How to hire a government relations professional
The practical path from "we have a problem in Washington" to a signed engagement, using the disclosure record to hire like an insider.
Start from the record, not from referrals
Most organizations hire through word of mouth, which samples from whoever their board happens to know. The disclosure record is better: it shows who actually works your issue right now, for clients like you, and whether their book of business is growing. Search your issue on this site, open the profiles, and look at three things: current clients in your sector, the specific issue descriptions on recent filings, and the government positions the professionals held before going private.
Match the background to the ask
If your problem lives in an agency rule, you want someone who worked at that agency or the committee that oversees it. If it lives in an appropriations bill, you want appropriations staff experience. The covered positions disclosed on filings tell you exactly this. A big name on the door matters far less than the right two people on your account.
Understand how fees work
Outside firms disclose income per client per quarter. Typical engagements for a focused issue run in the four to five figure range per quarter; broad, multi-issue representation runs higher. In-house teams disclose expenses instead. Ask any firm you interview what their disclosed engagements look like for clients your size; they know you can check.
Run a short, real process
Pick three to five candidates from the record, send each the same one-page brief (the problem, the decision you want changed, your timeline, your budget range), and ask each for a short memo on how they would run it. The quality gap between memos is usually decisive. Check conflicts: the record shows you who else they represent.
Or let us carry it
If you would rather not run the process yourself, describe the problem once and we route it to registered professionals who work your issue. It is free, and replies come back to you.
Put it to work
Search the live record on the directory, browse by issue, or tell us your problem and let us route it to the right professionals, free.