On September 24, Partner Joshua Rosenstein will speak on the panel “Contracting with Foreign Principals” at the 2026 FARA Conference alongside Daniel Pickard of Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney P.C. and Josh Galper of Trident GMG. The panel will focus on the practical realities and considerations facing firms agreeing to do work for foreign principals: due diligence, “know your customer” requirements, contingent fee restrictions, reputational considerations, and more.
The FARA Conference brings together practitioners, government officials, scholars, and journalists shaping the landscape for a full day of substantive discussion in Washington, D.C. Sessions will examine recent enforcement actions, evolving compliance expectations for businesses and nonprofits, FARA’s intersection with the Lobbying Disclosure Act, and where the law is headed. Designed for attorneys, compliance professionals, registrants, and advisors, the conference emphasizes practical insights and meaningful dialogue.
Hosted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for Ethics & the Rule of Law and Lawfare, the conference features leading law firms and academic institutions. Sandler Reiff is proud to co-sponser this year’s program.
For more information and to register, visit The FARA Conference’s website here.
Sandler Reiff Lamb Rosenstein & Birkenstock P.C. (Sandler Reiff), a pre-eminent political law boutique in Washington, D.C., is pleased to announce the promotion of Christina Bustos to the position of Partner of the Firm.
Sandler Reiff advises clients involved in the business of politics, including candidates and officeholders, political committees, party committees, nonprofit organizations, advocacy groups, communications, consulting, and government relations firms, as well as major contributors to political and nonprofit groups.
Christina advises clients on political and issue advocacy efforts nationwide. Her practice focuses on voter registration and elections, campaign finance, lobbying and related advocacy efforts, and nonprofit tax law. She combines expertise in a wide range of political law with practical, strategic judgment, making her an invaluable resource for clients navigating complex regulatory requirements.
“Christina’s promotion reflects the exceptional lawyer and trusted advisor she has become. She combines significant expertise across the political law landscape—from voter registration and campaign finance to lobbying and advocacy regulation—with outstanding judgment and an unwavering commitment to client service. Her deep relationships with our clients are a testament to her skill and acumen, and to the fact that she is an indispensable part of the Sandler Reiff team. We are delighted to welcome her to the partnership,” said Joe Sandler, co-founder of the Firm.
Prior to joining Sandler Reiff, Christina practiced trial and appellate level civil litigation at a law firm in Richmond, Virginia. Christina graduated from the Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law.
Sandler Reiff Young & Lamb has been one of the go-to sources over the past few days as journalists have reported and analyzed the Supreme Court’s decision in McCutcheon v.FEC. Below are just some of the stories where attorneys at SRYL have provided their expertise:
David Mitrani told the Center for Public Integrity that since the Supreme Court ruled that aggregate contribution limits are unconsititutional, it is unlikely that similar aggregate limits in twelve states and the District of Columbia will continue to stand.
David Mitrani also helped MotherJones break down the aforementioned aggregate limits at the state level.
Neil Reiff told Campaigns and Elections that party committees are one of the big winners in the aftermath of McCutcheon: “If an individual wants to triple max each year to the three national committees, that is $194,400 for the two-year cycle, way more than the aggregate limit.”
Neil Reiff reminded Bloomberg that while someone could theoretically create a “Super-Joint Fundraising Committee,” in order to write one check that is distributed among dozens of candidates, they could likely still get more bang for their buck by contributing to a Super PAC.
Late yesterday, David Mitrani told Reuters that campaign officials in Maryland and Massachusetts had already stopped enforcing aggregate contribution limits, a little more than 24-hours after the McCutcheon decision was handed down.
Finally, Neil Reiff told the Wall Street Journal that while Democratic lawmakers generally prefer more restrictions on money in elections, party strategists will welcome the loss of federal aggregate contribution limits.
The Election Law Society at the College of William and Mary Law School awarded Liz Howard (J.D. ’09) with the ELS Alumnus of the Year Award. In addition to her regular outstanding practice advising candidates, committees, non-profits, and lobbyists on election law matters, Ms. Howard was also recognized for her tireless work last November serving on the recount team for the Mark Herring for Attorney General [of Virginia]. She was also recognized for her work as lead counsel of the victorious recount team for Lynwood Lewis, whose state Senate special election decided control of the Virginia State Senate.
Ms. Howard was honored on March 21st at the second annual D.C. Friends of ELS Reception.
Joseph Sandler, Neil Reiff, and Jim Lamb were once again named by Washingtonian Magazine as three of the top attorneys in Washington, DC. They were recognized for their outstanding work in the field of Campaign and Election Law. Sandler, Reiff, Young & Lamb is one of only three firms to have three attorneys on the biennial list. This also marks the third consecutive biennial cycle that Mr. Sandler, Mr. Reiff, and Mr. Lamb were named by WashingtonianMagazine.
MITRANI JOINS SANDER REIFF AS ASSOCIATE: David Mitrani has joined Sandler, Reiff, Young & Lamb as an associate after successfully passing the bar exam. He’ll work mostly on election law, nonprofit law and lobbying compliance issues for political committees, state parties, labor unions, corporations and other groups on navigating federal and state campaign finance laws. He’s also worked for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee in communications, as well in the Democratic National Committee’s research shop.
Sandler, Reiff, Young, & Lamb has entered into a strategic alliance with renowned election attorney Mark Grueskin and the law firm of Recht Kornfeld. SRYL will work with Mr. Grueskin and Recht Kornfeld on common projects and political matters. Read more about the alliance over at Law Week Colorado.
In front of a capacity crowd, Jeff Wice spoke Monday morning at the National Conference of State Legislatures on a panel regarding voting rights. Titled “Shelby County v. Holder: The Future of the Voting Rights Act,” Mr. Wice discussed the Supreme Court’s 2013 decision and how it affects state legislators and activists going forward. Prior to the ruling, legislatures in many southern states required pre-clearance from the federal Department of Justice in order to make any changes to voting procedures. However, the Court struck down this requirement, and many of the affected states are poised to begin changing their voting laws.
Despite many state legislators and activists alike taking an interest in the subject, he told Politico after the panel that “It’s a quiet before the storm period, and it’s hard to tell when the storm is going to hit. No one expects Congress to act, and there’s also a wait–and–see approach to see how far think tanks and legal defense organizations go to bring lawsuits to expand [VRA] challenges.”
Read the full article from Politico, with a more complete write-up of the panel, here.
On June 5, CASA de Maryland, the immigrants advocacy and support organization that is the largest Latino and immigrant group in the state, honored Sandler Reiff Young & Lamb with its Justice Award for our Firm’s pro bono work on the Maryland DREAM Act. Together with a team from Arnold & Porter, the Firm represented “Dreamer” students and voters in the court battle to attempt to block a statewide referendum on the DREAM Act, which makes available to to undocumented immigrants in-state tuition at community colleges and the state University system if certain conditions are met. The court challenge did not succeed but Maryland voters approved the law in the 2012 general election. (The Firm also represented the ballot committee formed to persuade voters to approve the law).
Joseph Sandler, Neil Reiff, and Jim Lamb were once again named by Washingtonian Magazine as three of the top attorneys in Washington, DC. They were recognized for their outstanding work in the field of Campaign and Election Law. Sandler, Reiff, Young & Lamb is one of only three firms to have three attorneys on the biennial list. This also marks the third consecutive biennial cycle that Mr. Sandler, Mr. Reiff, and Mr. Lamb were named by Washingtonian Magazine.