Top 30 US firm Holland & Knight has added a three-strong team in Washington DC from K&L Gates to bolster its tech policy offering in the arena of emerging technologies and space exploration.

Partners Daniel Ritter and Paul Stimers have joined the firm’s public policy and regulation group alongside senior policy advisor Dennis Potter, who was a government affairs counsellor at K&L Gates. 

"Daniel and Paul offer a great deal of experience with cutting-edge technology, which dovetails nicely with our energy and national security and defence industry strengths," said Rich Gold, leader of Holland & Knight's public policy and regulation group. "Their team will significantly expand the work we do for innovative clients and increase the firm's involvement in major policy issues involving emerging technologies and space exploration."

Holland & Knight said Ritter “represents major Washington DC trade associations for clean technology and renewable energy, neurotechnology, nanotechnology, and clean water and sanitation technologies, along with US and international companies in those sectors. He also represents non-governmental organisations focused on sustainable development in the developing world and in the US He coordinates policy advocacy campaigns, advocates policy positions with federal legislators and administrative agencies, prepares legal and strategic policy analysis and develops legislation and testimony for Congressional hearings.”

According to OpenSecrets his recent lobbying clients included US satellite operator Astranis, financial services company Macquarie Group and Conservation International Foundation. 

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Meantime Stimers, who like Ritter practised at legacy firm Preston Gates & Ellis prior to its 2007 merger with Kirkpatrick & Lockhart Nicholson Graham to form K&L Gates, focuses his policy advocacy efforts on matters related to emerging technologies such as commercial spaceflight and quantum technology. 

He serves as policy counsel to a number of commercial spaceflight companies and a leading industry association for commercial spaceflight. He also advises tech companies and industry associations in pursuing legislation and representing their interests before Congress and federal agencies. 

At K&L Gates he lobbied on behalf of clients including Astranis, Masten Space Systems and the Commercial Spaceflight Federation, according to OpenSecrets.

The team’s departure from K&L Gates follows Nicholas Leibham, who previously led the firm’s emerging technologies and innovation practice, joining Holland & Knight’s public policy team in 2021 as the firm beefed up ahead of its merger with Texan firm Thompson & Knight, which was completed that August. 

Leibham joined Holland & Knight alongside senior public affairs adviser Kathleen Nicholas in Washington DC, where the firm will have north of 45 partners in its public policy team following the arrival of Ritter and Stimer. 

Another recent arrival was Ed Perlmutter, who joined the public policy team in DC in January as a partner after serving more than 15 years in Congress as a member of the US House of Representatives. In Congress he chaired several subcommittees, including the Science, Space and Technology committee.