K&L Gates Enhances Public Policy and Law Practice With Addition of Government Affairs Advisor in Washington, DC

Washington, DC – Global Law firm K&L Gates LLP welcomes Emily Lavery as a government affairs advisor in the firm’s Washington, DC office. Lavery joins the firm from Fulcrum Public Affairs, where she most recently served as senior vice president and lead for tax policy.

Lavery is a skilled strategic policy counselor and lobbyist with a focus on Senate Republican and Republican Administration engagement. She has cultivated a successful practice with clients including Fortune 500 companies, leading trade associations, major financial services companies, and large-scale real estate funds.

Lavery previously served as a senior policy advisor to US Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and as staff director for the Senate Finance Subcommittee on Energy, Natural Resources, and Infrastructure. During her time on Capitol Hill, she advised on tax, trade, judiciary, and economic policy, including on the drafting and passage of legislation related to the Opportunity Zone tax incentive. She served in the Senate throughout several rounds of reconciliation, the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, multiple historic pandemic relief bills, and the passage of the FIRST STEP Act, among other landmark legislative events. Throughout her Senate career, Lavery secured the enactment of multiple bills spanning across the tax, trade, judiciary, energy, and natural resources policy spheres.

Lavery was also formerly a vice president and investment advisor at one of the largest global private wealth management firms. In that role, she directly managed client assets in excess of $100 million, designed custom investment portfolios, executed trades, and provided analysis on capital markets, federal tax policy, and macroeconomic and geopolitical developments.

Lavery’s arrival closely follows the announcement of Hayden Haynes, Chief of Staff for US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, joining the firm. Other recent hires in the firm’s Public Policy and Law practice include partner Kate Goodrich in Austin and partners Marne Marotta and David Skillman, government affairs advisor Dr. Alexis Gutierrez, and of counsel Varun Jain in Washington, DC.

“Emily brings together an incredibly strong combination of policy and political insight and advocacy talent that is highly relevant to our clients,” said Karishma Shah Page, a leader of K&L Gates’ Public Policy and Law practice. “She understands how policy developments intersect with business priorities and brings a thoughtful, solutions-oriented approach to addressing complex issues in Washington.”

David Wochner, managing partner of the firm’s Washington, DC office, commented: “Emily has built a reputation for developing effective strategies in a shifting policy environment. Her experience working across Congress, regulatory agencies, and the private sector adds to the depth of our team and enhances our ability to support clients on critical legislative and regulatory matters.”

With a significant team of bipartisan lawyers and policy professionals who have more than 500 years of combined government experience, members of K&L Gates’ Public Policy and Law practice work with clients through the entire policy life cycle—from legislation to regulation and Congressional investigations and agency enforcement actions. The group is one of the largest public policy practices of any global integrated law firm.