1970
1 June 1973
Manny Rouvelas opens Washington, D.C., office with just a card table and a phone.
1973
The Watergate hearings address the issues of the Nixon administration and introduce lobbying disclosures and restrictions.
1979
Lloyd Meeds becomes the practice’s first former member of Congress.
The firm is instrumental in bringing back Presidential debates, which hadn’t been held since 1960.
“In the 1970s, our firm and particularly one of our earliest associates, Bob Thomson, played a major role in reinstituting televised presidential debates. There were no TV presidential debates between 1960 and 1976, ever since the Nixon-Kennedy debate. But Bob's legal analysis regarding the equal time doctrine made it possible to reinterpret the rules and have debates again starting in 1976—thus shaping and changing every presidential election since, for better or for worse.” — Manny Rouvelas, founding partner
1980
The election of Ronald Reagan creates a revolution in the firm.
1980
1983
The firm moves to the American Institute of Architects building, its home for the next nearly 25 years.
1970s
1980s
1990s
2000s
2010s
1970s
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. At tellus at urna condimentum. Et ligula ullamcorper malesuada proin libero nunc consequat interdum. Facilisi cras fermentum odio eu feugiat pretium nibh. Arcu dui vivamus arcu felis bibendum ut. Volutpat diam ut venenatis tellus in. Placerat in egestas erat imperdiet sed. Sit amet aliquam id diam maecenas ultricies mi eget mauris. Velit ut tortor pretium viverra. In dictum non consectetur a erat nam at lectus urna. Pretium quam vulputate dignissim suspendisse in est. Aenean vel elit scelerisque mauris. Sed risus ultricies tristique nulla aliquet enim tortor. Purus non enim praesent elementum facilisis leo vel fringilla est.
Urna condimentum mattis pellentesque id nibh tortor id aliquet lectus. Praesent elementum facilisis leo vel fringilla est ullamcorper. Vitae turpis massa sed elementum tempus egestas sed sed. Eu feugiat pretium nibh ipsum consequat. Nullam eget felis eget nunc lobortis mattis aliquam. Etiam non quam lacus suspendisse. Diam vulputate ut pharetra sit amet aliquam id. Elementum tempus egestas sed sed risus. Viverra accumsan in nisl nisi scelerisque eu. Gravida in fermentum et sollicitudin ac orci phasellus egestas tellus.
Interdum varius sit amet mattis vulputate enim nulla. Pellentesque id nibh tortor id. Lacus viverra vitae congue eu consequat ac felis donec et. Diam quam nulla porttitor massa id neque. Tincidunt vitae semper quis lectus nulla at volutpat. Massa sapien faucibus et molestie ac feugiat sed lectus vestibulum. Tempor id eu nisl nunc. Libero volutpat sed cras ornare. Viverra orci sagittis eu volutpat odio facilisis mauris sit. Sem viverra aliquet eget sit amet tellus cras adipiscing enim.
Morbi leo urna molestie at. Pharetra et ultrices neque ornare aenean euismod elementum. Tristique magna sit amet purus gravida. Purus viverra accumsan in nisl nisi scelerisque eu ultrices. Placerat vestibulum lectus mauris ultrices eros. Egestas pretium aenean pharetra magna ac. Eget lorem dolor sed viverra ipsum nunc aliquet bibendum enim. Mi sit amet mauris commodo quis. Est placerat in egestas erat imperdiet sed euismod nisi. Erat velit scelerisque in dictum non consectetur a erat nam. Diam maecenas sed enim ut sem.
Sample Link 01
Sample Link 02
Richard M. Nixon 1969-1974 | Gerald R. Ford 1974-1977 | James E. Carter, Jr. 1977-1981
James E. Carter, Jr. 1977-1981 | Ronald W. Reagan 1981-1989 | George H.W. Bush 1989-1993
After learning that Washington, D.C., had C-SPAN capabilities for live coverage of the House and Senate, but no way for District residents to access the coverage, the firm became the first lobby shop in the city to purchase a microwave antenna. To help offset the cost, it subleased time to friends of the firm. It was an early use of technology that became a hallmark of the firm.
C-SPAN makes it possible to connect with broadcasts of live Congressional floor proceedings.
A lot changed in Washington, D.C., in 1980 when Republican Ronald Reagan was elected president. The change was particularly significant for Manny Rouvelas, founding partner, and his team, which was mostly composed of Democrats at the time.
“Suddenly we couldn’t get our phone calls answered,” Manny Rouvelas remembers. After the Reagan landslide, it was time to become more bipartisan. “It's a very different era. I was actually a member of a Reagan transition team for maritime, and I was asked: ‘Do you think your party affiliation would blur your judgment in terms of what we have to be doing in maritime?” I said, 'No.' And he said, 'Fine. You're on.'”
