael Wise served as a Republican legislator and is the former Chairman of the Cuyahoga County Republican Party. Dean DePiero served as a Democratic legislator and is the former Mayor of Parma, Ohio.  Our government relations team equips companies and associations with the information and relationships they need to achieve their state and local government relations objectives – a necessity in this COVID-19 era.  

State and local government relations requires an understanding of the intricacies of government and must be part of a broad advocacy strategy – which is precisely what we develop when working on behalf of our clients. We interact with legislators, staff and the executive branch, to maximize government resources that may advance our client’s interests. That same activity often takes place to protect clients from overreaching government activity. 

For our clients, McDonald Hopkins develops a comprehensive legislative action plan that serves as the blueprint for our government relations strategy. We work with clients to fine-tune their strategy, assessing opportunities and recommending how the government might contribute to achieving a solution to a business challenge. 

In addition to Mike and Dean, our team consists of Teresa Metcalf Beasley, Chair of the firm’s Public Law Group,  four current/former law directors, and several current/former mayors. Our experience with government relations combined with our legal expertise and deep bench strength across multiple practice areas and markets allows us to provide insightful legal solutions and guidance to our clients.   

Services provided include:

• State budget guidance and lobbying
• Economic incentives
• State and local advocacy
• Campaign finance
• Election law
• Government contracting
• Legislative drafting and lobbying
• Coalition building
• Trade group formation and representation