Hunter Bates > Akin > Washington DC, United States > Lawyer Profile
Akin Offices
Robert S. Strauss Tower
2001 K Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20006-1037
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
United States
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Hunter Bates
Work Department
Partner; Lobbying & Public Policy
Position
Hunter Bates is co-leader of Akin’s lobbying & public policy practice and on the firm’s Management Committee, bringing more than 20 years of law, policy and advocacy experience to his client work. Hunter combines his extensive knowledge of policy and process with his close connections to key players to provide strategic advice and advocacy on behalf of a wide range of clients, including Fortune 100 companies, trade associations, coalitions and nonprofit organizations. Hunter brings to his client engagements a deep understanding of the intricacies of the legislative process and extensive experience working with members of the Senate and House on wide-ranging issues such as tax, trade, appropriations, healthcare, labor and sports law.
Repeatedly named among the country’s “Top Lobbyists” by The Hill, Hunter’s ability to mobilize support and drive meaningful policy outcomes is a testament to his unwavering commitment to achieving tangible results for his clients.
To learn more about Hunter, please visit his profile: https://www.akingump.com/en/lawyers-advisors/hunter-bates.html
Career
Hunter served as legal counsel and then chief of staff for current U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). He also clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit for the Honorable Eugene E. Siler, Jr.
Memberships
District of Columbia Bar Association; Kentucky Bar Association
Member, board of directors, Institute for Free Speech.
Education
J.D., Harvard Law School
B.A., Eastern Kentucky University, magna cum laude
Lawyer Rankings
United States > Government > Government relations
(Leading partners)The full-service lobbying and public policy practice at Akin has a wealth of experience advocating and liaising before congressional committees and the executive branches of government. The team has in-depth knowledge of the political process and regularly advocates for clients across a range of sectors, including technology, automotive, energy, TMT, healthcare and entertainment, with recent expansion in the AI and gig economy fields. The bipartisan practice is jointly led by Hunter Bates, who maintains excellent relationships with the senate and the house to advocate for Fortune 100 and trade associations, and Brian Pomper, who is sought out for his expertise in public policy, regulatory, political advisory and international trade services. The firm houses notable tax lobbyists Jeffrey McMillen and Zachary Rudisill, while Ed Pagano works primarily on antitrust, communications, immigration reform, tech and AI legislative matters. Hans Rickhoff is a further name to note, advising foreign sovereign governments through the US legislative and regulatory landscape, while recently promoted partner Christopher Treanor specialises in the field of climate, energy and environmental policies. Among the teams recent departures were Brendan Dunn and Arshi Siddiqui who left in October 2024 to government relations services companies, while Dario Frommer left the practice for Mayer Brown in 2024. In December 2024 Joe Donnelly rejoined the practice after having served as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See for 2 years.
Lawyer Rankings
- Government relations United States > Government
- Leading partners United States > Government > Government relations
Top Tier Firm Rankings
- International trade and national security > Customs, export controls and economic sanctions
- Government > Government relations
- Finance > Restructuring (including bankruptcy): corporate
- International trade and national security > Trade remedies and trade policy
Firm Rankings
- Investment fund formation and management > Alternative/hedge funds
- Media, technology and telecoms > Cyber law (including data privacy and data protection)
- Industry focus > Education
- Energy > Energy transactions: oil and gas
- Industry focus > Native American law
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Corporate governance
- Government > Government contracts
- Media, technology and telecoms > Media and entertainment: transactional
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Private equity buyouts: middle-market (Up to $500m)
- Investment fund formation and management > Private equity funds (including venture capital)
- Energy > Renewable/alternative power
- Dispute resolution > Securities litigation: defense
- M&A/corporate and commercial > Shareholder activism
- Media, technology and telecoms > Telecoms and broadcast: regulatory
- Finance > Capital markets: debt offerings
- Finance > Capital markets: high-yield debt offerings
- International trade and national security > CFIUS
- Energy > Energy transactions: electric power
- Environment > Environment: transactional
- Dispute resolution > General commercial disputes
- Labor and employment > Labor and employment disputes (including collective actions)
- Antitrust > Merger control
- Finance > Project finance
- Real estate > Real estate
- Tax > US taxes: non-contentious
- Finance > Commercial lending
- Finance > Commercial lending > Advice to direct lenders/private credit
- Healthcare > Life sciences
- Intellectual property > Patents: litigation (full coverage)
- Industry focus > Sport
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: large deals ($1bn+)
- Dispute resolution > Appellate: courts of appeals / Appellate: supreme courts (states and federal)
- Dispute resolution > Corporate investigations and white-collar criminal defense
- M&A/corporate and commercial > M&A: middle-market (sub-$500m)