TOP LOBBYING FIRMS AND INDIVIDUALS

■ Holland & Knight: The firm is led by Robert Highsmith, a lawyer and former counsel to Sonny Perdue when he was governor who has also represented several lawmakers when they got into legal trouble or faced ethics complaints. The team also includes Jeremy Collins and Koko Lewis, two one-time aides to former Senate President Pro Tem David Shafer. The legal side of the firm also includes Jake Evans, chairman of the state ethics commission, which regulates lobbyists and enforces campaign finance laws. Holland & Knight represents the city of Atlanta, the airport, those involved in the massive Gulch development in downtown Atlanta, MARTA, gaming giant Caesars Entertainment, small-loan giant Titlemax, Total Wine & More, Verizon and the optometrists lobby.

■ Troutman Sanders Strategies: Lots of big names and top professionals in the group led by Pete Robinson, who was on Gov. Nathan Deal’s transition team. The group also includes the House speaker’s son, Matthew Ralston, and veteran lobbyists Lawrence Bell, Samantha Hill, Hannah Irvin, Ragan Marsh and Rob Willis. It represents big names including Aflac, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, General Motors, the homebuilders lobby, Merck Pharmaceuticals, Scientific Games, the managed care company for PeachCare, Synovus and Verizon.

■ GeorgiaLink Public Affairs Group: It has one of the longest client lists at the Capitol and a veteran team of top lobbyists, two of whom served in the General Assembly. Clients include the Atlanta Braves, Comcast, CVS, Delta Air Lines, Georgia Power, Koch Industries, T-Mobile, UPS and a host of Georgia associations representing the powerful auto dealer, beer wholesaler and hospital industries.

■ Dentons: Headed by Eric Tanenblatt, a former top aide to Perdue, and former Georgia House GOP Whip Edward Lindsey, the longpowerful group did legal work for the Brian Kemp and Geoff Duncan campaigns. The firm represents the Boy Scouts, DeKalb County government and its school system, Georgia Aquarium, the charter schools and craft brewers associations, Jackson Healthcare and Northside Hospital.

■ Massey, Watson & Hembree: The team includes a former Georgia secretary of state and the chairman of the state Republican Party, and it represents a long list of companies and groups interested in both legislation and state contracts, including Anthem, Citigroup, Comcast, Dell, the Hospital Corporation of America, Unisys and Boyd Gaming, which hopes the General Assembly OKs casino gambling legislation.

■ McGuireWoods Consulting: The group has close legislative ties, especially in the Senate, and deep political experience. It’s led by Brad Alexander, a former chief of staff to outgoing Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, and includes former Georgia Senate leader Eric Johnson and a team of veteran lobbyists, including Robert Fortson, Ashley Groome, Misty Holcomb, April Ruark and Michael Shelnutt. Clients include Aetna, AT&T, Atlanta Public Schools, Georgia Power, Gulfstream, Hertz, Honeywell, independent doctors, MARTA, the Metro Atlanta Chamber, Office Depot, Zillow, the Walt Disney Co. and several groups involved in the film industry.

■ Mark Middleton: Middleton was a legal adviser to the Kemp campaign and a member of his transition team who was one of few statehouse lobbyists who backed the new governor’s campaign from the start. He’s also a veteran lobbyist with strong, long-standing state GOP ties who represents a long list of top clients.

■ Other top groups and lobbyists include those representing the car dealers, counties and cities, the Georgia and Metro Atlanta chambers, grocery stores, hospitals, insurance agents, liquor distributors, manufacturers, nursing homes, school boards, trial lawyers, the University System of Georgia, Don Bolia, Ronnie Chance, Chuck Clay, Wendi Clifton, Earl Ehrhart, Ben Harbin, John Haliburton, Chandler Haydon, Cynthia Studdard Garst, Neill Herring, Brian Hudson, Lee and Amy Hughes, Sheila Humberstone, Tharon Johnson, Billy Linville, Jamie and Andy Lord, Chuck McMullen, Jay Morgan, Amy Odom, David Pratt, Roy Robinson, Richard Royal, Rebecca Chamberlin Ryles, Rusty Sewell, Jared Thomas, Graham Thompson, Mo Thrash, Jet Toney, Monty Veazey, William Woodall and lobby teams from Connect South, Fiveash-Stanley, Southern Strategies and Tanner & Associates.