JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – In a significant move, the law firm Lathrop Gage has announced the creation of a new government relations subsidiary through a merger.
The new lobbying subsidiary, which will be named Lathrop Gage Consulting LLC, will be based in Jefferson City. The new consulting firm will offer a range of services including government affairs, lobbying and consulting from Lathrop Gage attorneys with significant experience working in state and federal government and members of Gallagher Consultants, which is combining with Lathrop Gage Consulting.
Gallagher Consultants, which was founded in 1975, is one of the oldest and most respected lobbying firms in the Capital City.
The new consulting firm will focus on helping clients with government and business interaction, rather than providing legal services, but clients will still get access to the resources of Lathrop Gage attorneys in offices throughout the state.
“Clients come to us seeking effective solutions to their challenges, and often those solutions go beyond traditional legal strategies,” Mark Bluhm, Lathrop Gage CEO, said. “Lathrop Gage Consulting gives us the resources to help clients address legislative and regulatory challenges as well. The significant government experience we have in-house combined with Gallagher Consultants’ lobbying experience makes us one of the few law firms that can offer this array of options to our clients.”
The new firm will consist of a number of widely-recognized names in Missouri’s political realm.
Kansas City partner Jean Paul Bradshaw, a former United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, will lead the new subsidiary.
Jefferson City partner Kurt Schaefer, a two-term Missouri State Senator with an unprecedented six years as the Appropriations Chair, will also be on board alongside former Missouri Office of Administration Commissioner and counsel attorney Doug Nelson.
The Lathrop Gage attorneys will be joined by Harry Gallagher and Heath Clarkston from Gallagher Consultants, who have more than 55 years of experience in government affairs and lobbying.
Lathrop Gage Consulting will also benefit from the experience of Lathrop Gage’s David Shorr Shorr, who served as director of the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, as well as Mary Birch, who spent 18 years as president of the Overland Park, Kansas, Chamber of Commerce and facilitated the government relations efforts of the organization and its members at the local, regional, state and federal level.
More information about Lathrop Gage Consulting is available at www.lathropgageconsult.com.
Benjamin Peters was a reporter for The Missouri Times and Missouri Times Magazine and also produced the #MoLeg Podcast. He joined The Missouri Times in 2016 after working as a sports editor and TV news producer in mid-Missouri. Benjamin is a graduate of Missouri State University in Springfield.
