City of San Antonio Selects Holland & Knight Partner James Jonas For Lobbying Services at State Capitol
March 8, 2006
W. James Jonas- Washington
Holland & Knight Lobbyist James Jonas Continues Work for City, Building on Successes at Federal Level
SAN ANTONIO – Holland & Knight LLP announced today that
San Antonio City Council has selected Holland & Knight partner W. James Jonas
III as part of their Texas Lobby Team. This team will be the external advocates
and government affairs counselors for issues involving Texas State government
including the activities of the Texas Legislature. Mr. Jonas is one of six
lobbyists the San Antonio City Council approved yesterday to represent the
City’s interests at the State Capitol.
Mr. Jonas, who joined Holland & Knight in the beginning of last year, has
been a part of the external federal government affairs team for the City of San
Antonio since 1993.
With Holland & Knight already representing the City of San Antonio at the
federal level, this will be the first time in the City's history where one firm
will formally assist the community on state and federal initiatives. The
decision to have one firm in this dual role was made by Mayor Hardberger, IGR
Chair Chip Haass and numerous members of the city council who were seeking the
strategic advantages of coordinated governmental affairs efforts in Austin,
Texas and Washington, DC.
Rich Gold, Chair of Holland & Knight’s national Public Policy and Regulation
Group commented, “Now James will be able to provide the City with an additional
set of skills that have been part of his practice since 1987.”
Mr. Jonas has extensive experience in all aspects of local, state and federal
legislative matters. Constantly traveling between San Antonio, Austin, and
Washington, D.C., he counsels corporate clients, landowners, government
entities, political candidates and campaigns on a wide array of issues,
including economic development, policy advocacy and multi-state project
implementation. He brings significant breadth of knowledge spanning multiple
industries: information technology, education, health care, criminal justice,
financial services, base closures, economic development, transportation, gaming,
election law, privatization, telecommunications and environmental law.
Mr. Jonas serves in numerous civic leadership positions, including St. Mary's
Hall Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Development Committee, the University
of Texas San Antonio Development Board and Executive Committee, and UTSA
Department of Intercollegiate Athletics Advisory Council Co-Chairman. Mr. Jonas
is known throughout the community as an active advocate for autistic children to
include his work with the Treehouse Day Program for autistic children where his
10-year-old son, William, is a student.
Mr. Jonas is a member of the State Bar of Texas, and the American, District
of Columbia and San Antonio Bar Associations. He earned his J.D. from The
University of Texas School of Law in 1987, and received his bachelor’s degree
magna cum laude with honors in politics from Washington and Lee University in
1983.
About Holland & Knight’s State Capitals Team:
The national State Capitals Team is one of the largest in the United States,
combining in-depth knowledge of state and local governments with extensive
geographic coverage that spans Texas, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts,
California, Maryland, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia. The team works
to maximize clients’ business operations by strategically managing governmental
opportunities and providing representation on a full range of procedural,
regulatory and substantive issues, including lobbying, representation before
state agencies or local governments, guidance in the procurement or
grants-making process or monitoring legislative and administrative developments.
Contact: Sonja Gregg-Phelps, (202) 419-2576