Trevor Potter is a member in Caplin & Drysdale’s Washington, D.C. office, where he leads the firm’s Political Activity Law Practice. He is one of the country’s best-known and most experienced campaign and election lawyers, and a former Commissioner and Chairman of the Federal Election Commission.
Services
Mr. Potter is a leading authority on lobbying, government ethics and campaign finance issues. He is nationally recognized for his experience in responding to controversies involving political law issues such as alleged campaign finance improprieties, conflicts of interest, and real or perceived violations of related laws and ethics rules. Mr. Potter also advises corporations, non-profit organizations, candidates, and others on structuring new political efforts and administering their political, lobbying, and issue-advocacy projects.
Highlights
Mr. Potter served as General Counsel to the John McCain 2008 campaign and also held that position with the McCain 2000 campaign. Furthermore, he is the founding President and General Counsel of the Campaign Legal Center, a Washington, D.C. based nonprofit which helped successfully defend the McCain-Feingold law in the lower and Supreme Courts.
Professional Activities
- Non-resident Fellow at the Brookings Institution
- Frequent guest speaker at a variety of professional meetings and has taught campaign finance law at the University of Virginia School of Law and Oxford University
- Testified before Congress on federal election proposals and campaign finance regulation and has served as an expert witness on election law issues in court
- Co-Chair of the Election Law Committee of the American Bar Association's Administrative Law Section, and a member of the Advisory Committee of the Standing Committee on Election Law of the ABA
Awards and Honors
- Described by the American Bar Association Journal as "hands-down one of the top lawyers in the country on the delicate intersection of politics, law and money"
- Listed as one of Washington’s Best Lawyers by Washingtonian magazine and was recognized as a “Super Lawyer” by DC’s Super Lawyers magazine in 2008 and 2009
- Ranked as a Top Lawyer in the 2009 edition of Chambers USA: Band 3 in Government: Political Law - Nationwide
Selected Recent Publications
- Google's Washington Influence Keeps Growing, National Journal (May 7, 2009)
- Political Activity, Lobbying Laws and Gift Rules Guide, West Publishing (Third Edition 2008, Second Edition 1999)
- The New Campaign Finance Sourcebook, Brookings Institution (2005)
- Federal Election Law and the Internet, Brookings Institution (2000)