0-5 years

Will Cousineau joined Cornerstone's Springfield, Illinois office in June 2017. Will comes to the firm after nearly 18 years working for Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, including eight years as political director for the Speaker and the Democratic Party of Illinois.
Will was the longest serving political director for Speaker Madigan and most recently served as senior advisor to the Speaker. Over the past 10 years, Will worked directly with Speaker Madigan to shape, develop and implement the strategy and messaging for the Speaker's legislative and political agenda and the agendas of every member of the House Democratic Caucus. He also developed the implementation of political, legislative and outreach strategies for House Democratic Caucus members and all aspects of the Illinois House's political operation.

During his time with the Speaker's office, Will was involved in the major initiatives that moved through the Legislature over the past ten years, including such legislation concerning utilities, conceal and carry, financial institutions, and civil laws. Additionally, Will was intimately involved in the 2010 drawing of legislative districts, including new districts in the suburban region that have helped House Democrats expand and maintain their majority. While many democratic legislative caucuses across the country lost record numbers of seats during his tenure and every legislative chamber in the Midwest outside Illinois became Republican controlled, Will guided the Illinois House caucus and the Democratic Party of Illinois through a period of expansion and maintained a healthy majority for Illinois House Democrats.

Will's long tenure with the House, experience with message development, crisis management, grassroots organizing and input on political campaigns for offices throughout the state, gives Will an ability to understand complex legislative and political problems, easily digest those issues for members and clients and put together a collaborative and detailed action plan for moving forward.

In 2014, Will and his wife, Macy, adopted three sisters from Latvia. This experience has shaped their family, has given them the opportunity to speak with others about adoption and has encouraged their family to assist others who are adopting children both internationally and domestically. In 2016, Will and Macy's family grew with the arrival of their son.

In his spare time, Will is active in his church and serves on the Board of Elders. Will currently resides in Chatham, IL with his wife and four children.

Julia Larkin joined Cornerstone Government Affairs in February 2020 with more than 12 years of legislative experience in the state of Illinois. In her role as vice president, Julia uses her skills to help clients in Illinois advance their advocacy goals. Prior to joining Cornerstone, Julia served as the director of advocacy and government relations at AMITA Health, one of the largest health systems in Illinois. During her time in this role, Julia represented the organization's mission with state and local officials and executive agency staff, while also creating and executing strategies to ensure specific policy goals were met.

Previously, Julia served as legislative coordinator to Speaker of the Illinois House Michael J. Madigan for 10 years, where she assisted in the development of a wide array of policy positions and legislative initiatives. Julia has also supported the Democratic Party of Illinois, where she led state representative campaigns, managed opposition research and oversaw state representative candidate recruitment efforts.

Julia received her Bachelor of Arts with a double major in political science and international studies from Loyola University in Chicago.

15-20 years

City & State Power 100

PJ Lavelle is a partner in the firm and has been with Malady & Wooten for over a decade. PJ prides himself on helping clients navigate the vast and complex world of government by developing and executing strategies which are tailored for each individual client. Mr. Lavelle has a strong record of experience representing a wide range of clients before both state and local government with a focus on economic development, energy, transportation, and utility related issues.

Prior to joining the firm, PJ served as a senior policy advisor to House Democratic Leadership in the Pennsylvania General Assembly. As a key negotiator for House Democrats, he played a lead role in the passage of laws that have changed the face of Pennsylvania, such as Governor Rendell's Energy Independence Strategy and the Rebuilding PA infrastructure investment package. Preceding his years of service to the House, Mr. Lavelle served on the staff of Pittsburgh City Council.

PJ Lavelle is a native Pennsylvanian, born and raised in Lackawanna County. He earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Pittsburgh and resides in the Harrisburg area with his family.

H. Boyd Pettit, III is Partner and General Counsel for GeorgiaLink Public Affairs Group, LLC Pettit, a practicing Attorney since 1979, served as a Democratic member to the Georgia General Assembly for five consecutive terms beginning in January, 1983. Elected to the House of Representatives, succeeding newly elected Governor Joe Frank Harris, he was named a member of the House Appropriations, Judiciary, and Industry Committees. Pettit became Secretary to the Judiciary Committee and Chairman of the Public Services and Utilities Subcommittee of House Industry. During his membership in the House, Pettit served as Georgia's representative to the Southern States Energy Board and was selected as a participant in the Leadership Georgia Class of 1987. In 1993, he joined GeorgiaLink Public Affairs Group while remaining active on behalf of local governments, local education entities, public bond finance issues, and local industrial recruitment and development. In September 2000, Pettit was selected to the Georgia State Board of Transportation. He was re-elected in January, 2001 to a full five-year term. Pettit currently serves on the State Board of the Georgia Youth Science and Technology Centers and is an active member of Sam Jones Memorial United Methodist Church in Cartersville. Previously serving on Board of Directors of the North Metro Technical Institute Foundation, Pettit was a part of the effort to secure property, utilities, and funding for the state adult technical school. Boyd has two daughters, Dana and Bray. They reside in Cartersville, Georgia.

