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Gina Passarella
The Legal Intelligencer
02-02-2007

Blank Rome Government Relations has expanded its geographic reach with a big-name politico out of New York.

Former vice-presidential candidate Geraldine A. Ferraro has joined the firm's government relations group from her role as managing director of Global Consulting Group, a communications and public affairs consultancy firm.

Ferraro will be the first principal in the government relations group out of the New York office.

While at Global Consulting Group, Ferraro handled public relations work as well as lobbying, and she said she is looking forward to getting away from the lobbying work.

She will conduct various projects and seminars for the firm and will meet and speak with clients, she said.

"It's getting businesses to understand just how important it is to have contacts who can access people in government," Ferraro said.

Blank Rome managing partner Carl M. Buchholz said he doesn't view Global Consulting Group as a competitor to the firm's government relations group because Global Consulting works more in the public relations arena.

Ferraro said she would continue as an adviser to the group, where she served as head of its public affairs practice since 2003. Global Consulting will not, however, be a client of Blank Rome's, she said.

There is a possibility down the line, Ferraro said, for the two firms to build an alliance and capitalize on the combined interests in London, New York and California.

Other than building out Blank Rome's government relations practice in New York, Ferraro joked that she is most excited about working with Republicans in a time when Democrats are in control of Congress.

Buchholz said the government relations group's 28 members are fairly evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. The group started in 2003, and Buchholz said Ferraro's addition would help expand the firm's reach nationally as well as internationally.

Because of her experience as ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission, the firm said Ferraro has a wide reach internationally.

Nationally, Ferraro served six years in Congress, representing New York City's 9th District. She was chairwoman of the platform committee for the 1984 Democratic National Convention. The party nominated her to run for vice president that year, and she is since the only woman ever to have received a nomination for a nationally elected position.

It may be no surprise that Ferraro is an active supporter of her senator's presidential bid.

"I am working very hard and am very, very anxious to assist Sen. Clinton," Ferraro said, adding later, "She is the first one who is willing to take the risk."

Ferraro's prediction for the election: If Sen. Hillary Clinton is nominated by the Democratic Party to run for president, the Republican Party will feel it too has to nominate a woman, she said.

While waiting to see how that scenario plays out, Ferraro, an attorney, began this week as a principal in the New York office for Blank Rome Government Relations.

She found her way to Blank Rome through a longstanding professional relationship with government relations senior principal Peter A. Peyser. Peyser served as Ferraro's first chief of staff when she started in Congress. They later worked together while at public relations firm GolinHarris. Peyser is a well-known Democrat, Buchholz said, with clients who include Pennsylvania Gov. Edward G. Rendell.