Expanding the Effective Advocate’s Toolbox: Understanding the Legal and Ethical Landscape of Lobbying (Presented by the Federal Bar Association’s Professional Development Committee Government Relations Subcommittee)

Senator Byron Dorgan, Senior Policy Advisor | ArentFox Schiff LLP

Senator Dorgan is a former U.S. Senator and Congressman who represented North Dakota in Congress for 30 years.

• Education & Credentials

Senator Dorgan earned his B.S. in political science from the University of North Dakota and his M.B.A. from the University of Denver.

• Recognition & Leadership

During his 18 years in the U.S. Senate, he served as Assistant Democratic Floor Leader and Chairman of the Democratic Policy Committee and on the Appropriations Committee, the Energy Committee, and the Commerce Science and Transportation Committee. He is a New York Times Bestselling Author of five books.

• Professional Involvement

He serves as Co-Chair of ArentFox Schiff’s Government Relations practice and sits on the Board of Directors of the Former Members of Congress organization. He has served as a Commissioner on the U.S.–China Economic and Security Review Commission, as a Senior Fellow at the Bipartisan Policy Center, and as an Adjunct Visiting Professor at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy.

• Experience

In the U.S. House of Representatives, Senator Dorgan served for 10 years on the House Ways and Means Committee, working on tax and health care issues. A Senior Policy Advisor at ArentFox Schiff, Senator Dorgan has remained active in policy and public affairs, including as a nationally recognized voice on tax, energy, technology, trade, national security, defense, and infrastructure policy.

Dan H. Renberg, Partner and Government Relations Practice Co-Leader | ArentFox Schiff LLP

Dan has worked in Washington, DC, for more than 25 years, either in public service or as an advocate before Congress and the Executive Branch.

• Education & Credentials

Dan earned his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and an M.A. from the University of Virginia (both 1990), after an A.B., cum laude, from Princeton University (1986). He is admitted to the District of Columbia Bar.

• Recognition & Leadership

Dan has been recognized for his government relations work by The Best Lawyers in America, the nation’s oldest peer review directory for lawyers, every year since 2014. One of his advocacy efforts was named among The Hill’s “Top 10 Lobbying Triumphs of 2009.”

• Professional Involvement

Dan serves as ad hoc Government Relations Counsel on the Federal Bar Association’s Government Relations Committee, alongside Cissy Jackson. He leads ArentFox Schiff’s engagement as the FBA’s outside government relations counsel. At the firm, he co-leads the Government Relations practice group and also serves in the International Trade and Transactions practice group.

• Experience

He is the former Legislative Director and Deputy Chief of Staff to U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) and a former Presidentially appointed Member of the Board of Directors of the Export-Import Bank of the United States. At ArentFox Schiff, Dan represents corporate, association, and nonprofit clients, providing innovative strategic planning and tireless advocacy in the nation’s capital on issues that include health, trade, tax, energy, Medicare reimbursement, transportation infrastructure, biomedical research, and economic development policy.

Cissy Jackson, Counsel | ArentFox Schiff LLP

Cissy’s multidisciplinary practice at ArentFox Schiff combines her years of litigation experience with her recent work in the U.S. Senate.

• Education & Credentials

Cissy earned her J.D. from Vanderbilt University School of Law (1990), where she was elected to the Order of the Coif and was a Patrick Wilson Scholar, and her B.A., with honors, from the University of Virginia (1987). She is admitted to the District of Columbia Bar, the Alabama Bar, and the Supreme Court of the United States.

• Recognition & Leadership

Cissy is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress. She also serves as ad hoc Government Relations Counsel on the Federal Bar Association’s Government Relations Committee, alongside Dan Renberg, and co-leads ArentFox Schiff’s engagement as the FBA’s government relations counsel.

• Professional Involvement

She authors the FBA’s Beltway Bulletin column in The Federal Lawyer, the journal of the Federal Bar Association.

