Administrative Law & Public Policy

Hance Scarborough’s practice of administrative law involves the representation of individuals, businesses and governments before the executive branch of government. In a climate of intensive governmental scrutiny, corporations and other organizations must maintain a year-round vigilance on public policy issues that directly affect the well being of their stakeholders and constituencies.

Clients count on us not only to deal with pending legislative and regulator matters but also to anticipate and address issues before they become legislative or regulatory proposals. The firm provides excellent public advocacy for our clients on legislative, regulatory and duties at all levels of government: local, state and federal. The firm can both protect and prosecute the legal rights duties and obligations of its clients that are affected by legislation and regulation.

We provide an array of services to help our clients attain their public policy objectives, Including:

• Representation before legislative bodies and regulatory agencies, both state and federal
• Permitting and enforcement representation
• Policy strategy development
• Issue tracking and management
• Ethics law compliance
• Legislative research and analysis
• Bill drafting
• Monitoring legislative, regulatory and political campaign activities
• Grassroots and media strategies

Unlike litigation wherein the courts are the forum for redressing legal rights, administrative law involves matters before state and federal agencies. Licensing of regulated activities, regulatory compliance and enforcement matters are initiated, processed and decided upon within an administrative agency. Agencies maintain a staff of regulators who often include attorneys, engineers, technicians, accountants, administrators, and other professionals. The scope of legal representation involves negotiation and communication with agency regulators, interpretation of regulatory requirements and representation at evidentiary hearings before administrative law judges and agency decision makers.

Almost all areas of personal and business activity is affected by agency regulations. From lawyers, doctors, real estate brokers, and beauticians to shippers, oil well drillers, city landfills and telephone utilities, all are in some fashion regulated by administrative agencies. The firm’s practice of administrative law encompasses these vast subject matters. The firm can both protect and prosecute the legal rights, duties and obligations of its clients that are affected by regulation.