Arthur B. "Skin" Edge, IV is engaged in Governmental Relations and Consulting. Prior to joining GeorgiaLink, Mr. Edge served in the Georgia State Senate (1986-1996) and was Minority Leader of the Senate from 1992-1996. Mr. Edge served on the Appropriations, Special Judiciary (Chairman), Public Utilities and Health committees in the Senate. He also served on the Legislative Fiscal Affairs Committee and the Code Revisions Committee. Georgia Trend Magazine named Edge as one of "The 100 Most Influential People in Georgia." He was voted "The Top Registered Lobbyist in Georgia in 2018" in a poll of legislators, state officials and lobbyists. He was also named by Business to Business Magazine as one of "The Ten Most Influential People under the Gold Dome." He is a graduate of the University of Georgia (BBA 1977) and the University of Georgia School of Law (J.D. 1980). He was a participant in the Leadership Georgia Class of 1988. Skin and his wife, Bambi, have three children and six grandchildren. They reside in Newnan, Georgia.

John S. "Trip" Martin, III is the founder of GeorgiaLink Public Affairs Group. GeorgiaLink is a governmental affairs consulting firm which has been recognized by James magazine seventeen years in a row as the top lobbying firm in the state of Georgia. Mr. Martin began his Government Affairs career in 1981 as the Director of State Government Affairs in Georgia for Southern Bell. In 1986, he was promoted to the position of Director of Legislative Affairs for BellSouth in Washington, D.C. where his major responsibilities included the development and implementation of strategies for dealing with Congress on national telecommunications policy issues. He has served as the Vice President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Southeastern Public Affairs Council and was a participant in the Leadership Georgia Class of 1983. He is the former Vice President of the University of Georgia National Alumni Association. Mr. Martin currently serves on the Board of Directors of The Advocacy Group, an international network of lobbying firms with offices in forty-eight states. Trip is married to Julie Brown, a native of Atlanta and President & CEO of Georgia Foreign-Trade Zone. Trip and Julie split their time between residences in Atlanta and Blue Ridge, Georgia, where he is a licensed realtor with the Blue Ridge office of Premier Mountain & Lake Property, Inc., and owns and operates Big Creek Alpaca Farms. Trip has three grown children and five granddaughters.

20+ years

"North Carolina's Top Lobbyists" - North State Journal (2020)
Best Lawyers Government Relations Practice (2009-2022)
Business North Carolina Legal Elite
Triangle Business Journal "40 Under 40 Leadership Award (2012)

James H. "Jay" Roberts is the most recent member of our team. Prior to joining GeorgiaLink, Mr. Roberts served in the Georgia State House of Representatives (2003-2015) while in the House, Jay was elected as both Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the House Majority Caucus by his peers. Former Gov. Sonny Perdue asked him to serve as his Administration Floor Leader in his second term. He served in that capacity for 2 years. Jay was named the Chairman of the House Transportation Committee by the Speaker of the House in 2010. He served as Chairman of the House Transportation Committee for 6 years. During his tenure in the House, Jay served on the Agriculture & Consumer Affairs, Ethics, Economic Development & Tourism, Ways & Means, Appropriations, Rules, Game & Fish and Transportation Committees. Jay has served several communities during his 13 years in the House. He served Irwin, Ben Hill, Tift, Turner, Coffee, Telfair, Wheeler, Wilcox and Jeff Davis counties. Governor Nathan Deal appointed Jay to the distinguish position of Director of Planning for the State of Georgia at the Georgia Department of Transportation. He was tasked with the planning of the State's Transportation projects including developing and implementing the STIP. Governor Kemp asked Jay to serve on his Transition Team. He was then asked by Governor Brian Kemp to continue to serve him as the Director of Planning. In September, 2019 Mr. Roberts joined GeorgiaLink Public Affairs Group. He and his wife Sarah have two children, and they reside in Irwin County.