By Andrew Ramonas and Todd Ruger
With the start of the Republican National Convention only days away, Holland & Knight is busy helping to ensure that the festivities in Tampa, Fla., go off without a hitch.
Founded in Tampa, Holland & Knight is the legal adviser to the 2012 Tampa Bay Host Committee, which works with the Republican National Committee and the city to set up facilities, transportation, housing, security and other convention necessities.
Rich Gold, a Washington-based Holland & Knight partner who leads the firm's public policy and regulation practice group, said his firm is primarily assisting the host committee with "nuts and bolts" contract work. "It's been more intense as we get closer," he said.
Gold said he expects the convention to run smoothly, despite reports that Tropical Storm Isaac likely will become a hurricane and move toward Florida in the coming days. The lawyer said hurricanes are rare for Tampa. And if it hits Tampa, which is a lobbying client of Holland & Knight, immediate action is "really the city's responsibility," not the firm's concern.
But Holland & Knight will have to worry about matters related to host committee contracts for about three to four months after the convention, Gold said.
"There's going to be cleanup work," he said.
Check back now through Sept. 7 for more Legal Times and National Law Journal coverage of the Republican National Convention in Tampa and the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte.
Comments