Womble Carlyle to Present WMACCA Program on Political Contributions, Lobbying and Gifts

Washington, D.C.—When engaging with public officials or candidates for public office either to develop business or for political purposes, it is essential to understand and comply with the complex array of applicable federal, state and local rules that can put your organization at risk. On September 15, 2011, Larry Norton and Jim Kahl of Womble Carlyle’s Political Law Team will present a luncheon program to the Washington Metro-area Corporate Counsel Association (WMACCA) entitled, “Strategies for Political Law Compliance: Political Contributions, Lobbying, and Gifts.”

During the presentation, Larry and Jim will outline steps your organization can take now to minimize the risks presented by political activity, including:

• How can personal fundraising and other volunteer political activities by executives and other employees pose risks to your organization, and what training or other practices should you institute to assure compliance?
• What types of internal controls can reduce the compliance risks for PACs?
• What are the best practices for collecting information and monitoring compliance with federal lobbying laws so that you are prepared in the event of a random audit by the Comptroller General?
• How can an organization protect its bids and contracts from disqualification under widely varying state and local pay-to-play laws?
• What new tools are available to companies and non-profits in the wake of last year’s Supreme Court ruling, and how can they be used in a way that avoids legal risks and adverse publicity?

Larry Norton and Jim Kahl served as General Counsel and Deputy General Counsel, respectively, of the Federal Election Commission, spanning the period from September 2001 to March 2007. They currently lead the Political Law Practice at Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC, and advise clients in connection with campaign finance, lobbying and government ethics matters. Larry and Jim submitted a brief to the Supreme Court in Citizens United v. FEC, in support of the prevailing party.

Joining the panel is Margaret Cassidy of PricewaterhouseCoopers, who serves as Government Ethics & Compliance Director and oversees the firm's compliance with campaign finance, lobbying and other government ethics matters.

This program will be held at Womble Carlyle’s Washington, DC office from 12:00-2:00 p.m. and will be offered live and via webcast. Lunch will be provided on-site and 1.5 hours of General Virginia CLE credit are pending for the presentation.

For more information and to register, please click here.