Government Relations
overview
Navigating the public policy labyrinth requires a keen understanding of the political processes at all levels of government. Our government relations team includes former elected officials, regulators and lobbyists that bring decades of experience to promote the interests of our clients in an era of sophistication at the federal, state and local government level.
The Government Relations team at Burns & Levinson capitalizes on its long-standing relationships with federal, Massachusetts and Rhode Island government leadership, including legislators, committee chairs, executive agency heads and independent authorities to effectively promote our clients statutory, regulatory and administrative policy objectives. Our Team also features members with deep relationships with nearly all of the 351 cities and towns of Massachusetts and many throughout Rhode Island, something that no other firm in the region possesses. This enables us to work effectively to navigate municipal legislative and administrative processes, whether conducting community outreach, securing a permit, renewing a license or obtaining site plan approval. The team also represents individual municipalities in connection with developing legislative priorities and strategy, and advocating their interests on Beacon Hill and in Providence.
We are established thought-leaders on Beacon Hill and in Providence in several areas including state and municipal law, infrastructure development and financing, real estate and construction industry matters, economic development, and procurement innovations, including in the public-private partnership, and our work has been cited in regional and national journals including Banker & Tradesman and National League of Cities. We regularly speak on these and other topics at events throughout New England and the United States and include events hosted by the Association of Town Finance Committees, Massachusetts Municipal Association, Massachusetts Selectmen’s Association, New York Association of Towns, Rhode Island League of Cities and Towns, National Council for Public-Private Partnerships, and National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, just to name a few. Our team has also been asked to serve on Massachusetts Municipal Association standing policy committees to formulate public policy and has undertaken Massachusetts Municipal Lawyers Association leadership positions.