Mayer Brown announced that Phil Recht, the managing partner of Mayer Brown’s Los Angeles office, has been named to The National Law Journal’s (NLJ) list of “Government Relations Trailblazers.” This inaugural list recognizes “agents of change” – legal professionals who have affected areas such as lobbying and legislation. (View profile.)
A co-leader of Mayer Brown’s Public Policy, Regulatory & Political Law practice, Mr. Recht has helped build the firm’s Los Angeles-based government practice group, which is one of the largest of its kind in the region.
Prior to joining Mayer Brown, Mr. Recht worked for the Clinton Administration and served as chief counsel and deputy administrator for the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in the US Department of Transportation. He played a critical role in a host of major issues and initiatives, including the issuance of new federal standards mandating safer vehicle air bags and uniform attachment systems for child safety seats and the passage of federal transportation legislation (TEA-21) providing unprecedented levels of federal spending on highway safety.
In his profile, NLJ noted his work representing various clients in cutting-edge regulatory matters. “My first client was a group of 70 California tribes negotiating first-ever casino compacts with the state,” he told the publication.
In addition, he has helped enact the first state laws – in Nevada, Florida and California – to allow testing of autonomous vehicles and represented clients in emerging industries, including Airbnb and Bird scooters. “These matters all involve working with government from a clean sheet of paper to develop first-of-their-kind regulatory schemes for new industries,” Mr. Recht told NLJ.