Celebrating a decade of experience in Legislative Drafting, Strategic Counsel and Litigation
Legislative Drafting and Advocacy
About
Attorney John Walraven has extensive legal and advisory experience in establishing public policy in many areas including transportation, transportation finance, healthcare, Medicaid, water supply, ethics, taxation, state and local government and more. His diverse career has included serving as Speaker's Counsel in the Georgia House of Representatives and as an in-house legal and governmental affairs counsel in the private sector prior to opening John Walraven, P.C. in 2010.
Mr. Walraven earned a Bachelor's of Business Administration—Finance from Georgia Southern University and a JD at Georgia State University College of Law. With a background consisting of serving as a political consultant, lobbyist and legislative aide, he began serving as Committee Counsel upon graduation from law school for the Ethics and Health and Human Services Committees. There, he drafted final versions to ethics legislation, a ban on tobacco smoking in public places and others. Mr. Walraven returned to the Speaker’s office in 2007 and served until April 2010, concluding with the end of House Speaker David Ralston’s first session with the gavel. Ralston called on Mr. Walraven to draft and serve as lead negotiator for his office on transportation funding bill and his signature Ethics legislation. In the 2009 Session, Mr. Walraven worked with then-Rep. Ralston as lead counsel on the Department of Transportation reforms embodied in Senate Bill 200. Other legislation Mr. Walraven managed included Georgia's Statewide Water Plan, adopted in the 2008 Session and the "reservoir bill," which empowered local governments to seek funding from the state for water supply projects.
On the health care front, Mr. Walraven’s position as a legislative associate to the Medical Association of Georgia while in law school exposed him to hundreds of issues surrounding Medicaid, trauma care, hospitals and more. Mr. Walraven was lead negotiator for the Speaker on the major revisions to the Certificate of Need (CON) laws. Mr. Walraven also served as lead negotiator for the House on the 2010 Trauma Care Funding Constitutional Amendment which was not finally adopted. Mr. Walraven proudly represents the Joseph M. Still Burn Centers in his hometown of Augusta where the Medical Director, Fred Mullins, MD, was appointed by Governor Deal to the Georgia Trauma Commission. On the federal level, Mr. Walraven was instrumental in eliminating a Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) waiver that State Medicaid Agencies were previously required to obtain in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005.
In each year as counsel to the Speaker, Mr. Walraven advised and counseled on almost all issues before the General Assembly and managed a process that provided a written legal opinion of every bill that was considered before the House, exposing him to practically every issue that has come before the General Assembly during those Sessions. This process is now established and the benefits are that our clients know we will be able to “see the entire field” when making a decision about where to focus our efforts.
During law school, Mr. Walraven was selected from applicants in all 50 states to serve as the sole legal intern for the United States Department of Justice's Office of Legislative Affairs. While serving in this role, he participated in preparing Attorney General Ashcroft for the House Judiciary Committee Re-Authorization Act hearing--the first Attorney General to personally testify before the committee on this legislation in twenty years. Being in a new administration, Walraven was called upon to assist several administration nominees to the Justice Department to prepare for confirmation hearings before the U.S. Senate. Walraven also examined the constitutionality of the administration's "faith-based" initiatives, provided written analysis of The House Department of Justice Re-authorization Act and researched competency of court-appointed counsel in capital cases.
Services
Drafting Legislation
Mr. Walraven has been trusted by two House Speakers, professional associations, private enterprises, House Committee Chairs, and others to draft legislation on key issues before the Georgia General Assembly. The benefit for our clients?
When an agreement is made on policy or a policymaker requests legal language, we immediately draft narrowly tailored legislation to ensure that your interests are protected and your goals are achieved.
Rules and Regulations
When the Legislature finally adjourns and the Governor has signed or vetoed each Act, lawmaking is still going on. Your interests are not protected by a statute alone!
State agencies and authorities are busy proposing, revising, and adopting Rules and Regulations year-round. Our firm will represent you during the promulgation of these Rules and Regulations and can keep you apprised of developments in these areas of the Georgia government.
Strategic Counsel
Mr. Walraven’s years serving in advisory and advocacy roles in Georgia has equipped the firm to augment your representation at the Capitol to add value to your efforts. Comfortable with your lobbying team?
Bringing John Walraven, P.C. alongside to provide strategic advice and legal expertise in an attorney-client relationship will embolden your lobbying team with fresh ideas and creative drafting to assist them in getting the job done correctly.