Category: Blog

Allegations against top law firm ‘wake up call’ for industry

Brian Sanchez

A Wellington City councillor says allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour towards young female law-clerk students are a wake up call for law firms to change their behaviour.

At least two staff members from Russell McVeagh, one of New Zealand’s top law firms, left the firm and chief executive Gary McDiarmid confirmed the firm had received “serious allegations” about events in Wellington more than two years ago.

Victoria University, which confirmed allegations involving several of its students, said it understood police continued to have an “open file” on the matter.

Councillor Fleur Fitzsimons has taken on the new city safety portfolio and is tasked with tackling sexual harassment in the city.

She said she believed what happened at Russell McVeagh was “the tip of the iceberg” in the legal profession.

“Sexual violence is an epidemic within law firms and needs to stop.”

Fitzsimons said law firms, like many other organisations, are now being hold accountable because of campaigns like the #metoo movement and women deciding to speak out.

Firms need to be proactive and change their culture to prevent sexual violence occurring, she said.

“The law profession now has a professional, legal and moral duty to take active steps, to change the culture within law and to stamp out sexual violence.”

The New Zealand Law Society was unable to confirm whether or not a complaint has been made related to the allegations.

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Law Society President Kathryn Beck said while the Law Society would investigate all complaints received, the governing legislation did not allow disclosure of any information about complaints or investigations.

Beck said any form of sexual harassment was totally unacceptable in legal workplaces.

It is understood the allegations against Russell McVeagh involved students in the firm’s summer law-clerk programme.

“Where allegations were made, we immediately conducted a full internal investigation at the time and initiated a formal process. Those who were the subject of the allegations left the firm following the investigation,” McDiarmid said.

He said he would not discuss specific details for privacy reasons.

Newsroom.co.nz, which revealed the allegations Wednesday, said two incidents happened at Christmas functions and another at the El Horno Bar in Wellington.

At least one complaint was made to police about a man’s behaviour at El Horno.

Victoria University Vice Chancellor Grant Guilford he was aware of several young women who allegedly experienced sexually inappropriate behaviour at the time.

At the time the university believed it was a police matter so it focused on supporting the young women and ensuring a safe environment for future workplace students.

Guilford said the university had since worked with Russell McVeagh and others to make major changes to the clerkship programme.

This included better induction, help hotlines for those exposed to bad behaviour and reinforced HR policies.

McDiarmid said the firm had “zero tolerance” to bad behaviour.

“[We] will have no hesitation to act if we are alerted to behaviour that contravenes our values, with robust processes in place to investigate and resolve any issues.

“We continue to take all possible steps to create a ‘speak out’ culture and as part of this, have made it clear to our staff that there will be no repercussions for speaking out in any circumstance.”

McDiarmid said Russell McVeagh has always taken employees’ concerns “extremely seriously”.

“We are committed to addressing any issues of harassment at Russell McVeagh, and in our profession generally, by making it known that any such behaviour is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

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Nashville council committee investigating Mayor Barry picks chair, begins search for law firm

Brian Sanchez
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Nashville’s city council will appoint a special committee with subpoena power to investigate whether there was improper use of public money during Mayor Megan Barry’s affair with her former top security officer.
Michael Schwab

A special Metro Council committee investigating Mayor Megan Barry embarked on uncharted territory Thursday, holding its first meeting and deciding how to proceed with a probe into the use of taxpayer funds during the mayor’s affair with her former bodyguard.

The seven-member committee appointed Councilwoman Burkley Allen to chair the group, tapping the Belmont/Hillsboro council representative over At-large Councilman Bob Mendes, who was also nominated. 

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Nashville Police Chief Steven Anderson speaks on the Megan Barry news.
USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee

The panel then directed Vice Mayor David Briley to lead the search for a law firm that will work alongside city auditor Mark Swann to conduct the council’s investigation. The Metro Charter gives the vice mayor the authority to employ legal counsel on behalf of the council. 

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Briley, an attorney at Nashville’s Bone McAllester Norton PLLC, has two weeks to recommend at least two law firms for the committee’s consideration. He’s also been directed to create a rubric outlining priorities for the law firm, including that the diversity of employees at the firm be a criteria. 

“Vice mayor, you have homework,” Allen said.

Committee leader pledges ‘objectivity and dignity’ in investigation

In picking Allen to lead the group, the committee chose one of seven council members who voted against the creation of the committee last week. Allen, who represents Barry’s council district, is aligned politically with the progressive mayor. 

