A Law Unto Themselves?

Craig Hoy and Sally Dawson, writing in the February edition of 
PublicAffairs News
, address whether lobbyists should be concerned at the progress being made by lawyers into the public affairs domain, as the legal experts develop their PA skills.

According to Hoy and Dawson “in the US the connection between the industries is long established and in Brussels the model has taken hold”.

But Elizabeth Crossick, a lawyer and now public affairs practitioner, believes that the two industries requires similar skills sets and does not countenance a legal ‘upper hand’: “It’s not about being a lawyer. I think that the gift of a lawyer who is in public affairs is to be able to leave the law behind…what law does is give you a methodology and an approach and a rigour.”

And she adds: “Public affairs consultancies are perfectly capable of taking complicated cases. It depends in the end on relationships.”

However, the authors argue, shifts in the process of lobbying, the increase in post-legislative challenges to legislation and the general trends towards US-style litigation are opening up the market to a new dynamic. 

“Ally that to the move towards global public affairs – which fits well with large global law firms – and the mix takes on more potency,” say the writers.

To read the full article, please click here.