Robert S. Highsmith Jr. - Lawyer in Atlanta, GE

Robert S. Highsmith Jr. practices legislative,administrative and regulatory law, government relations and litigation,representing diverse large corporate and governmental clients. Mr. Highsmithleads the firms State Capitals Team and Georgia Government Relations Practice,and is the executive partner of the firm's Atlanta office. He represents clientsbefore the Georgia General Assembly and before myriad state and local governmentagencies. He also engages with the firm's federal lobbying practice where firmclient interests require advocacy before Georgia's congressional delegation.

Mr. Highsmith has extensive experience advocating on behalf of clientlegislative, regulatory and policy interests across a wide range of substantiveareas, including:

• federal and state appropriations
• telecommunications
• healthcare
• water resources
• alcohol beverage regulation
• insurance
• financial services
• transportation
• education

He routinely handles a wide range of matters, including:

• legislative lobbying
• enforcement
• taxation
• licensing
• litigation
• product approvals
• regulatory policy

Mr. Highsmith also has an active public policy litigation practice, with afocus on state constitutional issues, regulatory appeals and election law.

From November 2002-04, Mr. Highsmith served in the administration of GeorgiaGovernor Sonny Perdue, first as transition counsel, and then as deputy executivecounsel. As Governor Perdues lead legislative lawyer, Mr. Highsmith drafted andlobbied for the governors legislative package each year. He also advised thegovernor on the full gamut of executive legal matters, including the statebudget process, government procurement, transportation funding, water resourceplanning and redistricting litigation.

Having served as counsel for Georgia's governor, former governor and severalother statewide elected officials and candidates, Mr. Highsmith is amongGeorgias foremost experts on campaign finance, governmental ethics and electionlaw. In February 2002, former Governor Roy Barnes appointed Mr. Highsmith to afour-year term on the State Ethics Commission, a quasi-judicial body withstatewide jurisdiction over ethical issues involving public officials, lobbyistsand state vendors.

Mr. Highsmith formerly served as assistant general counsel to the GeorgiaRepublican Party and served as chief of staff to the Republican Caucus of theGeorgia House of Representatives. Prior to joining Holland Knight, Mr.Highsmith served as director of policy and research to the 1998 Republicannominee for governor of Georgia.

At the University of Georgia, Mr. Highsmith's team won national firstrunner-up honors in the National Institute of Trial Advocacys Tournament ofChampions.