Foley Gets Job At D.C. Law, Lobbying Firm The Former Speaker Will Specialize In International Affairs As He Practices Law For The First Time Since 1961
Tom Foley will specialize in international affairs in the Washington, D.C., office of a law firm that lobbies on behalf of large companies.
The former speaker of the House joined the firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld as a partner, the firm announced Thursday.
“We believe his legal and diplomatic skills will be a tremendous asset as we continue to build our firm,” the company said in a statement.
“In view of his excellent judgment and impeccable reputation, as well as his extensive experience in dealing with sensitive and complex situations over the years, Speaker Foley will also advise firm clients on a variety of matters of legal and corporate strategy, including corporate governance, dispute resolution and negotiations.”
The firm is based in Dallas but maintains a large office in the nation’s capital to lobby for its long list of clients. Among them are American Airlines, AT&T, Burger King, Miller Brewing Co., Nestle’s, RJR Nabisco, Shell Oil and Time-Warner.
After 30 years in the House, Foley lost his 1994 campaign for Eastern Washington’s 5th Congressional District seat to Republican George Nethercutt. The Spokane Democrat was the first House speaker to lose a re-election campaign in 134 years.
Akin, Gump employs more than 500 attorneys in Washington; New York; Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Austin, Texas; Brussels, Belgium; and Moscow.
The law firm also operates a political action committee, which contributed more than $267,000 to congressional campaigns in 1990, the last year for which figures are readily available.
About three-fourths of its contributions went to Democratic candidates, according to Federal Election Commission reports.
Foley hasn’t practiced law since 1961.
“I look forward to the challenge of helping American companies position themselves to compete successfully in an increasingly competitive marketplace,” he said.
Foley graduated from the University of Washington Law School.
He was a deputy prosecutor in Spokane County, a state assistant attorney general and an instructor at the Gonzaga University School of Law before becoming a U.S. Senate staff attorney in 1961.