Brian Svoboda

Brian G. Svoboda, a partner in the firm's Political Law group, helps clients navigate the increasingly complex laws that govern the political process. He advises clients on federal campaign finance laws, Congressional ethics rules, and criminal laws affecting electoral and legislative activity. His work often brings him before the Federal Election Commission, federal courts, federal and state prosecutors, and state campaign finance regulators.

Before Brian came to Perkins Coie, when the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform law was first being written, he was a legislative aide in the United States Senate on campaign finance issues. Since then, as a practicing lawyer, he has helped clients shape the FEC rules that interpret and enforce the new law, on subjects ranging from coordination to restrictions on state and local candidates. He testified before the Commission in its rulemakings on McCain-Feingold and more recently on proposals to regulate political party advertising.

Brian helps clients make innovative use of technology in the political arena. At his urging, the FEC exempted blogs from the reach of federal campaign finance law, helped online companies make services available to candidates more easily, allowed a nonpartisan group to study the effectiveness of online advertising on young voters and opened the door for publicly funded presidential campaigns to match credit card contributions with public funds. These FEC opinions set the stage for the agency’s comprehensive deregulation of Internet communications, in which Brian arranged comments on behalf of a major presidential campaign and the Perkins Coie Political Law Group.

Brian often gives presentations to Members of Congress, Congressional staff, corporate employees and political professionals. From time to time, he is asked to comment in the media on political law issues. He contributes often to the Election Law listserv maintained by Loyola Law School.

Related Employment

• U.S. Senator Bob Kerrey, Washington, D.C., Legislative Assistant, 1993 - 1997
• Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, Washington D.C., Deputy Advisor to the Chairman for Strategy and Policy, 1995 - 1997