Darry Sragow Joins Sonnenschein's Public Law & Policy Strategies Team in California; Prominent political strategist and policy expert to spearhead growth of law firm's public policy practice on West Coast.

LOS ANGELES -- Sonnenschein Nath & Rosenthal LLP today announced that Darry Sragow has joined the law firm in Los Angeles as a partner and member of the firm's national Public Law & Policy Strategies Group. Widely recognized as one of California's leading consultants to political campaigns, corporations and nonprofit organizations, Sragow was area managing director of the California offices of Public Strategies Inc., a national public affairs firm, where his clients included Dell, Diebold, IMS Health, Motorola, New Century Financial Corporation, UNUMProvident and WellPoint. E[acute accent]"Darry's unique blend of legal, public policy, media and business counseling skills will provide enormous value to our clients in Sacramento, Los Angeles, San Francisco and throughout the country," said Elliott Portnoy, chair of Sonnenschein's Public Law & Policy Strategies Group. "His deep understanding of California's political climate, combined with his significant Washington experience, will be a tremendous firmwide asset." E[acute accent]"Darry joins us at a time of unprecedented growth for the firm in Los Angeles," said Edwin Reeser, managing partner of the Los Angeles office. "His leadership of our public policy practice on the West Coast will be a key factor in maintaining that momentum and ensuring that we meet the ever-increasing needs on the governmental front of our California and national clients doing business in the state, as well as for our California clients with needs in the nation's capital." E[acute accent]In the campaign arena, Sragow most recently served in 2004 as the Democratic strategist for Propositions 57 and 58, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's economic recovery bond package. From 1996 through 2002, he was the chief campaign strategist for the California Assembly Democratic Caucus. Sragow also has directed several successful bond election campaigns, including three for the Los Angeles Unified School District and two for the Los Angeles Community College District. Together, they provided more than $11 billion of education funding. E[acute accent]Sragow has held several senior positions in state and federal government, including California deputy insurance commissioner and chief of staff to the chairman of California's State Board of Equalization. He also served as campaign manager for former U.S. Sen. Alan Cranston, former Lt. Gov. Leo McCarthy and gubernatorial candidate Al Checchi. In Washington, he was a senior staff member for former U.S. Sen. Birch Bayh and the U.S. Senate Veterans' Affairs Committee. E[acute accent]"I look forward to helping Sonnenschein grow its public policy practice in California and to building a state and local lobbying presence that is known for its breadth and depth," noted Sragow. "Just as importantly, I'm excited to be joining a firm with a vision of the importance of such work in not just Washington, D.C., but also in Sacramento, Albany, Springfield, Jefferson City, Austin and state capitols across the country." E[acute accent]Sragow earned a J.D. degree, cum laude, from Georgetown University, a master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.S. from Cornell University. He also served as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy. He has practiced law with O'Melveny & Myers and Manatt, Phelps & Phillips in Los Angeles and has served on the boards of several community and nonprofit organizations. From 1999 to 2003, Sragow taught an undergraduate course on political science at the University of California, Berkeley and now teaches one at the University of Southern California. He is a frequent political commentator on national and local television and is quoted regularly in California's major daily newspapers. E[acute accent]Other recent additions to Sonnenschein's bipartisan policy team include Frederick D. McClure, former assistant for legislative affairs to President George H.W. Bush and special assistant for legislative affairs to President Ronald Reagan, and Joseph J. Andrew, former national chair of the Democratic National Committee. E[acute accent]Sonnenschein, with more than 700 attorneys and other professionals in nine U.S. cities and a global reach, serves the legal needs of many of the world's largest and best-known businesses, nonprofits and individuals. For more information, visit www.sonnenschein.com.