Arent Fox
ATTORNEY BIO
Craig Engle

Craig Engle
November 11, 2011
  • Partner
  • Washington, DC
202.775.5791
craig.engle@arentfox.com

Craig Engle is the founder of the Arent Fox Political Law Group. Craig joined Arent Fox’s Government Relations Practice after a distinguished career on Capitol Hill. He has extensive experience advising presidential and political committees, ideological groups, and corporations on legal, legislative, political, and communications issues. Craig serves as the firm’s PAC Director and Treasurer.

Client Work

Craig’s clients include a broad range of candidate and political organizations, sports franchises and Fortune 500 companies which regularly face complex political or regulatory issues. He counsels numerous other associations, candidates, and even other lawyers and law firms.

This year, Craig created the legal framework for the first-ever program of texting political contributions to federal candidates. For the last several years, FEC rules prohibited political contributions from being texted. In consultation with an aggregator of mobile data, Craig devised a new legal and business model that has cleared the way for texting during the 2012 presidential election. In 2010, Craig created one of the first Super PACs and single-member 527 political organizations. He helps create and operate numerous 501(c)(3), (c)(4) and 527 organizations in response to the Citizens United decision. Craig’s practice also includes serving as the treasurer of political committees where he handles millions of dollars in political contributions and expenditures each cycle.

Craig’s practice now includes state law and political litigation matters. He also develops political strategies and is frequently quoted in the media about campaigns and elections.

In 2003, Craig was chosen by 14 state governments to author a Supreme Court amicus brief in the controversial McCain-Feingold litigation.

Previous Work

Craig has worked in the political law and campaign finance arena for 25 years.

Craig served as general counsel to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) from 1995-2000; in that capacity he was responsible for the legal matters of a $90 million-per-cycle Republican National Political Party Committee. He acted as counselor to Members of the US Senate, their campaign committees, and candidates on all aspects of election and office-holder laws, including Federal Election Commission (FEC), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Internal Revenue Service (IRS), lobbying, ethics, incorporation, insurance, and other matters.

From 1986-1995 Craig served at the Federal Election Commission as Executive Assistant to a Commissioner, where he oversaw litigation and enforcement matters brought under the Federal Election Campaign Act.

Publications, Presentations and Recognitions

The Washington Post has described Craig as “a lawyer, a very important lawyer.” In ever year from 2006 to 2012, Chambers USA recognized Craig as one of the nation’s leading political law attorneys. In 2000, he was named one of “Politics Fabulous Fifty” by the influential Capitol Hill publication Roll Call. In 2009, he was named one of Washingtonian’s “Top Lawyers for Campaigns and Elections.” He is a popular writer, speaker, and panelist on a wide range of federal and legislative issues, and has served as a guest lecturer at the Georgetown University Law Center and George Mason Law School.

Craig’s publications include:

  • “Does McCain-Feingold Violate the 10th Amendment, Too?” 2003
  • “What Happened to Campaign Finance Reform?,” Arent Fox legal update; 2003
  • “How Much Democracy Does $1,000 Buy?” Legal Times; May 4, 1998
  • “Buckley Over Time: A New Problem with Old Contribution Limits,” Notre Dame Law School of Legislation; 1998 (Vol. 24, No. 2)

His speaking engagements include:

  • Featured speaker, Brazilian Electoral Court; 2011
  • Guest speaker, Mexican Electoral Court; 2010, 2011
  • Election law speaker, Republican National Lawyers Association; 2010
  • Testified before Nevada Governor’s SAGE Commission; 2009
  • Testified before Federal Election Commission; 2009
  • State Government Leadership Foundation; 2003
  • Keynote Speaker, Republican National Lawyers Association Annual Meeting; 2001
  • Guest Lecturer, Georgetown University and George Washington University Law Center Seminars; 1996
  • Instructor and Commentator, Federal Election Commission Arbitration and Mediator Training Conference; 2000
  • Council on Governmental Ethics Laws National Conference; 1999

Life Beyond the Law

Craig is a collector of the artwork of the famous New Yorker illustrator Peter Arno and French poster artist Leonetto Cappiello. Craig and his collection of Holiday Inn postcards was featured in a Washington Post “Style Section” article entitled “The Collector.”

Bar and Court Admissions

  • District of Columbia Bar
  • Ohio Bar
  • Supreme Court of Ohio
  • Supreme Court of the United States
  • US Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit

Education

Georgetown University Law Center
, JD
University of Cincinnati
, BA
  ( summa cum laude )

Practices

  • Government Relations
  • Political Law

Industries

  • Nonprofit
  • Sports

Areas of Focus

  • Advocacy - Federal
  • Advocacy - State & Local
  • Arenas & Stadiums
  • Campaign Finance
  • Citizens United & Super PACs
  • Political Activity & Election Law
  • Texting Political Contributions
  • Awards & Recognitions

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