15-20 years

Best Lawyers 2016 Lawyer of the Year, Government Relations Practice, Providence.
Best Lawyers 2015 Lawyer of the Year, Administrative / Regulatory, Providence.
Best Lawyers 2013 Lawyer of the Year, Government Relations Practice, Providence.
Selected as a Rhode Island Super Lawyer, 2013, 2016 and 2017.
AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell, its highest rating for attorneys.
Selected by his peers for inclusion in the 2007 & 2018 editions of The Best Lawyers in America in the fields of governmental relations and administrative law.

Director, Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce.
Member, American Bar Association's Governmental, Fidelity/Surety and Energy sections.
Defense Research Institute member.

Skilled in governmental relations and legislative issues, Richard assists domestic and international companies to succeed and grow, in both regulated and deregulated industries including energy and telecommunications, financial services, health care, insurance, retail, real estate development, entertainment and manufacturing.

His considerable energy experience includes representing domestic and foreign energy companies in developing New England generation facilities. He served as lead counsel in the siting of Rhode Island's largest electric generation plant. He is currently engaged in the permitting process for a 1000 MW power plant.

Richard also has broad experience in litigation matters where he defends insured and self-insured clients in health care litigation, construction accidents, professional liability, product liability, premises liability, corrections actions and director and officer liability matters as well as representing fidelity and surety companies in the litigation of fiduciary/inventory loss and construction disputes.

Before his work in government affairs consulting, Brian served as Director of Public Affairs for The Westerly Hospital and spent more than two decades as Assistant Vice President for Government Relations at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, where he led legislative, regulatory, and public affairs initiatives on behalf of one of the state's largest health care organizations. Brian earned a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies in Finance and a Master of Business Administration in Management from Bryant University. He received a Bachelor of Science in Health Services Administration from Providence College.

William A. Farrell is the founding principal of William A. Farrell & Associates LLC. Prior to establishing the firm, Mr. Farrell developed the Government Law and Strategies group at the international law firm of Brown Rudnick, and served as the Group's initial Managing Director, overseeing more than 20 attorneys and government relations specialists, with offices in Washington, DC, Boston, Hartford, and Providence.

For over 30 years Mr. Farrell has represented individual companies, industry trade associations and non-profit entities on state and municipal issues, along with other public issues involving the Rhode Island community. His list of clients represents the leaders within the financial service and insurance industries; regional hospital systems and individual health care providers; national Fortune 500 companies in the telecommunication, manufacturing, servicing and technology sectors; and the gaming industry.

Mr. Farrell earned his Juris Doctor from the New England School of Law (1975) and his M.L.L. from Boston University (1991). A lifelong resident of Rhode Island, Mr. Farrell currently resides in Cranston.

FRANCIS X. MCMAHON, ESQ., the founder and president of Advocacy Solutions, has deep expertise in ally development, grassroots and grasstops coalition building, strategic communications management, and online advocacy for clients in a wide range of industries including healthcare, telecommunications, energy, and transportation.

Over the course of his career, Frank has been a key staff member and advisor on many winning political and issue campaigns. He served as Special Counsel and Deputy Chief of Staff to Rhode Island Governor Bruce Sundlun and has led campaigns for Honda Motor Corporation, Verizon, and National Grid.

An avid Friar basketball fan, Frank is a graduate of Providence College, Suffolk University Law School, and a member of the Rhode Island State and Federal Bar Association.

Matthew T. Jerzyk serves as Legal Counsel at William A. Farrell & Associates LLC. As a registered lobbyist, he frequently represents clients before municipal and state agencies on regulatory, legal and policy matters. Matt's expertise includes budgetary matters, financial services, real estate development, education, disruptive technologies, employment matters and the pharmaceutical and telecommunications industries. He previously served as legal counsel to the Speaker of the House and Majority Leader in the Rhode Island House of Representatives. He also served as Senior Counsel to Providence Mayor Angel Taveras and helped to guide the City of Central Falls out of bankruptcy as City Solicitor. Matt is an award-winning political consultant with a track record of success with first-time and non-traditional candidates running for public office. Matt received his B.A. and graduated magna cum laude from Brown University and received his law degree from Roger Williams University School of Law. Matt's law review article "Gentrification's Third Way" was published in the Harvard Law and Policy Review.

