Dem lobbyist Toby Moffett joins Mayer Brown

Former Connecticut Rep. Toby Moffett has joined the law firm Mayer Brown, where he will help lead its $3.6 million lobby shop.

Moffett, a Democrat, comes from his own firm, The Moffett Group, and brings along lobbyists Mickey Leibner and Mike Kelley. It will begin winding down operations and eventually close its doors in the next few weeks, according to a spokeswoman

At Mayer Brown, Moffett will serve as a senior adviser in the firm’s government and global trade group. He will work alongside former Republican Rep. David McIntosh (Ind.), who has been at the firm since 2001.

Mayer Brown lobbies for AT&T, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Visa, CTIA – The Wireless Association, the 21st Century Privacy Coalition, Chevron and Mitsubishi Nuclear Energy Systems. The firm earned $3.6 million in lobbying fees last year.

“My decision to join Mayer Brown stemmed from my experiences in working with the firm on important projects during the past 20 years, as well as my desire to become part of a larger global practice,” Moffett said in a statement. “It’s very exciting to think about what we will do together.”

Moffett had created a robust foreign lobbying practice at his own firm, where he once represented the governments of Egypt, Malawi, the Republic of the Congo, the governor of the Central Bank of Somalia, and the president of the Somali state of Puntland. 

His firm has also represented Government of Morocco for more than a decade and successfully helped the president of Angola to restore diplomatic relations with the United States. It has also signed foreign business clients, including Virgin Nigeria Airways, the South African Wine Industry Trust (SAWIT), and a soccer team within the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), TP Mazembe.

“We are excited about adding Toby’s capabilities and his network of clients and contacts in Africa,” said Duane Layton, co-leader of Mayer Brown’s global government & global trade group in a release. “In his Africa role, Toby will work closely with our offices in Paris and London, as well as with our associate firm, Tauil & Chequer in Brazil, and in Portuguese-speaking African nations.”

Moffett’s U.S. lobbying clients have included the sightseeing company Big Bus Tours and the hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management, in addition to Caithness Energy, the developers of the country’s largest wind project. Moffett was also one of the leaders of a coalition encouraging Congress to pass legislation giving New York City’s 9/11 first-responders health benefits to cover illnesses stemming from work at Ground Zero.