Key Aide to Georgia Speaker of the House Joins Firm
May 9, 2005
Benjamin Vinson and Meredith Spence are joining the Government Affairs group of McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP as members of the state and local government practice. Benjamin Vinson will serve as a government affairs associate and Meredith Spence will serve as government affairs manager. Both will be based in the firm's Atlanta office and will counsel clients on state and local legislative issues. McKenna Long & Aldridge's Government Affairs practice provides strategic solutions to matters involving the intersection of government and business in order to manage issues and produce results for clients with business needs that require impacting government policy.
"The members of McKenna Long & Aldridge's Government Affairs practice pride themselves in their first-hand knowledge of the processes and operations of government," said Eric Tanenblatt, head of the firm's Government Affairs practice. "The addition of Benjamin Vinson and Meredith Spence further strengthens our team by adding more professionals with key governmental experience."
Most recently, Mr. Vinson worked with the Georgia House of Representatives serving as counsel to the Majority Caucus including Speaker Glenn Richardson. In his role as counsel, he assisted Speaker Richardson and members of the Majority Caucus in researching proposed laws, drafting bills and providing counsel on issues . Prior to working with the Georgia House of Representatives, Mr. Vinson was a business litigation associate with the Atlanta office of a law firm. Mr. Vinson clerked with the United States District Court in Alabama and also served as counsel to the Administration Floor Leader of the Georgia House of Representativ es in 2003.
Meredith Spence joins the Government Affairs practice from the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce where she was director of public policy. In this role, she supported state and local campaigns and organized fundraising, local grassroots and campaign finance efforts. As manager of state government relations for Coca-Cola, Ms. Spence managed the state and local legislative strategy for 16 states. Her responsibilities included identifying and analyzing potential legislative issues impacting Coca-Cola and activating resources to address those issues. Ms. Spence also spent time as a lobby coordinator for Microsoft Corporation and as a special assistant for U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson.
McKenna Long & Aldridge's Government Affairs practice helps private sector clients achieve their business goals in working with government by providing counsel to clients, including businesses, industry associations, charitable non-profits and educational institutions, at the federal, state and local levels of government. Our team members include numerous state and local government appointed and elected officials as well as former members of Congress, diplomats, White House and Administration officials.
About McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP
McKenna Long & Aldridge is a full-service law firm of 350 lawyers and public policy advisors with offices in Atlanta, Brussels, Denver, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington, DC. The firm provides business solutions in the areas of corporate law, government contracts, intellectual property and technology, complex litigation, environmental and regulatory law, public policy and government affairs, international trade, real estate and finance. To learn more about the firm and its services, visit our website at www.mckennalong.com .
# # #