Experienced policy advocate and former litigator to co-chair Government Affairs Group
Aaron Cummings, former chief of staff to Republican U.S. Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the most senior member of the U.S. Senate, has joined Crowell & Moring to serve as co-chair of the firm’s bipartisan Government Affairs Group with partner Jim Flood, former Counsel to Sen. Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-NY).
The addition strengthens the firm’s government affairs depth, building on the Schumer-McConnell-Gillibrand team of Flood, Scott Douglas, and Kate Beale. Douglas, a senior policy director at Crowell, is former finance director to U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Beale, also a senior policy director, is a former staffer to U.S. Senators Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Hillary Clinton (D-NY), as well as former associate vice president for international advocacy at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA).
Cummings is a Congressional policy advocate who also served as chief constitution and crime counsel for the Senate Judiciary Committee when Grassley was the ranking member of the panel. In addition, he has in-depth experience working with the Senate Finance, Agricultural, and Budget committees where Senator Grassley served as the chair or ranking member, and is known for his ability to work across the aisle and build bipartisan support for legislation. Cummings also has extensive experience working closely with Republican Senate leadership and with key Republican members in the House of Representatives.
“Aaron’s record of bipartisan legislative accomplishments will serve as a road map to help our clients achieve their goals in Washington as he knows how to cut through the partisanship to deliver results,” said Philip T. Inglima, chair of the firm. “His legislative and executive branch experience will be valuable to clients navigating issues on Capitol Hill across a wide range of industries.”
Cummings advised then-Senate Judiciary chairman Grassley on legal and policy issues related to constitutional, civil rights, criminal, and administrative law. He served as the lead Senate Republican negotiator of the First Step Act, the most significant federal criminal justice reform package in more than 40 years, which was signed into law in December 2018. The bill gained the support of the White House and a bipartisan, bicameral group of cosponsors as well as organizations across the political spectrum, including law enforcement and civil rights groups. Cummings also played a significant role in the passage of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.
“Aaron brings Senate chief of staff experience, unparalleled insight, and in the trenches experience from both Capitol Hill and the White House on a range of high-impact issues that are important to our clients,” Flood said. “We believe that having strong bipartisan depth is critical to achieving results for our clients, and Aaron’s proven track record of working with Democrats and Republicans alike to foster key relationships and pass key legislation will be invaluable.”
At Crowell, Cummings will work with the firm’s Government Affairs Group and lawyers across the firm to advise and advocate for clients on legislative matters in areas, including antitrust, financial services, health care, energy, intellectual property, artificial intelligence, technology, agriculture, and national security. He also has experience navigating the Farm Bill, which is due for reauthorization in 2023. Cummings will also work with the firm’s investigations team and draw on his experience participating in congressional investigations and high-profile, complex hearings on Capitol Hill over the past six years.
Prior to service in the Senate, Cummings was a litigator in private practice, and served as COO and general counsel for a major charitable foundation. He also served as an associate director of speechwriting in the White House under President George W. Bush.
Cummings earned his law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law, and his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University.
“Crowell’s reputation precedes itself, and I am thrilled to join a firm with the highest caliber of knowledge and experience across many areas,” Cummings said. “I look forward to being a part of the team’s collaborative culture as we work together to help clients advance their most important objectives.”
About Crowell & Moring LLP
Crowell & Moring LLP is an international law firm with offices in the United States, Europe, MENA, and Asia. Drawing on significant government, business, industry and legal experience, the firm helps clients capitalize on opportunities and provides creative solutions to complex litigation and arbitration, regulatory and policy, and corporate and transactional issues. The firm is consistently recognized for its commitment to pro bono service and its programs and initiatives to advance diversity, equity and inclusion.