“I pledge to do this very difficult job with objectivity and dignity, and I hope you all will join me in that goal,” Allen told her colleagues. 

More: Analysis: Mayor Megan Barry must ‘get everything right’ to regain political stature, trust

Opinion: Mayor Megan Barry to Nashville: I want to earn back your trust

Committee members — adhering to advice from council attorney Mike Jameson — agreed Thursday that the committee itself won’t be conducting the investigation. Instead, they will bring in professionals. The law firm and the auditor are to work together and divide their roles. 

“Frankly, we don’t need the seven of us on the committee as junior detectives figuring stuff out,” Mendes said. “I view us more as managing or supervising.” 

More: Nashville’s internal auditor tapped for council investigation into expenses during Mayor Barry’s affair

More: Why the ‘We love our mayor’ billboards suddenly disappeared from Nashville

Mendes pointed to Briley’s two decades practicing law in Nashville, arguing it would “keep this efficient and moving forward” if the vice mayor takes the lead in recommending a lawyer.

Vice mayor on law firm search: ‘I will do my best’

Thursday’s meeting lasted about 50 minutes. 

Barry, a Democrat, admitted Jan. 31 that she had an affair with her former head of security, Sgt. Rob Forrest. The mayor has said the affair began in the spring of 2016. Forrest earned considerably more overtime pay under Barry than he did under her predecessors and went on 10 city trips with Barry without other mayor’s staff present. 

The council’s investigation is one of three into Barry’s conduct during the affair, along with other probes from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation and the council’s Board of Ethical Conduct.

Jameson said there are law firms across the country that specialize in internal city investigations. But the cost for the assistance is unclear. Jameson recommended the council approve legal fees on a monthly basis as the investigation unfolds. Because of cost restraints to fly in attorneys, he advised the law firm be based in Middle Tennessee.

Briley said he will have the Nashville Bar Association and the Napier Looby Bar Association send a notice out Friday of the committee’s search for a law firm. 

“What I’ll be looking for is expertise, no legal or political conflict of interest — it will be hard with that one because lawyers are always so engaged — and, as always, trying to make sure that everybody has a fair shot at the work,” Briley said. “I’ll do my best.”

Committee will decide whether interviews of witnesses are in public 

It’s unclear whether the investigation will be conducted in public. Ultimately the committee will have the final say.

The committee has subpoena power to compel witnesses to give sworn testimony. But Jameson said one of the “strong advantages” of hiring an outside attorney would be the law firm’s ability to conduct interviews of witnesses “in a bit more discreet setting.” 

He said it would prevent the “circus-like atmosphere” of having witnesses give under-oath testimony before the council, a public body. “There would be, frankly, some squeamish scenarios where you could be placing witnesses under oath and asking them questions under the penalty of perjury,” Jameson said. 

Instead, under a scenario laid out by Jameson, the interviews would be conducted privately by the law firm, recorded by a court reporter and brought back to the committee. 

Barry has hired former U.S. attorney Jerry Martin as her personal lawyer during the investigations. 

Nashville’s council voted 30-7 on Feb. 6 to create the special committee tasked with investigating whether taxpayer money was misused. The Metro Audit Committee voted Tuesday to direct the city auditor to work with the special committee.

The TBI announced Feb. 1 it is investigating whether there was any misappropriation of public funds or misconduct by a public official. The mayor said Tuesday she has yet to speak with the TBI. 

A different Nashville council ethics committee also has been asked to take up a complaint against the mayor, filed Feb. 7. The law department first reviews the complaint to determine whether the allegations, if proved true, would constitute an ethical breach. The department then sends its findings to the committee, which may then vote to accept the department’s findings and hold a hearing.

This committee, formally known as the council’s Board of Ethical Conduct, may recommend a punishment if ethical wrongdoing is substantiated. Punishments could range from recommending a public censure or Barry’s resignation to sending the complaint to the district attorney.

The Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury routinely investigates allegations of public officials misusing money. A spokesman for the comptroller said the office never confirms the existence of an investigation. 

Barry acknowledged the affair Jan. 31 and has apologized, but she has said she did not violate any laws or city policies.

Reach Joey Garrison at 615-259-8236, jgarrison@tennessean.com and on Twitter @joeygarrison.

