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Sandler, Reiff, Lamb, Rosenstein & Birkenstock

Website:

sandlerreiff.com
Location:

Washington, DC
Type:

Left-Leaning Law Firm
Formation:

1998
Executive Director:

Joe Sandler

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Sandler, Reiff, Lamb, Rosenstein and Birkenstock, P.C. (Sandler Reiff) is a “left-leaning” 1 Washington, D.C.-based law firm with a focus on political issues, campaigns, and advocacy groups that services many left-of-center and Democratic Party-affiliated clients. 2 3 4 5

The firm’s members have worked as counsel to the Democratic National Committee (DNC), numerous Democratic National Conventions, 6 the Democratic Governors Association (DGA), Ready for Hillary PAC, and Democratic Party officeholders. 7 Other staff have worked for state-level Democratic Party organizations, 8 the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), 9 failed 2018 Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D), and the left-of-center Election Protection campaign, which is led by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. 10

In 2021, Sandler Reiff received disbursements from campaigns and committees associated with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) 11 as well as left-of-center organizations including Moveon.org Political Action, National Democratic Training Committee PAC, Brand New Congress, ActBlue, Vote by Mail PAC, 21st Century Democrats, Justice Democrats PAC, Squad Victory Fund, Secure Progress, and Rebellion PAC. 12

The left-wing National Security Action, 13 the left-of-center Creative Majority PAC, 14 the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association (DLGA), 15 and the State Policy Institute, which receives money from the left-of-center North Fund, all share or have shared the same address as Sandler Reiff. 16

History and Leadership

Sandler, Reiff, Lamb, Rosenstein and Birkenstock, P.C. is a “left-leaning” 17 law firm that focuses on political issues including committees, party committees, non-profits, advocacy groups, government relations, and campaigns. 18 According to the American Bar Association, Sandler Reiff partner John Hardin Young “literally wrote the book on strategies for contested elections.” 19

Founded in 1998, Sandler Reiff’s leadership has deep ties to the Democratic Party and to Democratic Party-affiliated organizations. 20

Members

Joe Sandler is a member of Sandler Reiff. Sandler was the general counsel of the host committees of the 2012 and 2016 Democratic National Conventions; 21 general counsel of the 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008 Democratic National Conventions; in-house general counsel for the Democratic National Committee (DNC) from 1993 until 1998 and then through Sandler Reiff from 1998 until 2008; general counsel for the Democratic Governors Association (DGA) and the Association of State Democratic Chairs; 22 a member of the core litigation team in Tennessee for the 2000 Gore/Lieberman Recount Committee; and general counsel for the DNC from 1986 until 1989. 23

Neil Reiff is a founding member of Sandler Reiff. Before founding Sandler Reiff in 1998, Reiff worked in several roles at the DNC from 1990 to 1998 including deputy general counsel, deputy compliance director, and compliance director. 24 In 2019, Reiff attacked allegedly Republican “dark money” in politics. 25

Jim Lamb has worked on Democratic campaigns and committees for “more than 25 years” and is a member of Sandler Reiff.  His clients have included Ready for Hillary PAC, the campaign committees of Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Rep. Sander Levin (D-MI), and Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN); former Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM)’s unsuccessful 2008 presidential campaign committee; left-of-center organizations Americans for Stable Quality Care, Turnaround Detroit, Committee for Justice and Fairness, Citizens for Affordable Energy; and state-level independent expenditure PACs. 26 He has also worked for former Sen. John Glenn (D-OH)’s committee staff, Rep. John Dingell (D-MI), the Michigan Democratic Party, and former Sen. Donald Riegle (D-MI). 27

Joseph Birkenstock is a member at Sandler Reiff. He was chief counsel of the DNC and assisted the DNC in the 2000 Florida recount and campaign finance regulations. He is a member of California Political Attorneys Association. 28

Other Staff

“Of counsel” staff at Sandler Reiff includes John Hardin Young, the current chairman of the American Bar Association and former special counsel to the DNC, where he developed election day monitoring and general counsel to the Democratic Party of Virginia; 29 Amanda La Forge, who was chief counsel to the DNC from 2004 to 2009, director of voter protection for the Maryland Democratic Party in the 2010, 2012, and 2018 election cycles, and counsel to unsuccessful Maryland gubernatorial candidate Anthony Brown (D) in 2014; 30 and Jeffrey Wice, who developed the Democratic Party’s redistricting assistance program in 1990 and served as counsel to President Clinton’s appointees to the 2000 Census Monitoring Boards. 31

Senior Counsel David Mitrani previously worked for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), and DNC. 32

