Lawrence H. Norton
Partner
Larry also represents clients in investigations by the FEC, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), congressional ethics committees, and state ethics and election boards.
During his tenure at the FEC, Larry headed the agency's enforcement, litigation, and rulemaking programs, and led the Office of General Counsel in interpreting the landmark McCain-Feingold Act. Prior to joining the FEC, he served as associate director in the Division of Enforcement at the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), and as assistant director in the Bureau of Consumer Protection at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).
Before his service in the federal government, Larry served in the Civil Litigation Division of the Maryland Attorney General’s Office.
Related Practices
Related Industries
Experience
Experience
Government Experience
- Assistant Director, Bureau of Consumer Protection, Federal Trade Commission
- Assistant Attorney General, Civil Litigation Division, Office of the Maryland Attorney General
- Associate Director, Division of Enforcement, Commodity Futures Trading Commission
- General Counsel, Federal Election Commission
Representative Matters
- Retained by publicly traded and large private companies for advice on campaign finance and lobbying compliance, including pre-clearing corporate and executive contributions, advice regarding pay-to-play laws, and PAC formation and reporting
- Represents a major gun safety organization, advising on political activity and lobbying compliance, tax-exempt status matters, contracts, social media engagement, fundraising, reporting obligations, and governance
- Represents a fiscal sponsor of innovative nonprofit advocacy projects engaged in fast-paced, high-profile grassroots campaigns to influence public policy and elections ($30+ million in 2017-2018)
- Formed and advised super PACs that collectively spent more than $50 million in 2018 U.S. House races, including highest-spending, non-party super PAC
- Provides ongoing advice to one of the nation’s 50 largest law firms on partnership contributions and lobbying disclosure, and successfully represented another top-50 law firm in an FEC investigation involving allegations of illegal, in-kind contributions
- Serves as general counsel to candidates for U.S. Congress and potential presidential candidates, advising on the FEC’s “testing-the-waters” regulations, personal financial disclosure statements, coordination with outside parties, and other complex rules
- Assisted ballot committees in California, Pennsylvania, and Illinois with most expensive city-level ballot initiatives in U.S. history
- Obtained favorable decisions from House and Senate Ethics Committees on matters involving travel, events, and outside business activities
Insights
Insights
Credentials
Credentials
Education
- J.D. University of Maryland School of Law 1983
- Order of the Coif
- Assistant Editor, Maryland Law Review
- B.A. magna cum laude University of Maryland 1980
Bar Admissions
- District of Columbia
- Maryland
- New York
Professional Memberships and Activities
- Co-editor, Political Law Briefing, a Venable blog
- Member, Maryland Office of Attorney General Campaign Finance Advisory Task Force, 2010
Recognition
Recognition
- Legal 500, Not-for-Profit (nonprofit and tax-exempt organizations), 2015 – 2016
- Super Lawyers, Washington, DC, 2013 – 2020
- Chambers USA, Government: Political Law, Nationwide, 2012 – 2018, 2021 – 2024
- Washingtonian
- Top Lawyers Hall of Fame, 2022
- Top Lawyers, Campaigns and Election Law, 2011 – 2013, 2015