Legislative Lobbying Study

The client was a state association representing small-business owners throughout Louisiana. A perceived shortage of service offerings from the client’s membership prompted other business interests to introduce multiple pieces of legislation to alter the powers and protections of the client’s members. Roedel Parsons worked with the client to develop a comprehensive strategy to educate legislators about the deficiencies in the opposition’s position, engage the grassroots advocacy of the client’s membership and suggest a better path forward for all interested parties. Our lawyers worked with relevant state agencies, stakeholders, legislators, and the opposition to whittle the legislation down to one piece of compromise legislation that allowed the client to maintain their powers and protections but provided temporary relief to those concerned about any service shortages from client’s members.

Government Procurement Case Study

The client is a niche provider of strategic software applications designed to integrate workforce occupational data and the education, technical training, and degree offerings of both secondary (Department of Education), and post-secondary (two-year and four-year institutions of higher education) schools of higher education. The client’s strategic software ensures educational and technical school offerings produce graduates trained and educated for extant occupational demands of the existing and developing marketplace and economy. Having successfully implemented the strategic software in a number of states throughout the nation, Louisiana became the focus of the client’s attention, and Roedel Parsons was retained to introduce the client and its strategic offering; and, more importantly, and challenging, to generate interest and to demonstrate the need for its strategic software application. Our attorneys and government relations specialists successfully introduced the client and its strategic offering to the Department of Workforce Development, Department of Education, and two-year and four-year colleges, resulting in the release of an RFP for such services as offered by our client. From retention by the client to the introduction of the client’s software offering to identified stakeholders within the Departments of Workforce, Education, and two- and four-year schools of higher education, we successfully created and demonstrated the need for the client’s software application and guided clients successfully through the RFP process and to the eventual award of a contract for the strategic software application offering by the client.

 Association Management
On the heels of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Louisiana faced tremendous water management challenges. Billions of dollars in emergency repairs to levees and floodwalls would be followed by billions to be spent restoring and protecting the coast. Recognizing the need for a strong industry voice for the consultants and contractors engaging in this work, Roedel Parsons worked with industry representatives to establish the Coast Builders Coalition. Our personnel formed the organization, recruited the membership, assisted in setting the mission and goals of the organization, and established and managed an appropriate budget for the organization. In less than five years, we helped the nonprofit organization garner recognition as the leading industry association on coastal matters in Louisiana with over 20 members.