“All along, the place I had really wanted for our offices was the American Institute of Architects building. I loved that building because it was distinctive, and because if you were commuting from Virginia, which is where I commuted from, there were far less red lights. I checked with them about space in the ‘70s, but the only thing they had was a full floor, and we couldn't afford it. One day, 20 years later, I'm sitting at this dinner, and the guy next to me is the head of AIA. I turned to him and said, ‘You know, I've been trying to get in your building for 20 years, but you never have any room for me.’ We actually cut the deal on a handshake within 15 minutes, and we stayed there for nearly 25 years [from about 1983 to 2007]. — Manny Rouvelas, founding partner
The firm moves to the American Institute of Architects building, its home for the next nearly 25 years.
The firm expands its scope beyond maritime policy work.
1980
In addition to becoming more bipartisan, another major change in the 1980s was the scope of the firm, which previously was overwhelmingly maritime policy work. “We began growing beyond maritime policy. We were bringing in lawyers who were [traditional] lawyers but also turning the maritime practice from a pure policy practice into a litigation practice, too. We worried a bit that we were overly concentrated in a single American industry: maritime. That was a big part of the motivation to diversify.” — Jonathan Blank, retired partner
The firm expands its scope beyond maritime policy work.
1990
George H.W. Bush 1989-1993 | William J. Clinton 1993-2001
The firm experiences its first merger with Shidler McBroom Gates and Lucas.
1990
The firm experiences significant growth into other legal areas that intersect with government.
1990
Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds sets up a separate partnership in Washington, D.C.
1990
William J. Clinton 1993-2001 | George W. Bush 2001-2009 | Barack H. Obama 2009-2017
2000
A merger creates K&L Gates, teaming up with a venerable state policy team in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and—later, via another merger—a venerable policy group in Austin, Texas.
1 January 2007
Manny Rouvelas is named one of the greatest Washington, D.C., lawyers of his generation.
2008
Terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 kill nearly 3,000 in New York City, the Pentagon, and Pennsylvania.
2001
Barack H. Obama 2009-2017 | Donald J. Trump 2017-2021 | Joseph R. Biden, Jr. 2021-Present
2010 TO PRESENT
The Public Policy and Law practice goes global as a Brussels office is added.
2011
When Manny left the Senate staff several years later, he began a 50-year journey of finding a way to meet the public policy needs of clients in many industries. He was joined by talented and insightful lawyers and policy professionals who diligently help clients to achieve their policy and business goals.
Manny Rouvelas was recruited in 1969 by Gerald Grinstein, chief of staff to Chairman Warren Magnuson (D-WA), as counsel to the US Senate Committee on Commerce and as chief counsel to its Merchant Marine and Foreign Commerce Subcommittees, serving Senators Magnuson, Russell Long (D-LA), and Daniel Inouye (D-HI). Manny had lead staff responsibility for the enactment of 32 public laws.
"Finding A Way" Through 50 Years of Public Policy and Law
Join us for a brief look at the history of this groundbreaking practice.
Case Studies
When Manny Rouvelas decided to leave the Senate, he opened the first-ever East Coast office for Preston Thorgrimson Ellis Holman & Fletcher. The new, one-man law and lobbying office quickly became well known and immediately successful as, primarily, a maritime policy boutique. As the pioneer in the placement of a policy group in a law firm, Manny believed that a law firm offered the best possible structure to address government issues throughout the entire policy lifecyle - including Congressional legislation, followed by agency interpretation and regulation, and sometimes followed by litigation. Manny arrived on the scene at the beginning of the modern era of lobbying.
The address was 1620 I Street, so it's literally only about a block from where we are now, right around the corner. We were among the earliest law firms to open a D.C. office. Few law firms had serious lobbying operations when we started, so we were among the earliest pioneers. Several of our early partners, like Jonathan Blank and Bill Myhre, were especially key parts of our early and continuing success.
— Manny Rouvelas, founding partner
“We started the office less than two weeks after the Watergate hearings began. The hearings were during the day, but they would replay every night on a lot of the TV stations. It was a very interesting time. It certainly reset the politics and led to many changes. Before that, there'd been no campaign finance laws at all. It really wasn't until Watergate that you got the political campaign limitations and disclosure requirements at the Federal Elections Commission. All that actually made the system a lot better.” — Manny Rouvelas, founding partner
“In 1979, former Congressman Lloyd Meeds [D-MT] joined us after he retired from Congress, the first of many former Members of Congress. He was one of our earliest D.C. partners, and he had a continuing influence until and after his death in 2005. Lloyd was straight talking, Montana born, and served as a prosecutor and US Attorney in the State of Washington before being elected to 14 years in Congress. He was also one of the few members of Congress to leave voluntarily on an issue of conscience. He was recognized as the hardest-working, most effective former member of Congress in his years with us.”
