Professional Biography

Brian Svoboda Partner

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Overview

Experience

News

Insights

  • 05.26.2021
    Federal Election Commission Clarifies Permissible Uses of Campaign Finance Data
    Updates
    This week the Federal Election Commission (FEC or the Commission) issued Advisory Opinion 2021-05 (Tally Up), telling a campaign vendor that it may not integrate federal campaign finance data into software that scores groups of voters based on how likely the group is to support certain candidates.
  • 01.21.2021
    Biden Executive Order Significantly Broadens Ethics Requirements for Appointees
    Updates
    In one of his first official acts, President Biden signed an executive order that sets stringent ethics rules for incoming executive branch appointees. The Executive Order on Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch Personnel reinstates and further expands ethics standards from previous administrations.
  • 06.18.2018
    Taking Stock of Newly Released FARA Advisory Opinions
    Updates

    In this update, we detail some of the opinions and share the conclusion that overall, the opinions confirm that DOJ’s application of FARA tends to be extremely fact-specific, particularly where the foreign principal is directed, controlled or funded by a foreign government or political party.

  • 05.31.2018
    The D’Souza Pardon, Briefly Explained
    Blogs
    President Donald J. Trump tweeted that he “[w]ill be giving a Full Pardon to Dinesh D’Souza today. He was treated very unfairly by our government!” Why did the U.S. Department of Justice in 2014 prosecute D’Souza, a prominent political conservative who pleaded guilty to charges that he reimbursed friends for $20,000 in contributions they made to a 2012 New York U.S. Senate candidate?
  • 11.06.2017
    Proposed Legislation Boosts Enforcement of Foreign Agents Registration Act
    Updates
    U.S. Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley introduced the “Disclosing Foreign Influence Act” last week, a Senate bill which would amend the Foreign Agents Registration Act, to remove an exemption from registration and boost enforcement by the DOJ.
  • 03.10.2017
    Department of Justice Posts Foreign Agent Informational Materials Online
    Updates
    The Foreign Agents Registration Unit of the U.S. Department of Justice has updated its website to make available to the public searchable and downloadable informational materials filed by foreign agents. Informational materials are documents or other communications distributed on behalf of a foreign principal to two or more people.
  • 11.04.2016
    $18 Million Fine Levied for Campaign Finance Violation in Washington State
    Updates
    On November 3, 2016, a Thurston County Superior Court judge levied an $18 million penalty against a trade association for violations of Washington campaign finance laws.
  • 05.2016
    The Lobbying Manual: A Complete Guide to Federal Lobbying Law and Practice
    Lawyer Publications
    This updated fifth edition provides detailed guidance for compliance with the suite of laws that impact federal government relations professionals. It provides practical examples of how to be compliant, and covers all of the major federal statutes and regulations that govern the practice of federal government relations work.
  • 03.16.2016
    Bribery and the Brokered Convention?
    Articles

    In the industrial Midwest, after multiple ballots, the Republican convention finally chooses its nominee. Operatives for the frontrunner—a nationally known, polarizing figure who has infuriated Democrats with his abrasive rhetoric on the most divisive, racially-charged issue of the day—flood the city “with money to corrupt, with bullies to intimidate and with houries to seduce.”

  • 12.18.2012
    Political Giving, Like Charitable Giving, Raises Special Year-End Issues
    Updates
    Just as the end of the year can be a good time to make charitable donations, it can also be a good time to make political contributions for those who give frequently in federal elections.  The federal campaign finance laws cap the total amount that an individual may give to all federal candidates and committees combined during a two-year period.
  • 04.04.2012
    President Obama Signs STOCK Act Into Law
    Updates
    On April 4, 2012, President Obama signed into law the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge Act.
  • 03.10.2010
    'Citizens United' Will Affect Corporate Spending—But How?
    Articles

    Corporate Counsel Weekly

    Partners Judith Corley and Brian Svoboda published an article in Corporate Counsel Weekly on how the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Citizens United will impact corporate spending in advertising for federal elections. "For the first time in more than a century, corporations—whether for profits, non-profits, trade associations, or membership organizations—may now pay for advertisements that tell the audience to vote for or against a federal candidate," they wrote in the article "'Citizens United' Will Affect Corporate Spending—But How?"
  • 01.28.2010
    Supreme Court Makes Landmark Decision on Political Advertising Funding
    Updates
    The U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in Citizens United v. FEC, a case examining the legality of a documentary film released in 2008 about Hillary Clinton’s candidacy for president. In a 5-4 ruling, the court struck down laws banning independent electoral and issue advocacy sponsored by nonprofit and for-profit corporations.

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Bar and Court Admissions

  • District of Columbia
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
  • U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
  • U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

Education

  • University of Virginia School of Law, J.D., 1993, Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Law & Politics, 1992 - 1993
  • University of Nebraska-Lincoln, B.A., Political Science and Russian, Phi Beta Kappa, 1989

Languages

  • Russian
  • German