• Experience

She served as both Counsel and National Security Adviser to Senator Doug Jones of Alabama, advising the Senator on legislation, votes, and policy and working with bipartisan Congressional colleagues, senior Pentagon leadership, and defense industry stakeholders to draft and enact the FY20 and FY21 National Defense Authorization Acts and Defense Appropriations bills. Before joining the Senator’s staff, Cissy was in the private practice of law, handling insurance fraud and bad faith, products liability, white collar, False Claims Act, grand jury investigation, and commercial property tax appeal matters. At ArentFox Schiff, Cissy helps clients develop and implement successful advocacy strategies on bipartisan and nonpartisan policy issues involving the federal courts, national security, and trade, as well as represents clients in complex civil, False Claims Act, and white collar criminal litigation matters in state and federal courts.

After graduating from law school, she served as a law clerk to the Honorable Sam C. Pointer, Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama.

Mary Grace Guzman, Professional Responsibility Counsel | ArentFox Schiff LLP

Mary Grace is a dedicated ethics and professional responsibility attorney with a proven track record of achievement in individual cases and investigations, program and procedure design, and litigation assistance related to professional misconduct cases.

• Education & Credentials

Mary Grace earned her J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law (2008) and her B.A. in Anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley (1996). She is admitted to the California Bar.

• Recognition & Leadership

A thought leader in the area of professional responsibility, Mary Grace is frequently tapped to speak and write on developing issues and has led numerous trainings on the nuances of the topic.

• Professional Involvement

In addition, she has served as an adjunct professor teaching Professional Responsibility at the Thomas Jefferson School of Law in San Diego and the John F. Kennedy School of Law in Pleasant Hill, California.

• Experience

She worked on the landmark case that allowed undocumented individuals to become licensed attorneys in California (In Re Garcia [2014] 38 Cal.4th 4440).

Maura Black, Partner | Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD

Maura is a Partner at Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD in Providence, Rhode Island, where she specializes in representing disabled veterans and their families before the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Board of Veterans’ Appeals.

• Education & Credentials

Maura earned her J.D., magna cum laude, from Roger Williams University School of Law (2014), where she served as an Articles Editor of the Roger Williams University Law Review. She is admitted to practice in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island, and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

• Recognition & Leadership

She chaired the FBA’s Sections & Divisions Council and now chairs the Government Relations Committee. In 2025, she earned the FBA’s President’s Award in recognition of outstanding leadership and dedication to the FBA and to advancing the legal profession.

• Professional Involvement

Maura is also an active member of the Federal Bar Association. She has served in leadership positions in the FBA’s Veterans and Military Law Section and Rhode Island Chapter; as a member of the standing Membership Committee; and as a participant in award selection and program planning committees.

• Experience

Throughout her career, she has represented hundreds of veterans and their dependents in their pursuit of VA benefits before both the VA and the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. She has presented and organized numerous continuing legal education events that have focused on service-connected VA benefits and appeals, VA’s appeals reform legislation, and petitions for writs of mandamus at the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.

SESSION 1 – Expanding the Effective Advocate’s Toolbox: Understanding the Legal and Ethical Landscape of Lobbying (Presented by the Federal Bar Association’s Professional Development Committee Government Relations Subcommittee) | 2:00pm – 3:00pm

In light of the 2026 midterm elections, this program will examine the federal political landscape, implications for legislation and policymaking, and the legal and ethical frameworks governing lobbying. The program will begin with an overview and analysis of the 2026 midterm elections before turning to a practical discussion of lobbying and its role in client advocacy. Panelists will explore the laws governing lobbying activities, key compliance obligations, and ethical considerations for attorneys and other professionals involved in advocacy and government relations.

Moderated by Maura Black, the panel will feature former U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan and his colleagues at ArentFox Schiff LLP, Dan Renberg, Cissy Jackson, and Mary Grace Guzman, bringing together perspectives on elections, government relations, lobbying law, and professional responsibility.