— Manny Rouvelas, founding partner
Case Studies
Case Studies
In 1990, Preston Thorgrimson Ellis & Holman merged with Shidler McBroom Gates and Lucas, another Seattle-based firm—the most famous lawyer of which was Bill Gates II, the father of Bill Gates III, the chairman of Microsoft—to form the firm that eventually would be named Preston Gates & Ellis.
At the same time as the Shidler merger in 1990, the Policy group negotiated an agreement to rename the Washington, D.C., office as Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds (PGERM), a partner firm to the main firm. It was a semi-autonomous arrangement for PGERM that continued for the next 16 years.
— Tim Peckinpaugh, partner
“The Shidler firm was more business focused. Our Seattle firm was known as more of a community- and municipal-focused firm. It was actually a very good merger in that context, blending the two characteristics. The merger brought in a whole new crop of clients.”
The non-lawyer professional career track develops and expands within the office.
1990
By the early 1990s, Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds’ (PGERM) interests extended far beyond maritime policy. PGERM expanded into a broad range of substantive areas that addressed not just legislation, but also regulation and litigation - the full policy lifecycle. A firm brochure in 1993 listed practices such as telecommunications, reinsurance, insurance, high technology, antitrust, trade, government contracts, energy, environment, and tax among the firm’s focuses.
The firm experiences significant growth into other legal areas that intersect with government.
Another innovation of Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds (PGERM) was the use, and then expanded use, of non-lawyer professionals within a law firm structure. Over time, PGERM developed a non-lawyer track with equivalencies for associates and partners. A non-lawyer professional reached the top level of Policy Group leadership. Today, a significant percentage of the Policy group is made up of non-lawyer lobbyists.
The non-lawyer professional career track develops and expands within the office.
The terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 changed Washington, DC, and the whole country in many ways. Because the Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds’ (PGERM) offices in the American Institute of Architects building were close to the White House, it took many days before PGERM professionals were allowed to return to their offices.
In 2008, the Public Policy and Law practice established and nurtured a District-wide food drive, and K&L Gates partner Dick Thornburgh served as honorary chairman for many years. Today, K&L Gates is still a leader of the annual drive, called Food From The Bar, which includes dozens of firms across the city and has raised more than five million meals for the Capital Area Food Bank and for countless nonprofit groups in the city.
The Public Policy and Law practice organizes a fundraising campaign for the Capital Area Food Bank that continues today, raising more than five million meals for the poor and marginalized in the Washington, D.C., area.
2008
Case Studies
A new generation of leadership takes charge of the Public Policy and Law practice.
2010
The Public Policy and Law practice helps to launch the USA Science & Technology Festival.
2010
— Darrell Conner, government affairs counselor
We agreed to be the guinea pig on practice group management in the firm, creating tools for improving profitability and resource allocation. We worked with others in the firm on creating the financial structure around it—how to allocate costs, how to allocate expenses and overhead, what was fair, and what wasn’t. It takes years to develop an effective framework, and we’re still working on improvements to it.
— Michael Scanlon, partner
It mattered so much, and I think it has paid real dividends. At this point, every other practice group in the firm has adopted practice group management, another thing we pioneered in the Public Policy and Law practice.
A global pandemic forces the Public Policy and Law practice and many lobbying groups to make some of the biggest changes in their existence, including a hybrid workforce.
2020
With a large policy footprint already in Washington, D.C., and state capitals across the United States, the Public Policy and Law practice went global in 2011 with the opening of a policy-focused office in Brussels, Belgium, the headquarters of the European Union.
Throughout the 2010s, the Public Policy and Law practice played a lead role in the establishment of the USA Science and Engineering Festival, a program designed to encourage the involvement of America’s youth in science, technology, engineering, and math programs. Starting on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the festival eventually grew to be the largest event of its kind in the United States, featuring thousands of federal agencies, colleges and universities, research institutes, science societies, and other organizations. More than 2.5 million students, teachers, and others have participated in programs related to the Festival in the last decade. The Public Policy and Law practice worked closely with businessman Larry Bock, who founded the festival.
The Public Policy and Law practice helps to launch the USA Science & Technology Festival.
“We had a major change of leadership in the Public Policy and Law practice in the early-to mid-2010s. Manny Rouvelas always was very focused on succession planning. Unlike many other founders, he was always looking for the next generation of leadership. And we never missed a beat with a new generation of Public Policy and Law practice leaders like Darrell Conner, Michael Scanlon, David Wochner, and Karishma Page.” — Mark Ruge, partner
A new generation of leadership takes charge of the Public Policy and Law practice.
“It was already a significant time of flux. And then there was the pandemic. That disruption alone fundamentally altered our work. The Hill was closed for two and a half years, but the team pivoted and excelled at serving clients, who were reeling through one of the most significant health and economic crises in generations. We were not only providing value to our clients but redefining how we would work in the future. Our goal was to come out of it stronger than we went in, and we did.” — Karishma Page, partner
“We have operated for 50 years with a clear set of core values—integrity, extraordinary service to our clients, and teamwork. That has been our compass, our North star, and that has served us well for a half-century.” — Manny Rouvelas, founding partner
The K&L Gates Public Policy and Law practice celebrates its 50th Anniversary as one of the first lobbying practices in a law firm.
