Lobbying World: Former McCarthy deputy chief heads to Harbinger Strategies

John Leganski, most recently former Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) deputy chief of staff, is joining Harbinger Strategies as a partner.

“[John’s] ready insights were of immense value to myself and the entire House Republican Leadership team over the past decade and I saw firsthand his uncanny ability to bring people together around creative approaches to the most complex of challenges,” McCarthy said in a statement included in the announcement, which also contained praise from top House Republicans including House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (Minn.), House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (Mo.) and House Judiciary Chair Jim Jordan (Ohio). 

James O’Brien will join Invariant as a director. O’Brien worked as a professional staff member for the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Trade and as legislative director for former Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas).

Vishal Mehta joined K&L Gates as a partner in its Antitrust, Competition, and Trade Regulation practice. He was most recently a partner at Morrison & Foerster.

K&L Gates also welcomed John Northington Jr. to the firm’s Public Policy and Law practice as a government affairs adviser in the firm’s Houston and Washington, D.C., offices. He was most recently senior director of federal affairs with a Houston lobbying firm and was an adviser to the director of the Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement.

Brianna Manzelli is joining the Cargo Airline Association as managing director for legislative policy. Manzelli was most recently a senior adviser and communications director to Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah), and she was assistant administrator for communications at the Federal Aviation Administration.

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld promoted 13 lawyers to partner: Stephanie Bollheimer, Emma Butler, Alexander Cushman, Kate Doorley, Simon Ellis, Hayden Harms, Maka Hutson, David Lee, Mary Lovely, Kaitlin Shapiro, Lauren Talerman, Chris Treanor and Eric Wexler.

Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck promoted Reid Galbraith, Radha Mohan, Trayton Oakes, Courtney Shephard and Eric Walther to shareholders. The legal and lobbying giant also elevated Chris Hand to of counsel and Ari Zimmerman to policy director.