Fisher Phillips Launches New Advocacy Group

ATLANTA (March 20, 2018) – Fisher Phillips announced that it has launched an advocacy company. FP Advocacy LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of the national labor and employment law firm.

The new organization is headed by Benjamin Ebbink in Sacramento and Rick Grimaldi in Philadelphia. Both lawyers have extensive experience representing clients before regulatory agencies and both know how the legislative process works at various levels of government.

Before joining Fisher Phillips, Benjamin spent 15 years as the Chief Consultant to the California Assembly Committee on Labor and Employment where he was the primary policy advisor on labor and employment matters for the California State Assembly. Benjamin played a key role in virtually every major labor and employment issue to come before the Legislature during his tenure, and personally drafted hundreds of legislative proposals. In his law practice, Benjamin focuses on legislation introduced at the state and local level. He assists employers with navigating evolving legislative and regulatory landscapes in a variety of areas including workplace discrimination, employee privacy, wage and hour, employee compensation, trade secrets, employment contracts and terms, healthcare, immigration, employee leave, workers’ compensation, workplace safety and affirmative action. During his service in the Legislature, Benjamin earned a reputation for his integrity, his ability to work with diverse stakeholders on all sides, and his skill as a problem-solver.

Rick is the co-chair of the Government Relations Practice Group. He is the former Deputy General Counsel to Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge and former Chief Counsel of the Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry. He has long been involved in state and national politics. Rick assists employers with regulatory and government administrative issues at the local, state and federal levels. His national law practice spans all aspects of labor and employment law including regularly representing employers in litigation matters involving discrimination claims and wrongful termination claims and assisting employers with traditional labor matters.

Benjamin said: “The inner workings of government and the legislative process can be difficult to navigate for anyone who is not intimately familiar with the way these bodies work. It is important that our business clients have representation from experienced professionals who essentially know how the sausage is made. We are the eyes, ears, and voice of our clients before agencies and governments and try to ensure that our clients’ needs are given proper consideration.”

Rick added: “The formation of FP Advocacy is the direct result of a call for advocacy from our clients. Many of our clients have a high degree of interest in the legislative process since new laws and regulations can have significant impacts on organizations. These impacts can be positive or negative, so we work with our clients to ensure that they are heard before governments make changes that seriously impact business operations.”

The services provided by FP Advocacy include: Legislative Advocacy, Bill Drafting & Analysis, Grassroots Development & Coalition Building, Strategic Planning, Legislative History Analysis, Political Activity, Monitoring Legislative & Regulatory Proposals, and Budget Advocacy.