The Firm is proud to announce that Joseph M. Birkenstock has become a member of the Firm. Mr. Birkenstock, previously a member of Caplin & Drysdale, brings to the firm two decades of expertise in all aspects of political law. Firm founder Joseph Sandler stated, “We are truly excited that Joe , who worked with us for several years as chief counsel at the DNC, will be re-joining us and bringing to our practice his exceptional reputation and skill in the political law field.”
In addition to Mr. Birkenstock’s addition to the Firm, the Firm has elevated Joshua Rosenstein to Partner. In recognition of these changes, the Firm is being renamed SANDLER REIFF LAMB ROSENSTEIN & BIRKENSTOCK, P.C.
On Saturday, Time Magazine published a story on the growth of Ready for Hillary, a pro-Hillary Clinton Super PAC. The article describes how the Super PAC has geared up over the past few months so that if Ms. Clinton indeed decides to run for President, it will be ready to hit the ground running on day 1. Jim Lamb was named as one of several key cogs in the article that have helped the Super PAC build out a massive grassroots operation, making Ready for Hillary the premiere Super PAC of the 2016 Presidential race.
In addition, Politico’s Mike Allen featured the article as the lead story in this morning’s Politico Playbook. The excerpted section of the article in Playbook not only highlighted Ready for Hillary’s growth, but also included Mr. Lamb’s citation as a key cog in the operation.
To read the full article, which promises to be the first of several on the growth of Ready for Hillary, click here.
Jim Lamb’s successful track record in fighting false and misleading Super PACs was highlighted in an article in Campaigns andElections today. The article discussed ways to fight back against Super PAC television ads, which are afforded much fewer first amendment protections than candidate-sponsored ads. The article highlights Mr. Lamb’s success in fighting back when the facts are outright wrong or false. Backed up with research, Mr. Lamb breaks down each claim made by the Super PAC with a news-sourced rebuttal, imploring the station to protect the public from “false, misleading, and deceptive advertising.”
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.
James Lamb was cited in an article in the Washington Postabout the growth of Ready for Hillary, a Super PAC urging former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to run for President in 2016. Mr. Lamb is cited among a number of former Clinton advisers who are currently advising the Super PAC, which according to an adviser of a rival Super PAC gives “the official ‘Good Housekeeping’ seal of approval for all things Hillary.”
In an article for the Center for Public Integrity, Jim Lamb defended the name of a pro-Hillary Clinton SuperPAC. At issue is whether a SuperPAC that is supportive of, but independent from, a potential Presidential candidate may use part of the candidate’s name in naming their own SuperPAC. Federal law proscribes SuperPACs from using the name of a declared candidate for federal office. For example, the article reports that after Rick Perry entered the 2012 Republican Presidential primary, the FEC mandated that “Americans for Rick Perry” change its name. The SuperPAC did so, rebranding as “Restoring Prosperity Fund.”
Similarly, Ready for Hillary is one of three SuperPACs aimed at supporting former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton should she decide to run for President in 2016, and all three contain Ms. Clinton’s first name. However, as counsel for Ready for Hillary, Jim Lamb told the Center for Public Integrity that “We are aware of this federal regulation. If Hillary decides to run and becomes a candidate, we will continue to be in compliance with this regulation.”
Last week, the RNC accused Brad Schneider, the Democratic candidate for Illinois’ 10th Congressional Distrit, of improperly using the RNC elephant logo in a campaign ad. However, campaign attorney Jim Lamb fired back at the RNC writing that it “does not constitute an infringement of the RNC’s trademark” because “is not ‘likely to cause confusion, or to cause mistake or to deceive” since Mr. Dold “is, in fact, a Republican and the picture of an elephant only reinforces that fact.” After all, “Bob Dold is a republican. And we are going to continue letting the voters know that fact.”
Read the entire story of the affair at Crain’s Chicago Business, where you can also see the ad in question.
Sandler, Reiff, Young & Lamb partners Joseph Sandler, Neil Reiff, and Jim Lamb were all recognized as three of Washington’s top lawyers by Washingtonian Magazine. They were recognized for their outstanding work in the field of election law in the magazine’s December 2011 feature on Washington’s Best Lawyers. As Washingtonian Magazine put it, “Candidates, political parties, and corporations call these campaigns-and-elections lawyers for guidance on campaign finance, ethics laws, and other rules of the political game.” This recognition is only the latest is a long string of honors and accomplishments for Sandler, Reiff, Lamb and the entire team at Sandler, Reiff, Young, & Lamb.
Update January 19, 2012: Washingtonian’s Top Lawyers listing is now online. Follow this link to see Mr. Sandler, Reiff, and Lamb’s recognition.
Jim Lamb provided insight into the effect Virginia’s campaign finance laws have on the upcoming election in Virginia. Listen to Peter Overby’s coverage or read the full text at NPR’s website.
Joseph Sandler, Neil Reiff, and James Lamb were once again named in Washingtonian Magazine’s listing of Washington’s Best Lawyers (the top 1%) in the political law category (under the heading “On the Campaign Trail”). Sandler Reiff & Young is one of only two law firms to have three lawyers on the list in this category.
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.