Practice Contacts
Campaign Finance and Election Law
In addition to our traditional Government Relations practice, Bowles Rice frequently represents clients in campaign finance and election law matters at both the state and federal levels. Our team includes lawyers with high-level experience and involvement in elections and election spending efforts at all levels of government.
Among the matters our team has handled successfully are:
- Advising clients as to common campaign finance and election law pitfalls
- Assisting with campaign and election-related legal research
- Navigating excess levy, local ordinance and ballot initiative election law matters
- Consulting with candidates on election law matters
- Providing public relations/communications support for clients on campaign finance and election matters
- Drafting of campaign finance reform legislation
- Processing association and political organization formations and filings
- Briefing and arguing election law cases in both state and federal courts
- Candidate eligibility challenges
- Statutory and constitutional election law challenges
- Preparing amicus curiae briefs on matters of concern to firm clients
- Offering workshops and seminars on effective grassroots and political campaigns.
CAMPAIGN FINANCE
In West Virginia, our attorneys have experience with the full range of issues that traditionally arise in campaign finance and election law matters, including navigating the state’s limits with respect to contributions, expenditures and disclosure requirements.
Bowles Rice attorneys are equipped to assist both candidates and third-party organizations as they seek legal advice with respect to election law requirements. Whether it is general campaign finance reports, loan agreements, or the formation of independent expenditure, electioneering communication or issue advocacy organizations, Bowles Rice has the experience to handle all of your state election law needs.
At the federal level, we’ve also helped clients navigate the myriad of campaign finance regulations imposed by the Federal Election Commission, and have assisted clients with the formation and management of a wide-variety of political organizations, including the so-called “SuperPACs” created by the Supreme Court of the United States’ Citizens United decision.
ELECTION LAW
Bowles Rice attorneys also regularly deal with the West Virginia Secretary of State’s office on compliance matters, and have successfully handled high-profile election law disputes at both the circuit court level and the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals.
Members of the practice group often call upon their extensive government relations experience to follow and even anticipate substantive campaign finance and election law developments. As a result, Bowles Rice attorneys have been involved in some of the most high-profile West Virginia election law cases in recent years, including: