Washington, D.C. – Global law firm K&L Gates LLP has added Jamie Jackson as a partner, Thomas “Finch” Fulton as a government affairs advisor, and Leonard Bickwit as an of counsel in the firm’s leading Public Policy and Law practice. They join K&L Gates’ Washington, D.C., office, and are among more than 165 partners and of counsel the firm has welcomed across its global platform since the beginning of 2020. This includes other recent Public Policy and Law practice additions such as former US Congressman Mike Doyle in Pittsburgh, and former chief majority counsel and deputy staff director for the US Senate Finance Committee Mike Evans and former minority chief counsel with the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Matt Leggett in Washington, D.C.

Jackson most recently served as senior counsel to former US House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer, advising on bringing significant legislation to the House floor. She has 12 years of experience counseling high-ranking government officials on an array of legal, policy, and political matters, most notably at the intersection of national security and emerging technology. Having served in senior roles in both the executive and legislative branches of government, Jackson has a deep understanding of building stakeholder relationships and effectively navigating the regulatory and legislative processes.

In 2021, the Biden-Harris White House appointed Jackson to serve as security clearance counsel for the Office of Presidential Personnel, where she worked to vet political nominees prior to Senate confirmation. Previously, as deputy general counsel to Chairman Adam Smith on the House Armed Services Committee, Jackson provided key legal advice and strategy on matters related to the passage of the annual National Defense Authorization Act, as well as crafted bipartisan legislation on cybersecurity, cloud policy, acquisition policy, supply chain security, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), and military justice matters. She also served as Democratic staff lead on the committee’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, advising members on conducting oversight of US military operations and Department of Defense policies and programs.

Earlier in her career, Jackson was appointed by the Obama administration to serve in the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Legislative Affairs. She also previously served as a legislative assistant for Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, former chairwoman of the House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, and as an associate director of legislative affairs for Mayor Muriel Bowser of the District of Columbia.

Fulton joins K&L Gates from autonomous trucking technology company Locomation, where he was vice president of policy and strategy. From 2017 to 2021, he served at the US Department of Transportation (USDOT), where he was the deputy assistant secretary for transportation policy and was the nominee to be assistant secretary for transportation policy. There, Fulton co-led the development of the USDOT’s infrastructure proposal, which set the foundation for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, organized and advised on the Department’s discretionary grant programs, and developed the Department’s automated vehicle, drone, and advanced technology policies. He also co-led the USDOT’s Machine Learning / Artificial Intelligence (MLAI) task force, served on the White House MLAI committee, and advanced USDOT’s data trust and safety data initiatives.

Previously, Fulton served on the staffs of congressmen Jim McCrery and John Fleming, M.D., in the House of Representatives, Sen. Jeff Sessions in the Senate, and in the private sector focused on the state and local integration of technology.

Bickwit, a longstanding government affairs lawyer and lobbyist who has practiced alongside several K&L Gates members for many years, arrives from Miller & Chevalier Chartered. His practice focuses primarily on tax policy legislation and regulation, with additional activity in energy, appropriations, international trade and tariffs, and financial services. Over the course of a nine-year period on Capitol Hill, Bickwit served in senior staff positions for two highly regarded Democratic senators: Sens. John Glenn and Philip Hart. Since that time, Bickwit has continued to provide frequent policy and political advice to Democratic candidates for the Senate and to the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. He has also assisted several presidential campaigns, including as the national issues director for Sen. Glenn’s presidential run. Separately, in the energy area, Bickwit served as the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s general counsel for four years during the Three Mile Island accident and its aftermath.

Karishma Page, co-leader of K&L Gates’ Public Policy and Law practice, stated: “The additions of Jamie, Finch, and Len to our Public Policy and Law group add significant depth that benefits our clients’ substantive and strategic needs in the current political landscape. With more than 70 years of combined experience, the three of them are on the cutting edge of policy issues in critical industries and sectors, and have a proven record of public service that has earned respect from staff and members on both sides of the aisle.”

J. Barclay Collins, managing partner of K&L Gates’ Washington, D.C., office, remarked: “We are thrilled Jamie, Finch, and Len are joining our Washington office. They each bring a unique perspective in a variety of key industries including transportation and logistics, technology, financial services, and energy, and greatly complement our office’s existing strength in advising US and multi-national businesses in various policy matters.”

With a significant team of bipartisan lawyers and policy professionals who have more than 500 years of combined government experience, members of K&L Gates’ Public Policy and Law practice work with clients through the entire policy life cycle—from legislation to regulation and dispute resolution. The group, celebrating its 50th anniversary this summer, is one of the largest public policy practices of any global integrated law firm.