KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Lathrop & Gage L.C. is launching a greatly expanded government relations practice group, leveraging its considerable experience and expertise in the federal, state and local levels of government.

As part of this initiative, the firm has bolstered its presence in Washington, D.C. and assumed lead sponsorship of the Missouri-Kansas Forum. Earlier this year, Lathrop & Gage merged with Craft Fridkin & Rhyne, adding some of the most high-profile government relations attorneys in Kansas City.

The practice group provides counsel in five key areas: congressional relations, administration and regulatory affairs, government contracting, election law and political advocacy, and state and local representation.

It is headed by Jack Craft, a government relations veteran perhaps best known for heading up both Bistate Cultural Tax Campaign efforts. Craft also represents DST Systems Inc. in its conversion of the Main Post Office to an Internal Revenue Service Center, a deal that required congressional approval.

“Government relations expedites problem-solving, not only for our clients, but also our communities, through jobs, safety and business,” Craft said. The IRS post office project is expected to bring 4,000 full-time and 2,000 seasonal jobs to downtown Kansas City; Lathrop & Gage also recently secured funding for its client, Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, for needed capacity and safety improvement projects.

In addition to Craft, the government relations team is comprised of 35 attorneys from the firm's seven offices, all with diverse government experience and connections. Attorneys have worked in many government agencies, including the United States Tax Court, the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Missouri Attorney General's Office, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and the Kansas City Planned Industrial Authority. The team also includes former lobbyists, speechwriters, political consultants and city attorneys, as well as two current Kansas state senators.

In concert with the practice group launch, Lathrop & Gage added three attorneys to its Washington D.C. office; Jack Burkman and Mike Zito joined the firm as of counsel, and Matt Hutson as a legislative assistant. Burkman, a notable federal relations expert and frequent political commentator, concentrates his practice on government relations and legislative strategies. Zito, a former trial attorney at the Federal Trade Commission, practices government relations, trade regulation, real estate and military law. Hutson, a former aide for Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond, will support government relations efforts and monitor legislative activity for the firm's clients.

“Lathrop & Gage has a long-standing history in government relations,” Craft said. “This growth in the Washington D.C. office, along with our participation in the Missouri-Kansas Forum, positions the firm as Midwest business' link to the federal government.”

The Missouri-Kansas Forum holds regular breakfasts in Washington, bringing Missouri and Kansas businesspeople to meet their federal representatives. In May, Lathrop & Gage will cohost a reception with the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce for local attendees of the forum.

Lathrop & Gage L.C. is a full-service law firm with offices in Kansas City, Mo., St. Louis, Mo., Jefferson City, Mo., Springfield, Mo., Overland Park, Kan., Boulder, Colo., and Washington, D.C., with a regional, national and international practice in corporate, litigation, environmental, intellectual property, labor and employment, health care, real estate, financial institutions, tax, wealth strategies, bankruptcy and creditors' rights and tort litigation. For more information, visit www.lathropgage.com.