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William A. (Bill) Powers
Partner
(he, him, his)
Overview
Bill Powers advises nonprofits, PACs, and innovative companies on all aspects of political law and compliance, equipping them to leverage current legal and regulatory trends to maximize political and business outcomes. With almost 20 years in private practice and government, he adeptly guides clients on federal laws, including the Federal Election Campaign Act and Lobbying Disclosure Act; U.S. House and Senate Ethics Rules; Foreign Agents Registration Act, and similar rules at the state and local levels.
Navigating the intersecting variables between private sector innovation and regulatory frameworks, Bill helps his clients translate creative approaches into effective compliance strategies. His unique depth of government and private sector knowledge helps clients bring to market and advance groundbreaking ideas in politics, digital media, and emerging sectors at the intersection of politics and technology. With a background that includes serving as Assistant General Counsel for Enforcement for the Federal Election Commission (FEC), Bill effectively and efficiently resolves client matters before federal and state agencies regulating campaign finances, gifts and gratuities, lobbying, ethics, and pay-to-play.
Additionally, Bill conducts internal investigations and provides white-collar defense with a focus on matters related to election law, bribery, and ethics statutes. He has represented clients before the U.S. Department of Justice, FEC, and the Internal Revenue Service.
Credentials
Education
- University of Connecticut School of Law, 2006 (J.D.), magna cum laude
- University of Massachusetts Amherst, 2003 (B.A., B.S.), summa cum laude
- Counseled leading campaign-tech company in connection with election laws, telecom regulations, and privacy rules.
- Secured favorable FEC Advisory Opinions for novel fundraising platforms leveraging unique facets of social media and the internet.
- Advised multiple tech start-ups on bringing products to market and complying with FEC rules as vendors to presidential and other federal campaigns.
- Served as FEC counsel to outside Hybrid and Super PACs supporting presidential candidates.
- Provided counsel to Presidential draft committee encouraging popular senator to declare for office.
- Represented PACs seeking to leverage music, film, and other forms of entertainment into Get-Out-The-Vote (GOTV) drives and other forms of political activism.
- Advised corporations, trade associations, and other nonprofits in formation and operation of Federal PACs.
- Successfully defended multiple FEC and state enforcement complaints.
- Lead internal audits of PACs for FEC compliance and adherence to best practices.
- Advised lobbying firms and corporate government relations departments on federal Lobbying Disclosure Act rules, as well as oversaw broader ethics compliance programs.
- Managed 50-state compliance program for Fortune 50 financial company involving lobbying, ethics, and pay-to-play laws including those of the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
- Helped lobbyists, corporations, and associations navigate Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) rules and regulations.
- Aided in the formation of and provided counsel to multiple 501(c)(3) public charities, 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations, and 501(c)(6) trade associations and successfully applied for tax exempt determinations from the IRS.
- Chambers USA, Political Law – Nationwide, 2021-2022
- “Campaign Vendors Are the Next Clawback Targets in FTX Bankruptcy,” Bloomberg Law, March 2023
- “Is Crypto a Security or Commodity? Look to Congress’ Ethics Rules,” Bloomberg Law, July 2022
- “California Charts Regulatory Path for NFTs in Campaign Finance,” Law360, May 2022
- “What Biden’s Ethics Pledge Means for Gov’t Revolving Door,” Law360, February 2021
- “The Integrity of the Profession: Discrimination, Harassment, and Attorney Misconduct,” Transportation Research Board, 59th Annual Workshop on Transportation Law, September 2020
- “Politics at the Water Cooler: What’s NSFW?,” American Public Power Association, 2019 Legal & Regulatory Conference, October 2019
- “Trump’s Tweets: A Warning to Public Officials,” Daily Journal, August 2019
- “Hot Topics in Trade Association Law,” DC Bar, Tax Exempt Community, May 2019
- “Politics in the Workplace,” American Society of Association Executives, Webinar, March 2017