The firm’s election law specialist Dara Lindenbaum was senior counsel to failed 2018 Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams (D) and deputy counsel to the unsuccessful presidential campaign of former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley (D). In 2012, she implemented and organized the left-of-center Election Protection campaign, which is led by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. 33 Senior Associate Erin Tribe worked as director of compliance for Hillary Clinton’s unsuccessful 2016 presidential campaign and Alison Lundergan Grimes (D-KY)’s unsuccessful 2014 Senate campaign. 34

Political Activities

2021

In 2021, Sandler Reiff received disbursements from campaigns and committees associated with Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV), Sen. Ben Cardin (D-MD), Rep. Cori Bush (D-MO), Rep. Andre Carson (D-IN), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). 35 The firm also received Federal Election Commission-reportable disbursements in 2021 from left-of-center committees and organizations including Moveon.org Political Action, National Democratic Training Committee PAC, New Hampshire Democratic Party, Kentucky Democratic Party, Oklahoma Democratic Party, the Progressive List, the Senate campaign of Rep. Conor Lamb (D-PA), Brand New Congress, Meidastouch, ActBlue, AAPI Victory Fund, Defeat by Tweet, Vote by Mail PAC, Powered by People, Mind the Gap, 21st Century Democrats, Fair Fight, Real Justice PAC, CASA in Action, Groundwork Project PAC, Honor Bound PAC, Votar Es Poder PAC, Brady PAC, Matriarch Political Action Committee, Justice Democrats PAC, Squad Victory Fund, Secure Progress, Black Men Vote, The Turnout Project, Climate Hawks Vote PAC, Democratic Majority Action PAC, and Rebellion PAC. 36

2020 Cycle

According to OpenSecrets, Sandler Reiff received $1,862,811 of reported payments during the 2020 election cycle. 37  Its clients in that cycle included the failed 2020 presidential campaigns of former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX) and Montana Gov. Steve Bullock (D); the campaigns of Sen. Doug Jones (D-AL), Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY); and left-of-center organizations including Color of Change, the Association of State Democratic Committees, Real Justice PAC, Justice Democrats, Fair Fight PAC, Moveon.org, National Democratic Training Committee, Defeat by Tweet, Democratic Party of New Hampshire,  Democratic Party of Oklahoma, Progressive Change Campaign Committee, Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee, Democratic Majority for Israel, New American Voices, Creative Majority PAC, 21st Century Democrats, Mijente PAC, Vote for Equality, Abolish the Electoral College, Georgia Blue Project, America’s Future Majority Fund, and others. 38

Associated Organizations

The left-wing group National Security Action, 39 the left-of-center Creative Majority PAC, 40 the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association (DLGA), 41 and the State Policy Institute, which receives money from the left-of-center North Fund, all share or have shared the same address as Sandler Reiff. 42