1 June 2023
In 2016, the Public Policy and Law practice innovated again, launching on behalf of the firm an initiative called “practice group management,” which looked for ways to combine the best of firmwide and office management with management at the practice group level.
The Public Policy and Law practice leads practice group management in the firm.
2016
“In 2008, Legal Times named Manny Rouvelas as one of the greatest Washington, D.C., lawyers of the last 30 years, essentially of an entire generation. He was called a ‘legal visionary’ for having the foresight to create a policy group within a law firm, something that had rarely been done before, that allowed the firm to tackle the full policy life cycle, including legislation, regulation, and litigation. One of the greatest lawyers in Washington, D.C., in a generation! That would have been the highlight of anyone’s career. We all went to this big black tie dinner honoring Manny and the other honorees. Well we didn’t all go—Manny missed it. He was overseas at a client meeting that he said he just couldn’t miss.” —Mark Ruge, partner
Manny Rouvelas is named one of the greatest Washington, D.C., lawyers of his generation.
In 2007, Preston Gates & Ellis (including the Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds, or PGERM, office in Washington, D.C.) merged with Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham to form Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis, a name later shortened to K&L Gates. The combination of the two firms brought together Preston Gates & Ellis, with its offices mainly concentrated on the West Coast and in Asia, with the Kirkpatrick & Lockhart offices established on the East Coast and in Europe. Overnight, the combined firm had more than 1,400 lawyers around the globe, and became a “top ten” law firm in the United States and one of the largest firms in the world. The only place where both firms had a presence was in Washington, D.C., which provided a strategic value to the development and growth of the Public Policy and Law practice.
The PGERM Policy group merged with existing Kirkpatrick lobbyists in Washington, D.C., and a venerable state policy team of lobbyists in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to form the firm’s Public Policy and Law practice. In 2008, as part of another merger, the practice joined with another experienced lobbying team in Austin, Texas.
A merger creates K&L Gates, teaming up with a venerable state policy team in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and, later, via another merger, a venerable policy group in Austin, Texas.
The firm moves to the American Institute of Architects building, its home for the next nearly 25 years.
The non-lawyer professional career track develops and expands within the office.
The firm experiences significant growth into other legal areas that intersect with government.
A merger creates K&L Gates, teaming up with a venerable state policy team in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and—later, via another merger—a venerable policy group in Austin, Texas.
Manny Rouvelas is named one of the greatest Washington, D.C., lawyers of his generation.
A new generation of leadership takes charge of the Public Policy and Law practice.
The Public Policy and Law practice helps to launch the USA Science & Technology Festival
In 1973, Manny was again recruited by Grinstein—then a partner with Preston Thorgrimson Ellis Holman & Fletcher in Seattle, which was founded by Harold Preston in 1883—to open the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. That began a 50-year journey of finding a way to meet the public policy needs of clients in many industries. He was joined by talented and insightful lawyers and policy professionals who diligently help clients to achieve their policy and business goals.
In addition to Lloyd Meeds, others were Senator Thomas Slade Gorton III (R-WA, who also served as Washington State Attorney General and as a member of the 911 Commission), and Reps. Robert Davis (R-MI), Jeff Denham (R-CA), Mike Doyle (D-PA), David Funderburk (R-NC and Ambassador to Romania), Bart Gordon (D-TN), John McHugh (R-NY and also a former Secretary of the Army), James Rogan (R-CA), and Jim Walsh (R-NY). Another distinguished member of the practice area was Dick Thornburgh (R-PA), former Pennsylvania governor and US Attorney General. Over the years, many members of the practice served as Congressional leadership staff or had White House or senior agency experience prior to joining the firm. Still others went on to high-level government or elected positions after leaving the firm.
A total of 10 former members of Congress have worked for the practice over the years.
Marilyn Rouvelas, wife of Manny Rouvelas, attends a 1990 merger celebration.
Lloyd Meeds, the first Congressman to join the practice, attends a 1990 merger celebration.
Jim Ellis, partner at Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds, attends a 1990 merger celebration.
In the late 1990s under Mark Ruge's leadership, the practice undertook an extensive effort to develop and implement a set of core values--integrity, service, and teamwork—which continue to guide the practice today. They have proven essential as a compass during times of maximum danger and distress.
The Public Policy and Law practice develops a set of core values that remains in effect.
1990
Manny Rouvelas attends a 1990 merger celebration.
The firm expands its scope beyond maritime policy work.
