Being heard has never been more expensive in Trenton, or lucrative for lobbyists—the hired guns paid to make sure their clients’ interests are represented and amplified at the highest echelons of power at the Statehouse.
Last year’s booming economy, an activist governor, one-party rule, and more than 11,000 bills in the Legislature generated a windfall of clients, and made 2019 a banner year for lobbying in the state—with expenditures by clients topping $100 million for the first time ever.
And law firms with lobbying arms staffed by heavy-hitting lawyers, typically those with extensive experience in dealing with or working in government, or lobbying firms made up of lawyers by trade, made out quite well, according to data from the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission. Overall, 28 such firms generated $15.4 million in total receipts. That’s up 7% from what the same group earned in 2018. The $15.4 million figure also is the highest total ever for lawyer-lobbying firms, according to ELEC, which regulates the industry.
