GrayRobinson
L-R: George Levesque, Jason Unger, Speaker Larry Cretul, Chris Dawson, Katie Flury, Todd Steibly, Kim McDougal, Dean Cannon, Rheb Harbison, Jessica Love.
What’s the distinction between legal-lobbying and traditional lobbying firms? The highlight reel. With a number of high-profile legal victories and a personal best $740 million-plus in client appropriations secured during the last year to boot, GrayRobinson is now Florida’s preeminent one-stop-shop for law and lobbying services. Dean Cannon, who was in 2019 named President and CEO of GrayRobinson, credited his firm’s prowess to the more than 270 lawyers and non-lawyer government relations professionals working across 14 Florida offices and the recently opened Washington shop. “We have a deep bench of both legal and lobbying talent,” Cannon said. He is one of two former Florida House Speakers at GrayRobinson, joined by Senior Government Affairs Consultant Larry Cretul. Other decorated public servants who are now with the legal-lobbying giant include Burt Saunders, a former Florida state Senator; Kim McDougal, former Chief of Staff for thenGov. Rick Scott; and Tim Cerio, former General Counsel for Scott and also an appointee to the 2017-18 Constitution Revision Commission. GrayRobinson’s extensive network and expertise have within the past 18 months netted them business for at least two marquee legal matchups. After the 2018 election, the National Republican Senatorial Committee retained GrayRobinson in the litigious recount across 38 counties that ultimately sealed Sen. Scott’s victory. The firm was also legal counsel for the Scott campaign. Then in 2019, as Gov. Ron DeSantis sought to have his suspension of Broward Sheriff Scott Israel upheld by the Florida Senate, his office retained as outside counsel GrayRobinson’s George Levesque, who Cannon described as a “lawyer’s lawyer” and noted the implications of Levesque’s success in that unique legal issue. “[Levesque] was the right guy for that high-stakes assignment and he got a favorable result for the Governor, which is certainly something we’re proud of,” Cannon said. Although government relations and the law are separate practices in nature, GrayRobinson occupies the intersection between the two subjects to the advantage of its clients. Jason Unger, Tallahassee Managing Shareholder with GrayRobinson, noted that the firm’s lobbyists and lawyers can work “hand-in-hand” on complexities like procurement matters or beverage regulatory issues, something for which the firm fetches national acclaim. “Working through the lobbying process, sometimes we find legal solutions that we can incorporate into that strategy,” Unger said, adding that a solution for a client could pivot to a legal matter, like challenging an administrative rule that’s to the detriment of the client’s business. Looking ahead, Cannon highlighted the firm’s international direction. They’ve recently added a group of intellectual-property attorneys to focus on international business in South America, Asia and Europe. As for the immediate future of the 2020 Session, Cannon advised: “You never know what the sleeper issue is of the Session until you get there.”
WINTER 2020 INFLUENCE | 87