Case Studies
"Finding A Way" Through 50 Years of Public Policy and Law
When Manny left the Senate staff several years later, he began a 50-year journey of finding a way to meet the public policy needs of clients in many industries. He was joined by talented and insightful lawyers and policy professionals who diligently help clients to achieve their policy and business goals.
In 1973, Manny was again recruited by Grinstein—then a partner with Preston Thorgrimson Ellis Holman & Fletcher in Seattle, which was founded by Harold Preston in 1883—to open the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. That began a 50-year journey of finding a way to meet the public policy needs of clients in many industries. He was joined by talented and insightful lawyers and policy professionals who diligently help clients to achieve their policy and business goals.
Join us for a brief look at the history of this groundbreaking practice.
Manny Rouvelas was recruited in 1969 by Gerald Grinstein, chief of staff to Chairman Warren Magnuson (D-WA), as counsel to the US Senate Committee on Commerce and as chief counsel to its Merchant Marine and Foreign Commerce Subcommittees, serving Senators Magnuson, Russell Long (D-LA), and Daniel Inouye (D-HI). Manny had lead staff responsibility for the enactment of 32 public laws.
"Finding A Way" Through 50 Years of Public Policy and Law
“We have operated for 50 years with a clear set of core values—integrity, extraordinary service to our clients, and teamwork. That has been our compass, our North star, and that has served us well for a half-century.” — Manny Rouvelas, founding partner
The K&L Gates Public Policy and Law practice celebrates its 50th Anniversary as one of the first lobbying practices in a law firm.
1 June 2023
Manny Rouvelas attends a 1990 merger celebration.
“It was already a significant time of flux. And then there was the pandemic. That disruption alone fundamentally altered our work. The Hill was closed for two and a half years, but the team pivoted and excelled at serving clients, who were reeling through one of the most significant health and economic crises in generations. We were not only providing value to our clients but redefining how we would work in the future. Our goal was to come out of it stronger than we went in, and we did.” — Karishma Page, partner
A global pandemic forces the Public Policy and Law practice and many lobbying groups to make some of the biggest changes in their existence, including a hybrid workforce.
2020
— Michael Scanlon, partner
It mattered so much, and I think it has paid real dividends. At this point, every other practice group in the firm has adopted practice group management, another thing we pioneered in the Public Policy and Law practice.
— Darrell Conner, government affairs counselor
We agreed to be the guinea pig on practice group management in the firm, creating tools for improving profitability and resource allocation. We worked with others in the firm on creating the financial structure around it—how to allocate costs, how to allocate expenses and overhead, what was fair, and what wasn’t. It takes years to develop an effective framework, and we’re still working on improvements to it.
In 2016, the Public Policy and Law practice innovated again, launching on behalf of the firm an initiative called “practice group management,” which looked for ways to combine the best of firmwide and office management with management at the practice group level.
The Public Policy and Law practice leads practice group management in the firm.
2016
The Public Policy and Law practice helps to launch the USA Science & Technology Festival.
2010
A new generation of leadership takes charge of the Public Policy and Law practice.
2010
The Public Policy and Law practice helps to launch the USA Science & Technology Festival
Throughout the 2010s, the Public Policy and Law practice played a lead role in the establishment of the USA Science and Engineering Festival, a program designed to encourage the involvement of America’s youth in science, technology, engineering, and math programs. Starting on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., the festival eventually grew to be the largest event of its kind in the United States, featuring thousands of federal agencies, colleges and universities, research institutes, science societies, and other organizations. More than 2.5 million students, teachers, and others have participated in programs related to the Festival in the last decade. The Public Policy and Law practice worked closely with businessman Larry Bock, who founded the festival.
The Public Policy and Law practice helps to launch the USA Science & Technology Festival.
A new generation of leadership takes charge of the Public Policy and Law practice.
“We had a major change of leadership in the Public Policy and Law practice in the early-to mid-2010s. Manny Rouvelas always was very focused on succession planning. Unlike many other founders, he was always looking for the next generation of leadership. And we never missed a beat with a new generation of Public Policy and Law practice leaders like Darrell Conner, Michael Scanlon, David Wochner, and Karishma Page.” — Mark Ruge, partner
A new generation of leadership takes charge of the Public Policy and Law practice.
With a large policy footprint already in Washington, D.C., and state capitals across the United States, the Public Policy and Law practice went global in 2011 with the opening of a policy-focused office in Brussels, Belgium, the headquarters of the European Union.
The Public Policy and Law practice goes global as a Brussels office is added.
2011
Case Studies
Barack H. Obama 2009-2017 | Donald J. Trump 2017-2021 | Joseph R. Biden, Jr. 2021-Present
Joseph R. Biden, Jr. 2021-Present
Donald J. Trump 2017-2021
Barack H. Obama 2009-2017
2010 TO PRESENT
In 2008, the Public Policy and Law practice established and nurtured a District-wide food drive, and K&L Gates partner Dick Thornburgh served as honorary chairman for many years. Today, K&L Gates is still a leader of the annual drive, called Food From The Bar, which includes dozens of firms across the city and has raised more than five million meals for the Capital Area Food Bank and for countless nonprofit groups in the city.
