Jack Erskine, administrative partner in the Austin base of K&L Gates, said: 'This business [lobbying] is different than the traditional practice of law. Most of the arrangements are fixed-fee retainers, rather than billing by the hour. For some organizations, that is not the way they view things.' But Mr Erskine believes that there is still a strong role for lobbyists - not least to act as an early warning system on new legislation. 

International

Royce Poinsett, who led his lobbying group in December from Baker Botts to Gardere Wynne Seweel, said that when firms become 'more international' they can lose their interest in focusing on legislation coming through the state legislature. Source: Texas Lawyer