DCSIMG

Legislative Practice

In the aftermath of the Columbine High School shootings in Colorado, a Colorado gun control advocacy group, Sane Alternatives to the Firearms Epidemic (SAFE), led by Denver attorney John Head, organized a "children's march" on Washington, D.C. On July 15, 1999, a group of about 95 Denver area high school students, including six from Littleton, descended on Capitol Hill on a mission to convince members of Congress to adopt more stringent gun control restrictions.

Most lobbyists have to persuade members of Congress to spend a few minutes with them, but the Denver students found politicians willing and even eager to meet with them. They met privately with President Bill Clinton and posed for pictures with Vice President Al Gore and Representative Richard Gephardt (D-MO), House Democratic Leader. They met with Colorado's two senators and six representatives as well as with more than 20 lawmakers thought to be swing voters on the issue of gun control.

Despite their extensive preparation for their meetings with legislators and their warm reception in the Capitol, the students soon learned that lobbying is an arduous process, and that it can be difficult at best to have an impact on a legislator's vote. One of the group's chaperones told the New York Times that President Clinton's advice to the students was to increase the numbers of involved students in Colorado, create similar student groups in other states, and return for another lobbying effort next year.

Lawyers play an important role in the legislative process, working both for the government and for special interest groups at all levels of government. Lawyers work for senators, representatives, city council members, and other public servants, as well as for all types of government committees. In addition, they work for professional and trade associations and special interest groups, monitoring legislation that affects particular industries, such as health care, or interests, such as the environment; they also work as lobbyists. Law firm attorneys may also specialize in legislative and regulatory affairs.

Reproduced from The Official Guide to Legal Specialties with permission. (c) 2000 Thomson Reuters/West. For additional information on this publication please visit  http://west.thomson.com/products/law-students. Copyright granted via e-mail by Donna Gies, September 16, 2008.