Heidi K. Abegg
Partner
Biography
BIOGRAPHY
Ms. Abegg has over twenty-two years of legal experience in private practice focusing on all aspects of political law, lobbying compliance, government ethics, campaign finance, and nonprofit law at the state and federal levels. Her practice focuses on providing tailored legal solutions to a variety of compliance matters, especially in the integration of law and public policy, including the opportunities and challenges nonprofit entities face when engaged in government relations, grassroots advocacy, political campaigns, and strategic communications.
Her clients include charities, social welfare organizations, professional societies, trade associations, corporate political action committees, as well as candidate committees, Presidential campaign committees, independent expenditure committees, donors, lobbyists and consultants, and unregistered political organizations.
Ms. Abegg has extensive experience in rendering advice and legal opinions regarding the applicability of the Federal Election Campaign Act, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, the Lobbying Disclosure Act, the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, as well as state and local laws regulating lobbying, campaign finance, government ethics, communications, and disclosure.
Her work also includes rendering advice with respect to all areas of business, transactional and contract law, as well as privacy issues, including donor, financial, and medical privacy laws, data and security laws, the General Data Protection Regulation, employment and general corporate matters, including governance issues, nonprofit tax law, including obtaining federal, state and local tax-exempt status and group exemption rulings, and other tax matters.
Her clients include charities, social welfare organizations, professional societies, trade associations, corporate political action committees, as well as candidate committees, Presidential campaign committees, independent expenditure committees, donors, lobbyists and consultants, and unregistered political organizations.
Ms. Abegg has extensive experience in rendering advice and legal opinions regarding the applicability of the Federal Election Campaign Act, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, the Lobbying Disclosure Act, the Honest Leadership and Open Government Act, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, as well as state and local laws regulating lobbying, campaign finance, government ethics, communications, and disclosure.
Her work also includes rendering advice with respect to all areas of business, transactional and contract law, as well as privacy issues, including donor, financial, and medical privacy laws, data and security laws, the General Data Protection Regulation, employment and general corporate matters, including governance issues, nonprofit tax law, including obtaining federal, state and local tax-exempt status and group exemption rulings, and other tax matters.
Notable Litigation
- Perry v. Bartlett, 231 F.3d 155 (4th Cir. 2000) (argued and on brief)
- Citizens for Responsible Gov’t State PAC v. Davidson, 236 F.3d 1174 (10th Cir. 2000)
- Anderson v. Spear, 189 F.Supp.2s 644 (E.D. Ky. 2002)
- California ProLife Council PAC v. Scully, No. S-96-1965 (E.D. Cal. 2000)
- Federal Election Comm’n v. The Christian Coalition, 52 F. Supp. 2d 45 (D.D.C. 1999)
- Griset v. Fair Political Practices Comm’n, 23P.3d 43 (Cal. 2001)
- Gov. Gray Davis v. American Taxpayers Alliance, 102 Cal.App.4th 449 (Cal.App.Ct.2002)
INSIGHTS
Author: Worker Centers: Charities or Labor Organizations Masquerading as Charities, and the Impact of an IRS Decision on the Question, 14 Engage 3 (Oct. 2013).
Co-Author: Hugh K. Webster & Heidi K. Abegg, 613-3rd Tax Management, Lobbying and Political Expenditures (2002).
Co-Author:The Developing Constitutional Standards for “Coordinated Expenditures”: Has the Federal Election Commission Finally Found a Way to Regulate Issue Advocacy?, 1 Election Law Journal 209 (2002).
Co-Author: Free Speech and the Christian Coalition Case, Free Speech and Election Law News, Summer, 1999.