 

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LJM PRESERVATION AND GROWTH FUND (LJMIX, LJMAX, LJMCX) INVESTOR ALERT: Girard Gibbs Investigates Potential Securities Law Violations

Brian Sanchez

OAKLAND, Calif., Feb 15, 2018 (BUSINESS WIRE) —
Girard Gibbs LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of LJM
Preservation and Growth Fund (LJMIX, LJMAX, LJMCX). The Mutual Fund,
which is marketed and sold as aiming “to preserve capital, particularly
in down markets (including major market drawdowns), through using put
option spreads as a form of mitigation risk” suffered a massive loss,
plunging by more than 80% on February 7, 2018. On February 8, 2018, the
Fund announced that it would be shutting its doors to new investment.

To speak privately with an attorney regarding the LJM lawsuit
investigation,

click
here

.

On February 9, 2018, a class action lawsuit was filed on behalf of LJMIX
investors alleging that Defendants violated provisions of the Securities
Act by issuing false and misleading statements to investors, including
in filings with the SEC. Specifically, it is alleged that Defendants
made false and/or misleading statements or failed to disclose that LJMIX
was not focused on capital preservation and left investors exposed to an
unacceptably high risk of catastrophic losses. In addition, it is
alleged that Defendants violated the law by failing to disclose that
LJMIX had not taken appropriate steps to preserve capital in down
markets.

If you purchased or acquired shares of LJM Preservation and Growth Fund
and would like to speak privately with a securities attorney to learn
more about the investigation and your legal rights, visit our website
or contact the securities team directly at (800) 254-9493.

About Girard Gibbs

Girard Gibbs LLP is one of the nation’s leading firms representing
individual and institutional investors in securities
litigation to correct abusive corporate governance practices,
breaches of fiduciary duty, and proxy violations. The firm has recovered
over a billion dollars for its clients against some of the world’s
largest corporations, and has earned Tier-1 rankings and been named in
the U.S.
Lawyers – Best Law Firms list for five consecutive years.

This press release may constitute Attorney Advertising in some
jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20180215006496/en/

SOURCE: Girard Gibbs LLP

Girard Gibbs LLP
Eileen Epstein, 510-350-9728
EJE@CLASSLAWGROUP.COM

Copyright Business Wire 2018

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Lady Hale: ‘Studying law? Make sure you have the stomach for it’

Brian Sanchez

Studying law


Guardian Students

Lady Hale: ‘Studying law? Make sure you have the stomach for it’

The first female head of the supreme court shares her advice for would-be lawyers, and remembers her rise to the top

‘The law, the legal profession and the courts are there to serve the whole population, not just a small section of it.’



‘The law, the legal profession and the courts are there to serve the whole population, not just a small section of it.’
Photograph: Supreme Court/PA

After graduating from the University of Cambridge in 1966, Lady Hale taught law at Manchester University until 1984, during which time she also qualified as a barrister. She has also served as a high court judge, a lady justice of appeal, a lord of appeal in ordinary, and was appointed the first female president of the supreme court in October 2017.

What are your tips for students looking for their first job in law?

First, get the best degree you can – you’ll be going into a competitive market place. Second – be flexible about what sort of law job you go for and where. There are lots of fascinating and rewarding parts of the legal forest which are not barristers’ chambers in London or magic circle law firms.

Third – be prepared. Prepare carefully when you fill out your application form and when you go for interview. Find out as much as you can about the place, the job and the people, and think about the questions they may ask you. If you haven’t an answer, you won’t get the job.

Did you have a mentor during your career? Do you advise young people working in law to have one?

Aside from my pupil master at the Manchester bar, there was no formal system of mentoring young university teachers when I was one. The professors varied a great deal in how much help they gave to others. But one stood out – Professor Julian Farrand – because he took the trouble to put opportunities our way. Many years later we married. It’s a very personal thing – some people are individualists who thrive on making their own way, while others respond better to mentors.

How has diversity in the legal profession changed over the course of your career?

I was one of six women out of a class of well over 100 who studied law at Cambridge in 1963. Now there are more women than men studying law and starting out in the profession. But, as with many professions, there is serious attrition later on. It is not easy to combine practice at the bar or in a big city solicitor’s firm with family and other responsibilities. Many able women move or become in-house lawyers. This means that fewer remain in the pool from which the senior judiciary are traditionally recruited. So we are still seriously under-represented at most levels of the judiciary and especially higher up.

But other sorts of diversity are also important – ethnic diversity, where there is still a great deal of work to do, but also diversity in social, economic and professional background. The law, the legal profession and the courts are there to serve the whole population, not just a small section of it. They should be as reflective of that population as it is possible to be.

What made you specialise in family law?

