Overview
Bill Powers represents nonprofits, PACs and companies of all sizes, advising them on how to leverage the legal and regulatory landscape to maximize their political and business objectives. Bill’s practice lies at the intersection of policy and innovation, helping clients bring to market and advance groundbreaking ideas in politics, digital media and emerging sectors, such as green tech and gov tech. Bill deploys his unique blend of government experience, which includes serving as an Assistant General Counsel for Enforcement for the Federal Election Commission (FEC), and private sector know-how to resolve clients’ matters before federal and state agencies regulating campaign finance, gifts and gratuities, lobbying, ethics and pay-to-play.
Bill’s clients include national advocacy organizations, start-up tech ventures, as well as multi-national corporations and their government affairs departments. He also serves as counsel to individuals, ballot measure committees, Super PACs, and tax-exempt, nonprofit organizations, such as 501(c)(3) charities, 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations and 501(c)(6) trade associations.
Bill provides guidance in all aspects of political law, including:
- Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) and Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA or McCain-Feingold);
- Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA);
- U.S. House and Senate Ethics Rules;
- Financial Disclosure requirements and the STOCK Act;
- Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA);
- Similar rules at the state, local and municipal level.
Bill's practice also involves internal investigations and white-collar defense, especially those related to election law, bribery, and anti-corruption statutes, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA). He represents clients facing parallel or overlapping criminal and civil investigations, including those before by the Department of Justice (DOJ), FEC, and Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
Experience
Experience
Helping PACs and Advocacy Campaigns
- Counsel to 2020 Presidential draft committee encouraging popular senator to declare for office;
- Represents first-of-its-kind Hybrid PAC that enables musicians to leverage social media platforms to transform enthusiasm into political activism;
- Advises multi-national corporation in formation and operation of Federal PAC, while achieving fundraising and participation goals during launch;
- Counsels multi-state, strategic effort to educate and engage millennials and other disenchanted citizens in the political process; and
- Guides nonprofits, major donors, and other entities with ballot measure compliance in states such as California, Florida, Massachusetts, Oregon, and Washington, as well as in major municipalities.
Regulatory Enforcement Defense
- Successfully defended multiple FEC and state enforcement complaints;
- Guided major nonprofits through state-level lobbying audit and advises on future compliance;
- Conducts internal investigations for corporations and other clients related to financial discrepancies; and
- Leads internal audits of PACs for FEC compliance and adherence to best practices.
Corporate Ethics Compliance and Tax Counseling
- Manages 50-state compliance program for Fortune 50 financial company involving lobbying, ethics, and pay-to-play laws including those of the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC), the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board (MSRB), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC);
- Formation of and counsel to 501(c)(3) public charities, 501(c)(4) social welfare organizations, and 501(c)(6) trade associations, including successfully applying for tax exempt determinations from the IRS; and
Advising Tech Ventures and Start-Ups
- Counsel to online platform that integrates social media and fundraising tools; and
- Advises tech start-ups on bringing their products to market and complying with FEC rules as vendors to presidential and other federal campaigns.
Insights
Publications
Speaking Engagements
News
Organizations
Community & Professional
Policy Advisor to 2020 Presidential Candidate for the Democratic Nomination (Democracy Reform Issues)
Founding Member, 2020 Lawyers Guild, Ballot Initiative Strategy Center
DC Bar, Taxation Community
Honors
Honors & Recognitions
Individual recognition for Political Law – Nationwide, Chambers USA, 2021-2022
Practices
Education
- University of Connecticut School of Law, J.D., magna cum laude
- University of Massachusetts Amherst, B.A / B.S., summa cum laude
Admissions
- District of Columbia
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusetts