Published : 9 years ago, on 04/06/2016

Four-term member of House of Representatives played key role in healthcare and insurance legislation;

Ferguson’s team joins him in the firm’s Washington office

BakerHostetler announced that former United States Congressman Mike Ferguson is joining the firm in Washington, D.C., where he will be a Senior Advisor and leader of the Federal Policy team. He was a member of Congress from 2001 to 2009, elected to four consecutive terms. While representing New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District from the Republican side of the aisle, Ferguson earned positions on key committees of jurisdiction and played pivotal roles in crafting formative healthcare laws, including the creation of the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, multiple pharmaceutical and medical device user fee reauthorizations, and reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program.

Since leaving Congress, Ferguson has been CEO of Ferguson Strategies LLC, a Washington-based government affairs and public policy consulting firm representing clients in a wide array of industries, including healthcare, energy, financial services, pharmaceutical, professional services and telecommunications. Also joining BakerHostetler from Ferguson Strategies are Chris Jones and Adam Higgins, who join BakerHostetler as Senior Advisors.

“We’re excited that Mike chose to bring his years of experience in government, public service and strategic consulting to lead our Federal Policy group. He joins a strong team of professionals – including former government officials and Capitol Hill veterans, and his counsel will be an important asset in helping clients navigate government policies, legislation and regulation,” said Steven Kestner, Chairman of BakerHostetler.

While in Congress, Ferguson served on the powerful House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has oversight of healthcare, telecommunications, energy and environmental policies and legislative initiatives. He was also vice chairman of the Health Subcommittee, and a member of the Telecommunications and Internet Subcommittee, as well as the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee.

Among other accomplishments, he helped lead passage of the innovative Lifespan Respite Care Act, which champions pioneering healthcare policies that improve treatment options for patients. While on the Financial Services Committee, Ferguson worked closely with his mentor, the late Michael G. Oxley, then-Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and former eight-year member of BakerHostetler’s Federal Policy team, in the enactment of the historic Sarbanes–Oxley Act of 2002. The landmark legislation restored Americans’ confidence in the capital markets early in the decade and created a new accounting oversight board for publicly traded companies. Ferguson also played a leadership role in the initial terrorism risk insurance law following the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001.

“BakerHostetler has a long history of assisting clients with federal and state policy-related matters – it’s one of our signature offerings,” said Paul Schmidt, Chair of the Tax Group. “The extensive experience Mike and his team bring will help us continue to safeguard our clients’ business interests. We’re excited to welcome them to the practice.”

Ferguson serves as Senior Fellow at the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest and is co-director of the Equity Markets Association, formed in 2015 by NASDAQ and the New York Stock Exchange to provide perspectives on issues impacting U.S. equity markets. Before entering government, he was an educator, including serving as an adjunct instructor of political science at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, New Jersey. Ferguson received his B.A. in Government from the University of Notre Dame in 1992, and earned his M.P.P. from Georgetown University with a specialization in education policy. He is a frequent presenter on civics and public service.

“BakerHostetler has a tradition of providing exceptional counsel on federal and state policy-related matters,” said Ferguson. “I’m honored to be taking the lead of a well-credentialed team where my professional and personal mentor, Mike Oxley, played such a big role. I hope to continue building on the sterling reputation the firm has earned in this area.”

“Mike is a strong addition to our talented Federal Policy team,” said Jeffrey Paravano, Managing Partner of the Washington office. “He is incredibly thoughtful and our clients will be in good hands with Mike assisting them with policy issues and strategic positioning to help them thrive over the long term.”

BakerHostetler’s Federal Policy team is renowned for providing a variety of legislative, regulatory and tax strategic counsel to Fortune 500 companies, U.S. multinationals, foreign corporations, private equity funds, financial institutions, consulting firms, agricultural interests, professional sports teams and leagues, trade associations and other not-for-profit organizations. The 20-member team is widely recognized as a pre-eminent policy firm in Washington by key decision makers in Congress, including members of the House Ways and Means Committee, the Senate Finance Committee, and the House and Senate leadership, as well as White House, Treasury, State Department and other administration officials. The firm’s co-sponsorship of the Annual Legislative and U.S. Government Policy Seminar is in its 27th year and is widely considered to be Washington’s most prominent annual seminar on legislative policy developments.