It seemed to me that academic family law should not be dominated by male scholars – as it then was – and so I gradually moved more into it, along with social welfare law, which was a developing subject at the time.

What has been your proudest career achievement?

It’s a close-run thing between my time at the Law Commission and becoming the first woman law lord. At the Law Commission, I was fortunate enough to play a large part in what is now the law relating to children, domestic violence, adoption and mental capacity. But to become a law lord is a proud achievement for anyone, male or female, and to show other women and girls, and indeed everyone, that a woman can do it has made it an even prouder achievement for me.

You worked as an academic, barrister and law reformer before being appointed a judge. How do you think your different backgrounds have helped shape your career?

All three of them made a big contribution to my career as a judge. Obviously I could not have become any sort of judge had I not been a barrister, and that taught me a lot about courts, the people who use them and the people who work in them. But teaching bright young adults also teaches one a lot about the law – and quite a lot about how to spot liars. Law reform teaches you to think more broadly about what is wrong with the current law, how it might be improved and how to translate those improvements into workable legislation. All of those have been helpful to me.

What advice can you give to those considering a career in law?

Find out as much as you can, not only about careers in the law, but also about what it is like to study law. There’s no harm in being enthusiastic about the fight for justice, or romantic about the criminal trial process, or ambitious for the rich rewards which some lawyers can achieve. But you have to go through a lot of hard work studying to achieve any of those, so make sure that you have the stomach for it.

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Law firm team get top ranking

Brian Sanchez

Published Feb 15, 2018 at 3:33 pm
(Updated Feb 15, 2018 at 3:33 pm)

  • Fozela Rana-Fahy

    Fozela Rana-Fahy

  • Andrew Martin

    Andrew Martin

  • Alan Dunch

    Alan Dunch

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The dispute resolution team at Bermuda law firm MJM Limited has been given a Band 1 ranking by Chambers Global 2018.

The global law firm rating agency said the team is known for being a distinguished, independent Bermudian firm that is widely respected in the jurisdiction.

It noted that it maintains a very strong reputation for domestic Bermudian cases and is regularly instructed by the Government of Bermuda on a variety of constitutional and public law matters.

Chambers said some of MJMs highlights were acting for Bermudas Ministry of Home Affairs in a long-running land compensation claim against the Corporation of Hamilton concerning Hamilton Waterfront, and that it successfully represented the Electricity Supply Trade Union in a breach of contract dispute against the Bermuda Electric Light Company. This case related to the provision of free healthcare to union retirees and was reported as the first class action to be heard by Bermudas Supreme Court.

Alan Dunch, Andrew Martin and Fozeia Rana-Fahy were mentioned as notable practionsers. Mr Dunch was praised for superlative litigation skills, while Mr Martin was described as gentlemanly, calm and measured advocate with a keen understanding of Bermudas legislative, regulatory and political environment.

Sources quoted by Chambers regarded Ms Rana-Fahy as knowledgeable, responsive and pragmatic.

Chambers Guides have been ranking the best law firms and lawyers since 1990 and now cover 185 jurisdictions throughout the world.


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Allegations against top law firm a ‘wake up call’

Brian Sanchez

A Wellington City councillor says allegations of sexually inappropriate behaviour towards young female law-clerk students are a wake up call for law firms to change their behaviour.

At least two staff members from Russell McVeagh, one of New Zealand’s top law firms, left the firm and chief executive Gary McDiarmid confirmed the firm had received “serious allegations” about events in Wellington more than two years ago.

Victoria University, which confirmed allegations involving several of its students, said it understood police continued to have an “open file” on the matter.

Councillor Fleur Fitzsimons has taken on the new city safety portfolio and is tasked with tackling sexual harassment in the city.

She said she believed what happened at Russell McVeagh was “the tip of the iceberg” in the legal profession.

“Sexual violence is an epidemic within law firms and needs to stop.”

Fitzsimons said law firms, like many other organisations, are now being hold accountable because of campaigns like the #metoo movement and women deciding to speak out.

Firms need to be proactive and change their culture to prevent sexual violence occurring, she said.

“The law profession now has a professional, legal and moral duty to take active steps, to change the culture within law and to stamp out sexual violence.”

The New Zealand Law Society was unable to confirm whether or not a complaint has been made related to the allegations.

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Law Society President Kathryn Beck said while the Law Society would investigate all complaints received, the governing legislation did not allow disclosure of any information about complaints or investigations.

