The Governmental Relations Practice Group is Co-Chaired by Amalia Rioja and Rob Muriel. The team has decades of experience in litigation, legislative initiatives, and policymaking, which includes working with private, nonprofit, and governmental stakeholders to build consensus and implement solutions to complex problems. Both Amalia and Rob have held high level government roles. Rob was the Director of the Illinois Department of Insurance (2019-2020) and had leadership positions at the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). Amalia served as the Deputy Chief of Staff for former Governor Pat Quinn and held leadership roles for over 15 years in the Attorney General’s Office and the Comptroller’s Office. In addition, Steve Hoke has experience lobbying for insurance-related issues both locally and nationally. Also, Amalia and Steve have related experience in the cannabis and gambling areas, and Rob served on the Illinois Racing Board (horse racing) for four years.

We have an in-depth understanding of the interplay between government, business, legislation, and public policy. We develop strategies for our clients, not just from a legal perspective but from business and public policy ones as well. Over the course of our careers, we have worked closely with officials at the federal, state, and local levels. Accordingly, we have established relationships and credibility with elected officials, governmental leaders, and decision-makers throughout Illinois, including insurance commissioners throughout the United States and the leadership at the NAIC.