John Raffaelli is the founding partner of Capitol Counsel, LLC. He has more than 30 years of experience in federal policy and policy making, with an emphasis on taxation, finance, health care, international trade, and general business matters. In addition to being called a “big-name lobbyist” by the Washington Post, he has been nationally recognized as one of the most effective lobbyists in Washington and is respected by both Democratic and Republican lawmakers for his knowledge of the legislative process and his ability to develop public policy solutions to client problems. In 2007, he was named by Washingtonian Magazine as one of the top 25 lobbyists in the Nation’s Capital, and he has made every top lobbyist list in the magazine since it began publishing them. John Raffaelli was born and raised in Texarkana, Arkansas by his mother, who was a real estate agent His first foray into politics was on Lyndon Johnson's 1964 presidential campaign, when he was 12  In 1973, he started interning for his local congressman, and after earning his B.S. in accounting at American University, got a job in his office After spending some time on Capitol Hill, John attended Arkansas Law School, earning a J.D., as well as an LLM in taxation Upon graduation, John took a position in Senator Lloyd Bentsen as an advisor on tax and trade issues After striking out on his own to start a lobbying firm, he took a position at a large law firm, which ultimately did not work out He then started McAuliffe, Kelly & Raffaelli, which eventually became the Washington Group After selling the Washington Group, he started a new firm - Capitol Counsel, LLC Capitol Counsel makes sure that its employees focus on the "Three P's of lobbying" - policy, politics, and process.  Help us grow! Leave us a rating and review - it's the best way to bring new listeners to the show.  Have a suggestion, or want to chat with Jim? Email him at: Jim@theLobbyingShow.com Follow The Lobbying Show on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for weekly updates about the show, our guests, and more.