The Public Policy and Law practice organizes a fundraising campaign for the Capital Area Food Bank that continues today, raising more than five million meals for the poor and marginalized in the Washington, D.C., area.
2008
A merger creates K&L Gates, teaming up with a venerable state policy team in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and—later, via another merger—a venerable policy group in Austin, Texas.
1 January 2007
Manny Rouvelas is named one of the greatest Washington, D.C., lawyers of his generation.
2008
Manny Rouvelas is named one of the greatest Washington, D.C., lawyers of his generation
“In 2008, Legal Times named Manny Rouvelas as one of the greatest Washington, D.C., lawyers of the last 30 years, essentially of an entire generation. He was called a ‘legal visionary’ for having the foresight to create a policy group within a law firm, something that had rarely been done before, that allowed the firm to tackle the full policy life cycle, including legislation, regulation, and litigation. One of the greatest lawyers in Washington, D.C., in a generation! That would have been the highlight of anyone’s career. We all went to this big black tie dinner honoring Manny and the other honorees. Well we didn’t all go—Manny missed it. He was overseas at a client meeting that he said he just couldn’t miss.” —Mark Ruge, partner
Manny Rouvelas is named one of the greatest Washington, D.C., lawyers of his generation.
A merger creates K&L Gates, teaming up with a venerable state policy team in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and, later, via another merger, a venerable policy group in Austin, Texas
In 2007, Preston Gates & Ellis (including the Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds, or PGERM, office in Washington, D.C.) merged with Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham to form Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Preston Gates Ellis, a name later shortened to K&L Gates. The combination of the two firms brought together Preston Gates & Ellis, with its offices mainly concentrated on the West Coast and in Asia, with the Kirkpatrick & Lockhart offices established on the East Coast and in Europe. Overnight, the combined firm had more than 1,400 lawyers around the globe, and became a “top ten” law firm in the United States and one of the largest firms in the world. The only place where both firms had a presence was in Washington, D.C., which provided a strategic value to the development and growth of the Public Policy and Law practice.
The PGERM Policy group merged with existing Kirkpatrick lobbyists in Washington, D.C., and a venerable state policy team of lobbyists in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, to form the firm’s Public Policy and Law practice. In 2008, as part of another merger, the practice joined with another experienced lobbying team in Austin, Texas.
A merger creates K&L Gates, teaming up with a venerable state policy team in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, and, later, via another merger, a venerable policy group in Austin, Texas.
The terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 changed Washington, DC, and the whole country in many ways. Because the Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds’ (PGERM) offices in the American Institute of Architects building were close to the White House, it took many days before PGERM professionals were allowed to return to their offices.
Terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001 kill nearly 3,000 in New York City, the Pentagon, and Pennsylvania.
2001
William J. Clinton 1993-2001 | George W. Bush 2001-2009 | Barack H. Obama 2009-2017
Barack H. Obama 2009-2017
George W. Bush 2001-2009
William J. Clinton 1993-2001
2000
Case Studies
In the late 1990s under Mark Ruge's leadership, the practice undertook an extensive effort to develop and implement a set of core values--integrity, service, and teamwork—which continue to guide the practice today. They have proven essential as a compass during times of maximum danger and distress.
The Public Policy and Law practice develops a set of core values that remains in effect.
1990
The firm experiences significant growth into other legal areas that intersect with government.
1990
The non-lawyer professional career track develops and expands within the office.
1990
The firm experiences significant growth into other legal areas that intersect with government.
By the early 1990s, Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds’ (PGERM) interests extended far beyond maritime policy. PGERM expanded into a broad range of substantive areas that addressed not just legislation, but also regulation and litigation - the full policy lifecycle. A firm brochure in 1993 listed practices such as telecommunications, reinsurance, insurance, high technology, antitrust, trade, government contracts, energy, environment, and tax among the firm’s focuses.
The firm experiences significant growth into other legal areas that intersect with government.
The non-lawyer professional career track develops and expands within the office.
Another innovation of Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds (PGERM) was the use, and then expanded use, of non-lawyer professionals within a law firm structure. Over time, PGERM developed a non-lawyer track with equivalencies for associates and partners. A non-lawyer professional reached the top level of Policy Group leadership. Today, a significant percentage of the Policy group is made up of non-lawyer lobbyists.
The non-lawyer professional career track develops and expands within the office.
At the same time as the Shidler merger in 1990, the Policy group negotiated an agreement to rename the Washington, D.C., office as Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds (PGERM), a partner firm to the main firm. It was a semi-autonomous arrangement for PGERM that continued for the next 16 years.
Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds sets up a separate partnership in Washington, D.C.