References

  1.  C. Ryan Barber and Jack Newsham. “How Marc Elias, the Democrats’ $1,200-an-hour bulldog, is preparing for his own war with Trumpism.” Insider. Published September 2, 2021. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_dc/EXTUID_4168729.
  2. Jackson, Liane. “Campaigns count on political lawyers to get the vote right.” ABA Journal. March 1, 2019. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/campaigns-political-lawyers-vote.
  3. “Jim Lamb.” Sandler Reiff. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://sandlerreiff.com/attorneys/jim-lamb/.
  4. “Erin Tribe.” Sandler Reiff. Accessed December 12, 2021. https://sandlerreiff.com/attorneys/erin-tibe/.
  5. “Vendor/Recipient Profile: Sandler, Reiff et al.” Open Secrets. 2020 Election Cycle. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://www.opensecrets.org/campaign-expenditures/vendor?cycle=2020&vendor=Sandler%2C+Reiff+et+al.
  6. “Joe Sandler.” Sandler Reiff. Accessed December 10, 2021. https://sandlerreiff.com/attorneys/joe-sandler/.
  7. “Jim Lamb.” Sandler Reiff. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://sandlerreiff.com/attorneys/jim-lamb/.
  8. “John Hardin Young.” Sandler Reiff. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://sandlerreiff.com/attorneys/john-hardin-young/.
  9. “David Mitrani.” Sandler Reiff. Accessed December 12, 2021. https://sandlerreiff.com/attorneys/david-mitrani/.
  10. “Dara Lindenbaum.” Sandler Reiff. Accessed December 12, 2021. https://sandlerreiff.com/attorneys/dara-lindenbaum/.
  11. “Disbursements.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://www.fec.gov/data/disbursements/?recipient_name=sandler+reiff&data_type=processed.
  12. “Disbursements.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://www.fec.gov/data/disbursements/?recipient_name=sandler+reiff&data_type=processed.
  13. “FWD.us Education Fund Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990). 2019. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/820962378/202023219349320442/full.
  14. “Creative Majority Political Action Committee.” Open Corporates. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_dc/EXTUID_4168729.
  15. “Planned Parenthood Action Fund Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax. (Form 990). 2018. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/133539048/202040559349301119/full
  16. “North Fund.” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990). 2020. https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2021/11/North_Fund_2020_Public_Disclosure_Copy-002.pdf.
  17. C. Ryan Barber and Jack Newsham. “How Marc Elias, the Democrats’ $1,200-an-hour bulldog, is preparing for his own war with Trumpism.” Insider. Published September 2, 2021. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_dc/EXTUID_4168729.
  18. “Sandler Reiff Lamb Rosenstein & Birkenstock, P.C.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 12, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/company/sandler-reiff-lamb-rosenstein-&-birkenstock-p.c./about/.
  19. Jackson, Liane. “Campaigns count on political lawyers to get the vote right.” ABA Journal. March 1, 2019. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://www.abajournal.com/magazine/article/campaigns-political-lawyers-vote.
  20. “Sandler Reiff Lamb Rosenstein & Birkenstock, P.C.” LinkedIn. Accessed December 12, 2021. https://www.linkedin.com/company/sandler-reiff-lamb-rosenstein-&-birkenstock-p.c./about/.
  21. “Joe Sandler.” Sandler Reiff. Accessed December 10, 2021. https://sandlerreiff.com/attorneys/joe-sandler/.
  22. “Joe Sandler.” Sandler Reiff. Accessed December 10, 2021. https://sandlerreiff.com/attorneys/joe-sandler/.
  23. “Joe Sandler.” Sandler Reiff. Accessed December 10, 2021. https://sandlerreiff.com/attorneys/joe-sandler/.
  24. “Neil Reiff.” Sandler Reiff. Accessed December 12, 2021. https://sandlerreiff.com/attorneys/neil-reiff/.
  25. ‘Neil Reiff Quoted in Rolling Stone Article.” Sandler Reiff. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://sandlerreiff.com/neil-reiff-quoted-in-rolling-stone-article/.
  26. “Jim Lamb.” Sandler Reiff. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://sandlerreiff.com/attorneys/jim-lamb/.
  27. “Jim Lamb.” Sandler Reiff. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://sandlerreiff.com/attorneys/jim-lamb/
  28. “Joseph Birkenstock.” Sandler Reiff. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://sandlerreiff.com/attorneys/joseph-birkenstock/.
  29. “John Hardin Young.” Sandler Reiff. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://sandlerreiff.com/attorneys/john-hardin-young/.
  30. “Amanda La Forge.” Sandler Reiff. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://sandlerreiff.com/attorneys/amanda-la-forge/.
  31. “Jeffrey M. Wice.” Sandler Reiff. Accessed December 12, 2021. https://sandlerreiff.com/attorneys/jeffrey-wice/.
  32. “David Mitrani.” Sandler Reiff. Accessed December 12, 2021. https://sandlerreiff.com/attorneys/david-mitrani/.
  33. “Dara Lindenbaum.” Sandler Reiff. Accessed December 12, 2021. https://sandlerreiff.com/attorneys/dara-lindenbaum/.
  34. “Erin Tribe.” Sandler Reiff. Accessed December 12, 2021. https://sandlerreiff.com/attorneys/erin-tibe/.
  35. “Disbursements.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://www.fec.gov/data/disbursements/?recipient_name=sandler+reiff&data_type=processed.
  36. “Disbursements.” Federal Election Commission. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://www.fec.gov/data/disbursements/?recipient_name=sandler+reiff&data_type=processed.
  37. “Vendor/Recipient Profile: Sandler, Reiff et al.” Open Secrets. 2020 Election Cycle. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://www.opensecrets.org/campaign-expenditures/vendor?cycle=2020&vendor=Sandler%2C+Reiff+et+al
  38. “Vendor/Recipient Profile: Sandler, Reiff et al.” Open Secrets. 2020 Election Cycle. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://www.opensecrets.org/campaign-expenditures/vendor?cycle=2020&vendor=Sandler%2C+Reiff+et+al
  39. “FWD.us Education Fund Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990). 2019. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/820962378/202023219349320442/full.
  40. “Createive Majority Political Action Committee.” Open Corporates. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_dc/EXTUID_4168729.
  41. “Planned Parenthood Action Fund Inc.” Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax. (Form 990). 2018. Accessed December 11, 2021. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/133539048/202040559349301119/full
  42. “North Fund.” Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax. (Form 990). 2020. https://www.influencewatch.org/app/uploads/2021/11/North_Fund_2020_Public_Disclosure_Copy-002.pdf

Directors, Employees & Supporters

  1. Joe Sandler
    Partner
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Sandler, Reiff, Lamb, Rosenstein & Birkenstock

1090 Vermont Ave. NW Suite 750
Washington, DC