Beck said any form of sexual harassment was totally unacceptable in legal workplaces.

It is understood the allegations against Russell McVeagh involved students in the firm’s summer law-clerk programme.

“Where allegations were made, we immediately conducted a full internal investigation at the time and initiated a formal process. Those who were the subject of the allegations left the firm following the investigation,” McDiarmid said.

He said he would not discuss specific details for privacy reasons.

Newsroom.co.nz, which revealed the allegations Wednesday, said two incidents happened at Christmas functions and another at the El Horno Bar in Wellington.

At least one complaint was made to police about a man’s behaviour at El Horno.

Victoria University Vice Chancellor Grant Guilford he was aware of several young women who allegedly experienced sexually inappropriate behaviour at the time.

At the time the university believed it was a police matter so it focused on supporting the young women and ensuring a safe environment for future workplace students.

Guilford said the university had since worked with Russell McVeagh and others to make major changes to the clerkship programme.

This included better induction, help hotlines for those exposed to bad behaviour and reinforced HR policies.

McDiarmid said the firm had “zero tolerance” to bad behaviour.

“[We] will have no hesitation to act if we are alerted to behaviour that contravenes our values, with robust processes in place to investigate and resolve any issues.

“We continue to take all possible steps to create a ‘speak out’ culture and as part of this, have made it clear to our staff that there will be no repercussions for speaking out in any circumstance.”

McDiarmid said Russell McVeagh has always taken employees’ concerns “extremely seriously”.

“We are committed to addressing any issues of harassment at Russell McVeagh, and in our profession generally, by making it known that any such behaviour is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

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EU: Twitter, Facebook still in violation of the bloc’s consumer law

Brian Sanchez

The social media giants have been rapped for allegedly deleting content and changing their terms of use without informing users. Brussels has also piled pressure on tech companies over fake news and illegal hate speech.Facebook and Twitter were accused on Thursday of failing to fully abide by European Union consumer rules, despite repeated pressure by Brussels.

A European Commission report said the two social media giants were still deleting content uploaded by users without informing them. Twitter, meanwhile, was singled out for changing its terms of use without telling users.

Brussels said that while Google+ had complied with all the required changes, Facebook and Twitter still needed to do more to give consumers more clarity about deleted content and accounts.

Read more: EU internet policing proposals spark free speech concerns

Updating its demands, the Commission reminded the two tech firms that they had been informed in November 2016 that their consumer protection rules didn’t meet EU standards.

Brussels then followed up with a meeting in March last year, and while Google Plus had made the required changes, Twitter and Facebook are still resisting, the Commission said.

Dragging heels

EU Justice Commissioner Vera Jourova said it was “unacceptable” that the companies are dragging their heels and called for Brussels to have a stronger role in overseeing consumer protection.

“EU consumer rules should be respected and if companies don’t comply, they should face sanctions,” she said.

The European Union’s executive cannot impose sanctions because the bloc’s 28 member states are individually responsible for the enforcement of consumer protection rules.

Read more: EU data privacy rules fail to protect consumers’ privacy

Despite the latest criticism, the Commission confirmed that the two companies, along with Google Plus, had met other requirements of EU consumer law, namely giving European users the right to take them to court in their home countries, rather than the US and the right to withdraw from an online purchase. The tech firms had also put measures in place to identify all advertising and sponsored content as such, among other things, the EU report said.

As well as flouting consumer protection laws, The social media giants have also faced months of intense pressure from Brussels, among other regulators, over the quick removal of hate speech and fake news.

But last month, the Commission praised tech companies like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube for their efforts, saying that 70 percent of notified illegal hate speech had been removed, up from less than a third in 2016.

mm/uhe (AFP, dpa, Reuters)

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IRS, FBI raid Waxahachie tax accountant, law firm; believed to be related to Dallas-based business

Brian Sanchez


By Andrew Branca | abranca@waxahachietx.com

Editor’s note: This article first appeared in the Daily Light Wednesday, Feb. 14. It has been updated throughout.

WAXAHACHIE

None of the three occupants of a Waxahachie-based multi-business location are directly connected to the federal investigation conducted last week by the FBI and IRS. A spokesperson with one of the firms confirmed the raid to be in relation to a Dallas-based business.

The government agencies raided the office building Tuesday morning, Feb. 6 in the 200 block of W. Second Street.

The building contained the offices of McDonnell Coates, LLP, McDonnell Richardson, CPA, and Steve Burnett, attorney at law. At the time of the raid, neither the FBI nor IRS commented on which business was under investigation.

