The Washington, D.C., office of global law firm K&L Gates LLP has welcomed former four-term United States Congressman Jeffrey J. Denham as a government affairs counselor in the public policy and law practice. Denham brings significant transportation and infrastructure policy experience, as well as agriculture, natural resources, and energy knowledge, to the firm.
As a congressman representing California’s 10th and formerly 19th districts, Denham was a member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, where he was the chairman of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials and the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management. He was also a member of the Agriculture, Natural Resources, and Veterans’ Affairs Committees. During his eight years in Congress, Denham helped draft dozens of bills that were subsequently signed into law, such as the 2012 Veterans Skills to Jobs Act; the 2015 Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act; the 2018 ENLIST Act; and Stafford Act revisions as a part of the 2013 Sandy Recovery Improvement Act. He built a strong reputation as bipartisan, creating healthy and transparent work environments, securing national and local legislative victories, and bringing disparate groups together to work on difficult issues facing Congress.
“Anyone who knows Jeff knows that he is a go-getter,” said Darrell Conner, a government affairs counselor and co-leader of the policy practice in Washington, D.C. “He did so as a member of Congress, as a candidate, and as a business owner. He’s going to be a great addition to the K&L Gates’ team.”
Prior to his election to Congress, Denham served as a California state senator for eight years (2002-2010), where he was chairman of the Agriculture Committee and Veterans’ Affairs Committee and focused on issues that included education, government waste, agriculture, and economic development.
He is a U.S. Air Force veteran, having served in both Operation Desert Storm (Iraq) and Operation Restore Hope (Somalia) and is also the founder of Denham Plastics LLC, a full-service provider of sustainable plastic material handling solutions, in addition to owning an almond farm in California.
Bruce J. Heiman, a partner in K&L Gates’ Washington, D.C., office and a leader of the firm’s policy and regulatory practice area, commented: “Jeff’s depth of experience both in Congress and as a business owner provides our clients with a unique resource who understands commercial and legislative operations and can help address many issues they’re facing.”
K&L Gates’ public policy and law practice has been a Washington, D.C., presence for over 45 years and consists of more than 50 bipartisan lawyers and policy professionals with 500 years of combined experience in federal and state government.
“We continue to expand the Washington, D.C., office in key areas including public policy and financial services,” said J. Barclay Collins, managing partner of K&L Gates’ Washington, D.C., office. “Jeff’s addition complements our other recent arrivals, providing deep insight and experience to serve our clients’ most important business needs in Washington and globally.”
Denham’s addition to the Washington, D.C., office follows the recent arrivals of Andrew Wright, an experienced congressional and executive branch oversight and investigations lawyer who also joined the public policy and law practice, and Stephen Humenik, a derivatives lawyer who joined the investment management practice.
K&L Gates is a fully integrated global law firm with lawyers located across five continents. The firm represents leading multinational corporations, growth and middle-market companies, capital markets participants and entrepreneurs in every major industry group as well as public sector entities, educational institutions, philanthropic organizations and individuals.