1990
Jim Ellis, partner at Preston Gates Ellis & Rouvelas Meeds, attends a 1990 merger celebration.
— Tim Peckinpaugh, partner
The Shidler firm was more business focused. Our Seattle firm was known as more of a community- and municipal-focused firm. It was actually a very good merger in that context, blending the two characteristics. The merger brought in a whole new crop of clients.
In 1990, Preston Thorgrimson Ellis & Holman merged with Shidler McBroom Gates and Lucas, another Seattle-based firm—the most famous lawyer of which was Bill Gates II, the father of Bill Gates III, the chairman of Microsoft—to form the firm that eventually would be named Preston Gates & Ellis.
The firm experiences its first merger with Shidler McBroom Gates and Lucas.
1990
George H.W. Bush 1989-1993 | William J. Clinton 1993-2001
George H.W. Bush 1989-1993
William J. Clinton 1993-2001
Case Studies
1990
The firm moves to the American Institute of Architects building, its home for the next nearly 25 years.
1983
The firm expands its scope beyond maritime policy work.
1980
The firm moves to the American Institute of Architects building, its home for the next nearly 25 years.
“All along, the place I had really wanted for our offices was the American Institute of Architects building. I loved that building because it was distinctive, and because if you were commuting from Virginia, which is where I commuted from, there were far less red lights. I checked with them about space in the ‘70s, but the only thing they had was a full floor, and we couldn't afford it. One day, 20 years later, I'm sitting at this dinner, and the guy next to me is the head of AIA. I turned to him and said, ‘You know, I've been trying to get in your building for 20 years, but you never have any room for me.’ We actually cut the deal on a handshake within 15 minutes, and we stayed there for nearly 25 years [from about 1983 to 2007]. — Manny Rouvelas, founding partner
“All along, the place I had really wanted for our offices was the American Institute of Architects building. I loved that building because it was distinctive, and because if you were commuting from Virginia, which is where I commuted from, there were far less red lights. I checked with them about space in the ‘70s, but the only thing they had was a full floor, and we couldn't afford it. One day, 20 years later, I'm sitting at this dinner, and the guy next to me is the head of AIA. I turned to him and said, ‘You know, I've been trying to get in your building for 20 years, but you never have any room for me.’ We actually cut the deal on a handshake within 15 minutes, and we stayed there for nearly 25 years [from about 1983 to 2007].
— Manny Rouvelas, founding partner
The firm moves to the American Institute of Architects building, its home for the next nearly 25 years.
The firm expands its scope beyond maritime policy work.
In addition to becoming more bipartisan, another major change in the 1980s was the scope of the firm, which previously was overwhelmingly maritime policy work. “We began growing beyond maritime policy. We were bringing in lawyers who were [traditional] lawyers but also turning the maritime practice from a pure policy practice into a litigation practice, too. We worried a bit that we were overly concentrated in a single American industry: maritime. That was a big part of the motivation to diversify.” — Jonathan Blank, retired partner
The firm expands its scope beyond maritime policy work.
A lot changed in Washington, D.C., in 1980 when Republican Ronald Reagan was elected president. The change was particularly significant for Manny Rouvelas, founding partner, and his team, which was mostly composed of Democrats at the time.
“Suddenly we couldn’t get our phone calls answered,” Manny Rouvelas remembers. After the Reagan landslide, it was time to become more bipartisan. “It's a very different era. I was actually a member of a Reagan transition team for maritime, and I was asked: ‘Do you think your party affiliation would blur your judgment in terms of what we have to be doing in maritime?” I said, 'No.' And he said, 'Fine. You're on.'”
The election of Ronald Reagan creates a revolution in the firm.
1980
James E. Carter, Jr. 1977-1981 | Ronald W. Reagan 1981-1989 | George H.W. Bush 1989-1993
James E. Carter, Jr. 1977-1981
Ronald W. Reagan 1981-1989
James E. Carter, Jr. 1977-1981
Case Studies
1980
After learning that Washington, D.C., had C-SPAN capabilities for live coverage of the House and Senate, but no way for District residents to access the coverage, the firm became the first lobby shop in the city to purchase a microwave antenna. To help offset the cost, it subleased time to friends of the firm. It was an early use of technology that became a hallmark of the firm.
C-SPAN makes it possible to connect with broadcasts of live Congressional floor proceedings.
“In the 1970s, our firm and particularly one of our earliest associates, Bob Thomson, played a major role in reinstituting televised presidential debates. There were no TV presidential debates between 1960 and 1976, ever since the Nixon-Kennedy debate. But Bob's legal analysis regarding the equal time doctrine made it possible to reinterpret the rules and have debates again starting in 1976—thus shaping and changing every presidential election since, for better or for worse.” — Manny Rouvelas, founding partner
The firm is instrumental in bringing back Presidential debates, which hadn’t been held since 1960.
