Holland & Knight has lost a former senator and one of his close associates from its ranks of lobbyists.
Former Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R-Colo.) and his onetime chief of staff in the Senate, David Devendorf, have started a new firm called Ben Nighthorse Consultants, which is based in Colorado and focuses on American Indian issues. They left on June 30.
Devendorf said his colleagues at Holland & Knight were "wonderful, wonderful people." But he said a law firm wasn't the right fit for him and Campbell, who aren't attorneys.
The lobbyist said he and Campbell will continue the lobbying they did at Holland & Knight for Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colo., and the National Indian Gaming Association.
The Fort Lewis College Foundation, which was created to support the school, has paid Holland & Knight at least $140,000 since the firm started advocating for it in 2010, according to congressional records. Campbell, who was a Holland & Knight senior policy adviser, and Devendorf, who was a senior public affairs adviser at the firm, have lobbied this year for funding for an American Indian tuition program.
The National Indian Gaming Association gave Holland & Knight $1.53 million since the firm started lobbying for the organization in 2003. Campbell and Devendorf most recently lobbied for the National Indian Gaming Association on issues that included Indian gaming, economic development and tribal sovereignty.
"We've always enjoyed working on Indian issues," Devendorf said.
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