The commission, he said, has been pushing for major changes in campaign finance and legislative lobbying practices "for a decade at least."

In France, the political system does not integrate the lobbying practice.

The gentleman was quite familiar with my lobbying practice.

Eventually, he decided the traditional lobbying practice - charging, like law firms, by the hour - was for chumps.

But that was before he decided to move here to set up shop as a lawyer with a heavy lobbying practice.

"We have the largest lobbying practice of any Pacific Northwest law firm," it said.

Both sides, characteristic of the intense lobbying practices in the industry, made apocalyptic predictions about what would happen if they lost.

He did not explain how the legislation would affect current lobbying practices, saying the changes were under discussion.

The firm also has the largest state-government lobbying practice in Pennsylvania and one of the top 20 federal lobbying practices nationwide.

"I represent a couple of Texas companies, not a large lobbying practice," she said.