“In 1979, former Congressman Lloyd Meeds [D-MT] joined us after he retired from Congress, the first of many former Members of Congress. He was one of our earliest D.C. partners, and he had a continuing influence until and after his death in 2005. Lloyd was straight talking, Montana born, and served as a prosecutor and US Attorney in the State of Washington before being elected to 14 years in Congress. He was also one of the few members of Congress to leave voluntarily on an issue of conscience. He was recognized as the hardest-working, most effective former member of Congress in his years with us.”
— Manny Rouvelas, founding partner
Lloyd Meeds becomes the practice’s first former members of Congress.
1979
Lloyd Meeds, the first Congressman to join the practice, attends a 1990 merger celebration.
In addition to Lloyd Meeds, others were Senator Thomas Slade Gorton III (R-WA, who also served as Washington State Attorney General and as a member of the 911 Commission), and Reps. Robert Davis (R-MI), Jeff Denham (R-CA), Mike Doyle (D-PA), David Funderburk (R-NC and Ambassador to Romania), Bart Gordon (D-TN), John McHugh (R-NY and also a former Secretary of the Army), James Rogan (R-CA), and Jim Walsh (R-NY). Another distinguished member of the practice area was Dick Thornburgh (R-PA), former Pennsylvania governor and US Attorney General. Over the years, many members of the practice served as Congressional leadership staff or had White House or senior agency experience prior to joining the firm. Still others went on to high-level government or elected positions after leaving the firm.
A total of 10 former members of Congress have worked for the practice over the years.
“We started the office less than two weeks after the Watergate hearings began. The hearings were during the day, but they would replay every night on a lot of the TV stations. It was a very interesting time. It certainly reset the politics and led to many changes. Before that, there'd been no campaign finance laws at all. It really wasn't until Watergate that you got the political campaign limitations and disclosure requirements at the Federal Elections Commission. All that actually made the system a lot better.” — Manny Rouvelas, founding partner
The Watergate hearings address the issues of the Nixon administration and introduce lobbying disclosures and restrictions.
1973
— Manny Rouvelas, founding partner
The address was 1620 I Street, so it's literally only about a block from where we are now, right around the corner. We were among the earliest law firms to open a D.C. office. Few law firms had serious lobbying operations when we started, so we were among the earliest pioneers. Several of our early partners, like Jonathan Blank and Bill Myhre, were especially key parts of our early and continuing success.
When Manny Rouvelas decided to leave the Senate, he opened the first-ever East Coast office for Preston Thorgrimson Ellis Holman & Fletcher. The new, one-man law and lobbying office quickly became well known and immediately successful as, primarily, a maritime policy boutique. As the pioneer in the placement of a policy group in a law firm, Manny believed that a law firm offered the best possible structure to address government issues throughout the entire policy lifecyle - including Congressional legislation, followed by agency interpretation and regulation, and sometimes followed by litigation. Manny arrived on the scene at the beginning of the modern era of lobbying.
Manny Rouvelas opens Washington, D.C., office with just a card table and a phone.
1 June 1973
Marilyn Rouvelas, wife of Manny Rouvelas, attends a 1990 merger celebration.
Richard M. Nixon 1969-1974 | Gerald R. Ford 1974-1977 | James E. Carter, Jr. 1977-1981
Richard M. Nixon 1969-1974
Gerald R. Ford 1974-1977
James E. Carter, Jr. 1977-1981
Case Studies
1970
When Manny left the Senate staff several years later, he began a 50-year journey of finding a way to meet the public policy needs of clients in many industries. He was joined by talented and insightful lawyers and policy professionals who diligently help clients to achieve their policy and business goals.
In 1973, Manny was again recruited by Grinstein—then a partner with Preston Thorgrimson Ellis Holman & Fletcher in Seattle, which was founded by Harold Preston in 1883—to open the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. That began a 50-year journey of finding a way to meet the public policy needs of clients in many industries. He was joined by talented and insightful lawyers and policy professionals who diligently help clients to achieve their policy and business goals.
Join us for a brief look at the history of this groundbreaking practice.
Manny Rouvelas was recruited in 1969 by Gerald Grinstein, chief of staff to Chairman Warren Magnuson (D-WA), as counsel to the US Senate Committee on Commerce and as chief counsel to its Merchant Marine and Foreign Commerce Subcommittees, serving Senators Magnuson, Russell Long (D-LA), and Daniel Inouye (D-HI). Manny had lead staff responsibility for the enactment of 32 public laws.
"Finding A Way" Through 50 Years of Public Policy and Law
2010s
2000s
1990s
1980s
1970s
"Finding A Way" Through 50 Years of Public Policy and Law
Visit our 50th anniversary page to learn more about our Public Policy and Law practice
Visit our 50th anniversary page to learn more about our Public Policy and Law practice
Visit our 50th anniversary page to learn more about our Public Policy and Law practice