Government Relations

Riley Pope & Laney, LLC is committed to providing lobbying assistance and strategic counsel for clients involved in legislative, appropriation and regulatory processes in South Carolina. RPL has a demonstrated record of delivering its clients excellent government relations services and possesses the required experience and technical skills which are ideally suited to representing clients before the South Carolina General Assembly, the Governor’s Office and state agencies. RPL offers a proven understanding of state government processes and complex public policy initiatives and has successfully represented clients with interests in the following areas: banking and lending, engineering and construction, environmental, healthcare, information technology, K-12 education and higher education, manufacturing, municipal and county government, state and local procurement, public safety, taxation, telecommunications and transportation.

Services

Direct Representation – Utilizing RPL’s experience, reputation and relationships to represent client interests before key government officials, the General Assembly, including legislative committees and their respective staffs and at regulatory hearings. Assistance in the drafting of legislation and the preparation of testimony for hearings is included.
Monitoring/Consulting – Monitoring and reporting the activities of the legislative and executive branch as well as keeping clients abreast of current developments before the South Carolina General Assembly and appropriate state agencies concerning current and future business interests in South Carolina. RPL monitors and tracks all legislation of interest daily during the legislative session and maintains direct and immediate contact with clients regarding any action on important bills as they move through the legislative process. Clients additionally receive the firm’s weekly edition of Under the Dome, a legislative newsletter summarizing the activities of the General Assembly and highlighting introductions of interest for the week.
Strategic Planning –Working with the client to develop long and/or short-term strategies and tactics to achieve specified objectives and fundamentally shape the public debate of the issues at hand. Strategies are fully aligned with the client’s existing efforts and developed based on coordinated research and background review of the issues in order to achieve a clear set of objectives to advance the client’s business agenda.
Analysis – Analyzing and responding appropriately to legislative and regulatory proposals in a manner that best promotes the interests of the client.
Coalition Building – Strengthening the client’s position by working with coalitions of like-minded groups with similar interests or by contacting existing groups and coordinating the means, methods and personnel needed for effective representation.
Grass Roots Activity – Developing support for the client’s interests among community organizations and outreach groups, including media when necessary, to influence government action.
Procurement – Assisting and managing clients through the South Carolina procurement process by providing critical information and opening doors to new opportunities. Services include structure, pricing, terms and conditions, ethics and negotiation.
Budget Advocacy – Working to secure state government funding or federal funding made available through the State for programs and services agreed to by the client. Budget proviso services from drafting to submission and yearly preservation are also included.
Political Support – Identifying the appropriate elected officials whose support is needed to advance a client’s specific interests and issues and approaching those officials in a meaningful, persuasive and responsible manner in order to gain the officials’ support for particular initiatives.

Government Relations Team

Theodore D. Riley provides government relations consulting services and practices in the areas of regulatory and administrative law. He is a native of Greenville, South Carolina and earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science in 1988 from the University of South Carolina. Upon graduation, Mr. Riley served in Washington, D.C. as an International Affairs Analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency from 1989 to 1990 and as the Executive Assistant to the Treasurer of the Democratic National Committee and the Democratic Governors’ Association from 1990 to 1991. He returned to South Carolina and in 1994 earned his Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law. Upon graduating from law school, Mr. Riley became an Associate at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, LLP. Mr. Riley was a member of that firm’s government law team practicing in administrative, commercial and regulatory law and legislative affairs. He also served as a special prosecutor for the Fifth Circuit Solicitor’s office. Mr. Riley was an Associate with Haynsworth Marion McKay & Guérard, LLP and its successor, Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, PA from 1997 until 2001. At the Haynsworth firm, Mr. Riley provided government relations services to clients on both the state and federal level and practiced in the areas of administrative and regulatory law. In July 2001, Mr. Riley, Lowndes Pope and Roy Laney formed Riley Pope & Laney, LLC. Mr. Riley’s community involvement includes serving as a mentor in Richland County School District 1, serving as a member of the Board of Winston’s Wish, serving as a volunteer with Youth Corps and serving as a member of Business Partners at Satchel Ford Elementary School. Mr. Riley is a member of the South Carolina Bar and the Richland County Bar Association. He is admitted to practice before all South Carolina state courts, the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina and the United States Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. Mr. Riley, his wife Nancy and their four children reside in Columbia, South Carolina.

Hobart O. Trotter, Jr. provides government relations consulting services with an emphasis in information technology and procurement issues. He is a native of Columbia, South Carolina and is a 1980 graduate of the University of South Carolina. Mr. Trotter has worked with various technology vendors providing solutions to the State of South Carolina for over twenty years. During that time, Mr. Trotter has worked closely with state agencies and their management teams, including the Budget and Control Board, the Information Technology Management Office of the Division of Procurement Services, the Chief Procurement Officers and their purchasing agents and the state’s agency technology directors. Through his experience, Mr. Trotter has acquired a working knowledge of the organizational structures of state agencies, their technology infrastructure, their purchasing policies and procedures and the business drivers affecting how their budgets are allocated. He has proven experience managing large procurement initiatives for several worldwide organizations currently doing business with the State of South Carolina. Mr. Trotter has an in-depth understanding of the various steps of the state procurement process, from budgeting through contract award and contract settlement. Mr. Trotter, his wife Patti and their three daughters reside in Columbia, and Mr. Trotter has been involved in various community service organizations, including formerly serving as the Chairman of the Board of the American Diabetes Association for South Carolina and currently serving a Board member of the Diabetes Initiative of South Carolina.

Tara P. Boone provides government relations research, administrative and event planning services. She is a native of Camden, South Carolina and graduated with honors from Limestone College with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. With more than ten years experience in government relations, Ms. Boone worked with the government relations team of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, PA before joining Riley Pope & Laney’s government relations team. Ms. Boone has a clear understanding and knowledge of the legislative process and provides exceptional client services in the areas of research, administration, monitoring, event planning and communication. Ms. Boone resides in Lugoff with her husband and two daughters and currently serves as an Advocacy Leader with the American Cancer Society and additionally serves on the Ethics Committee of Hospice Care of South Carolina.