(Washington, D.C. / October 28, 2014) Former U.S. Senator and Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) and leading law and government affairs firm Baker Donelson announced today the formation of The Daschle Group, A Public Policy Advisory of Baker Donelson. The Daschle Group will be a policy affiliate of Baker Donelson, the professional home of former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker (R-TN), and will be a full-service strategic advisory firm that will advise clients on a broad array of economic, policy and political issues.
"Launching The Daschle Group in affiliation with Baker Donelson gives us the opportunity to provide first-class strategic counsel with the support of one of our nation's leading law firms," said Senator Daschle. "Baker Donelson was built on the promise of practical solutions to modern day problems, and I am thrilled that The Daschle Group will be in a position to continue this important legacy."
The Daschle Group, which will be located in Baker Donelson's Washington, D.C. office at 901 K Street Northwest, will work with Baker Donelson's Government Relations and Public Policy Group to advise existing and future clients on wide ranging issues including health care, energy, environmental and transportation.
"Baker Donelson is committed to continuing Senator Baker's legacy of respectful discourse, principled compromise, bipartisanship and finding practical solutions to difficult public policy challenges facing the nation," said Scott Campbell, managing shareholder of the Firm's Washington, D.C. office and president of the Howard Baker Forum. "As a friend and colleague of the late Senator Baker, Senator Daschle shares that commitment to bipartisanship and brings a deep knowledge of the Congress to serve a wide range of clients."
Senator Daschle was elected in 1978 to the U.S. House of Representatives, where he served for eight years. He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1986, and was chosen as Senate Democratic Leader in 1994. Senator Daschle is one of the longest serving Senate Democratic leaders in history and served as both Majority and Minority Leader. During his service in the U.S. Senate, Senator Daschle was actively involved in the most significant public policy issues of the last three decades.
Since his service in the Senate, he has continued to be a thought leader on major policy issues such as health care, climate change, food security and renewable energy. In 2007, Senator Daschle and Senator Baker joined with former Majority Leaders George Mitchell (D-ME) and Bob Dole (R-KS) to create the Bipartisan Policy Center, an organization dedicated to finding common ground on some of the pressing public policy challenges of our time.
Senator Daschle expects to announce several key additions to The Daschle Group in the weeks ahead.
Chair of the Baker Donelson Government Relations and Public Policy Group, Sheila P. Burke, who spent 19 years on Capitol Hill including ten years as Chief of Staff to Former Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, said, "Bipartisan cooperation and strategy coordination across all branches of government is key to our ability to achieve success for our clients. The addition of The Daschle Group to our bipartisan team of well-recognized Washington government relations and public policy professionals builds on our ability to help our clients develop clear public policy strategies."
"With Senator Daschle's bipartisan background and deep knowledge of Congress and Baker Donelson's reputation for an in-depth understanding of federal policymaking and how to reach Washington's decision-makers, this is a powerful combination with a wealth of public and private sector experience," said Baker Donelson Chairman and CEO Ben C. Adams. "We expect that Baker Donelson's partnership with The Daschle Group will make us the firm for bipartisan problem solving as we serve as high impact advocates for our clients."
The Government Relations and Public Policy Group at Baker Donelson provides clients with long-term strategic counsel as well as day-to-day representation, helping to protect and advance clients' business through its deep knowledge of federal policymaking and its consequences for business. The Group was founded by former Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker, who also served as Chief of Staff to President Ronald Reagan and former Ambassador to Japan.