- Singleton B. McAllister, Weldon J. Rougeau and Ronald F. Thomas II Join Blank Rome LLP and Blank Rome Government Relations LLC -

(BLACK PR WIRE) WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Blank Rome is pleased to announce that Singleton B. McAllister, Weldon J. Rougeau and Ronald F. Thomas II have joined the Washington D.C. office, Ms. McAllister as Partner, and Mr. Rougeau and Mr. Thomas as Of Counsel in the Government Relations group. They have also joined as Principals in the Firm’s government affairs subsidiary, Blank Rome Government Relations LLC. They join from LeClairRyan, where Ms. McAllister and Mr. Rougeau established the firm’s Government Relations practice; Ms. McAllister served as Practice Team Leader, Mr. Rougeau as Shareholder, and Mr. Thomas as Special Counsel. 

“We are pleased to welcome this team of accomplished lawyers and government relations professionals to Blank Rome,” said Carl M. Buchholz, Managing Partner and CEO, Blank Rome LLP and Principal, Blank Rome Government Relations LLC. “Singleton, Weldon and Ron bring an impressive array of government affairs and public policy experience in both depth and scope, and they will be an excellent complement to our government relations practice.” 

Ms. McAllister focuses her practice on federal government relations, municipal representation, education, health care, employment and labor, non-profit, international business development and telecommunications. Ms. McAllister has previously served as Partner at Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC, where she was a member of the lobbying component of the firm, ML Strategies, and also a member of the Corporate Diversity Risk Management practice. She has been practicing government relations and public policy law for more than 20 years and has served in numerous positions within the U.S. House of Representatives and as senior counsel to the House Budget Committee. Ms. McAllister was appointed by former President Clinton as the General Counsel to the United States Agency for International Development. She was a former Chair of the National Women Business Center and a past President of Women in Government Relations, Inc. Admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Pennsylvania, Ms. McAllister received her Juris Doctor from Howard University School of Law and her Bachelor of Arts in Government and Politics from the University of Maryland. 

Mr. Rougeau focuses his practice on federal government relations, with an emphasis on telecommunications, health care, financial services, employment and labor, higher education, non-profits and international business development. He is a former counsel with the Government Relations Group at Arent Fox, past president and CEO of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and has served in senior executive positions at American Express, the Loyola University Medical Center, and the National Urban League. His government experience includes service in the United States Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, and the U.S. Department of Labor during the Carter administration. Admitted to practice in the District of Columbia and Louisiana, Mr. Rougeau received his Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and his Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Loyola University Chicago. 

Mr. Thomas focuses his practice on federal and state government contracting and other government relations matters. He previously served as Special Counsel at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough LLP. Mr. Thomas previously served as President George W. Bush's appointee as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Policy, United States Department of Veterans Affairs. In 2004, he served as second vice chairman of the South Carolina Republican Party and was the vice president of the South Carolina Republican Party Convention. He was the only African-American political director of a state party when he worked for the South Carolina GOP in 2002 and 2003. Admitted to practice in South Carolina, Mr. Thomas received his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law and his Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the United States Military Academy at West Point. 

About Blank Rome LLP
Blank Rome LLP is one of America’s largest law firms. With more than 500 attorneys serving clients across the globe, Blank Rome is an international law firm representing businesses and organizations ranging from Fortune 500 companies to start-up entities. Blank Rome helps its clients in all aspects of their businesses. The Firm’s practices cover areas including business tax; commercial and corporate litigation; employment benefits and labor; financial services; bankruptcy and financial restructuring; government relations; health law; intellectual property; maritime, international trade and procurement; matrimonial; mergers & acquisitions and private equity; product liability; public companies and capital formation; public finance; real estate; trusts and estates; and white collar, internal and government investigations. Blank Rome also represents pro bono clients in a wide variety of cases and matters. More information about the firm is available at www.blankrome.com. 

About Blank Rome Government Relations LLC
Blank Rome Government Relations LLC, an affiliate of Blank Rome LLP, includes legal, lobbying and strategic communications professionals who manage virtually every aspect of a governmental issue facing a client. The firm's areas of experience include election and campaign law, corporate and tax, defense and national security, education and non-profit, energy and the environment, financial services, government contracts, health care, homeland security, maritime and transportation, housing and urban development, international trade, and technology. The Government Relations Practice is headquartered in Washington, D.C., with offices in California, Delaware, Florida, New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania. For more information about Blank Rome Government Relations LLC, visit www.blankromegr.com.