Patricia A. Octeau serves as Senior Director at William A. Farrell & Associates LLC, representing a variety of clients before the Rhode Island General Assembly. As a registered lobbyist, she represents clients in the financial services, telecommunications, healthcare policy, information technology and workers compensation areas. She is responsible for complying with the various lobby registrations and mandatory legislative/executive lobby reports on behalf of the Firm's clients and is involved with the Firm's local and state activities at both the legislative and executive branch levels. Ms. Octeau has over 20 years of experience in the government relations and strategy arena.

Ms. Octeau is a 1980 graduate of Bryant University.

Will Farrell serves as Director of State and Municipal Affairs at William A. Farrell & Associates LLC. As a registered lobbyist, he brings a unique integrated set of government and municipal skills, representing clients before the Rhode Island General Assembly, as well as state and local regulatory agencies. His expertise encompasses the financial services, real estate development, pharmaceutical and telecommunications industries. Prior to entering the private sector, Will worked in Washington, DC for Senator Ted Kennedy, in Manhattan administering the Fulbright Scholarship on behalf of the US State Department, and more recently as Director of Municipal Affairs for Providence Mayor Angel Taveras. In addition to his lobbying practice, Will has also managed several local campaigns and ballot referendums.

Will is a 2006 graduate of Northeastern University.

20+ years

RI State Nurses Association Excellence Award

Former Chief of Staff and Director of Policy & Legislation, Office of the Attorney General Patrick C Lynch

Former Legal Counsel to Lieutenant Governor, Charles J. Fogarty

Former Senate Parliamentarian

Former member of the Providence School Board

Former government affairs lobbyist and trial attorney for the Massachusetts Attorneys General, Scott Harshbarger and Thomas Reilly

LEONARD LOPES, ESQ.
President and Founder of The Victor Group

Leonard Lopes is the Founder and President of The Victor Group, LLC, with practice areas focused on state and local government relations and lobbying. Leonard has over two decades of governmental relations experience representing both public officials and corporate clients. He has over 25 years of experience with drafting state legislation and appearing before regulatory and legislative bodies. With his experience as a government affairs lobbyist and strategist, combined with his public, not-for-profit and private sector contacts, Leonard has emerged as a leading government affairs advisor in Rhode Island.

Prior to founding The Victor Group, Leonard was Senior Counsel at a downtown Providence law firm. In his capacity as the firm's Director of Government Affairs and Legislation, Leonard managed all aspects of the law firm's roster of corporate clients. Leonard served as the chief lobbyist and advisor for the private and public sector clients of the firm. He advocated before local and state governmental agencies, helping clients discover strategic solutions that merge legal analysis and keen knowledge of the state's legislative process.

Leonard has held senior-level management positions with the Department of the Rhode Island Attorney General and the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. Leonard served as the Chief of Staff and Director of Policy & Legislation for the Rhode Island Department of the Attorney General. In that capacity, he served as the Attorney General's senior policy advisor and liaison to all state agencies and the Rhode Island General Assembly.

Before his time at the Department of the Attorney General, Leonard served as the Legal Counsel for the Office of the Lieutenant Governor. In that capacity, Leonard represented the Lieutenant Governor in all legal matters and was a key lobbyist. During his tenure with the Lieutenant Governor's office, he was appointed the Senate Parliamentarian.

Leonard earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Miami School of Law and his undergraduate degree in Legal Studies from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst. Leonard is admitted to practice law in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.

Leonard is active in many community organizations and regularly volunteers his time and talent on several non-profit boards.