Files and documents could be seen in boxes, bags, and plastic containers near the front door of the business. Members of the FBI and IRS were stationed at locations in and outside of the building.

“Regarding the businesses at 215 W. Second Street, the IRS was there on official business, but we are unable to comment any further,” IRS spokesperson Robyn Walker said via email.

A spokesperson with attorney Steve Burnett told the Daily Light Tuesday, Feb. 13 that the office was not involved in the raid.

Destiny Biron DeLeon, who is the Practice Manager with McDonnell Richardson, stated neither the firm nor McDonnell Coates was the subject of the investigation. Both are cooperating fully with all information requested.

“The investigation was initiated by federal authorities in their Dallas office,” stated DeLeon via email Wednesday. “Our understanding is that this individual is not a client of McDonnell Richardson, CPA but has had some business dealings with a few of McDonnell Richardson, CPA’s clients. It appears that the purpose of this federal visit was to gather information about the subject individual’s activities.”

DeLeon thanked the firm’s clients, friends, and members of the community who have reached out to express concern and support. She added that the firm would to continue to serve the community.

According to the McDonnell Richardson website, the firm was established in 2003 and can meet a person’s tax preparation, tax filing, accounting, payroll, controller services, and commercial property tax dispute needs. The McDonnell Coates website states that it was also founded in 2003. Some of the legal services the firm offers include business law, tax structuring and asset protection, estate and fiduciary litigation, estate planning, family law, probate law, tax attorney, and IRS audits and litigation.

Waxahachie Assistant Police Chief Joe Wiser stated the FBI asked the department to provide a few officers for traffic control. He explained the procedure to include local law enforcement is a common practice. Cones and Waxahachie police vehicles blocked the entrances to the parking lot of the building while it was searched.

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Indian IT firms budgeting larger amount of money for lobbying in the US

Brian Sanchez

MUMBAI | BENGALURU: Indian outsourcing firms are allocating larger amounts of money to directly lobby with lawmakers in the US in a bid to counter the rising threat of protectionism in the world’s biggest market for technology services.

The country’s largest software exporter, TCS, spent over a third more in 2017 on lobbying expenses while rival Infosys hiked its spend by nearly five-fold. In contrast, industry grouping National Association of Software Services Companies recorded a drop of 11% in lobbying expenses last year according to a Washington-based research group.

“Earlier companies used to shy away from directly lobbying and used trade bodies,” said Kartik Maheshwari, leader for technology companies at law firm Nishith Desai Associates. “Indian technology companies are recognising the current climate in the US is a much bigger threat than (before)” he added. The US accounts for over half of Indian IT’s $117-billion outsourcing business.

Bengaluru-headquartered Infosys spent $2,00,000 on lobbying in 2017 compared to $40,000 that it spent in the previous year, while TCS upped its spend from $80,000 in 2016 to $1,10,000 last year. The increase was marginal for New Jersey-based Cognizant, which spent $1.7 million in 2017, according to data from the Center for Responsive Politics. The direct approach by the Indian software exporters comes even as the country’s apex industry body has decreased its spending. Nasscom spent about a tenth less on making its concerns heard among US lawmakers with an annual spend of $3,90,000 last year the data showed.

The software lobby raised issues such as immigration, taxes, trade and foreign relations.

Legal experts are of the view that going direct helps India-based companies highlight specific initiatives they’ve undertaken to hike investments and build skills amongst USbased employees.

“It would not be any US politician’s interest to help Nasscom, but the companies can sell a more compelling story. Nasscom is too India,” said a US-based lawyer who works with IT companies.

“It makes sense for IT companies to go separate of Nasscom,” he added. TCS, Infosys, Cognizant and Nasscom declined to comment for this story.

In recent months, the Indian outsourcing companies have unveiled plans to hire more engineers locally in the US, in a move widely seen as an attempt to assuage the Trump administration’s concerns and avoid regulatory backlash.

To be sure, the lobbying expenses of the Indian outsourcing companies are only a fraction of what US-based technology corporations spend to make their voices heard among policy-makers on a range of issues such as taxes, healthcare and worker issues.

Data from the Center for Responsive Politics showed that Accenture spent $3.41million lobbying in 2017, while IBM spent over $5 million. Search giant Google was the topper with annual spend of over $18 million. “While Indian government has reduced bilateral lobbying with US lawmakers, the Trump administration’s frontal attack on job outsourcing and immigration continues,” said Maheshwari.

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