Porterfield, Fettig & Sears

What Porterfield, Fettig & Sears does

Porterfield, Fettig & Sears (PFS) is a bipartisan government relations and public affairs firm headquartered at 500 North Capitol Street NW, Suite 330, in Washington, D.C. Founded in 2006 by CEO Lendell Porterfield, the firm provides six integrated service modules: Government Relations, Regulatory Affairs, Strategic Planning, Crisis Management, Policy Analysis & Research, and Coalition Management. PFS serves three customer segments — corporates and industries (primary), associations and municipalities, and global stakeholders — across verticals including financial services, housing, insurance, technology, appropriations, commerce/manufacturing, and healthcare.

The firm operates as a founder-led boutique with a senior team that includes two named Partners (Dwight A. Fettig, Dawn Sears), a Senior Executive Vice President (Jeremy Rabinovitz), Vice Presidents, a Director of Policy & Research, a Legislative Assistant, a Government Affairs Manager, and Senior Advisors (including James Ballentine and Dan Quan). The team is sourced disproportionately from Capitol Hill and federal agencies, with prior service at the Senate Banking Committee, House Financial Services Committee, Senate Judiciary, ABA, CFPB, Freddie Mac, and member offices of both parties. PFS has been listed in Bloomberg Government's Top Lobbying Report every year since 2015.

PFS has no proprietary technology platform and earns revenue through professional services engagements — lobbying, regulatory advocacy, strategic planning, crisis response, policy research, and coalition management — billed on a quote-based, senior-level engagement model. Distribution is direct and consultative, with client acquisition driven by referrals, partner relationships, and the firm's policy-access reputation. Recent activity (2022-2025) is concentrated in senior talent acquisition and a December 2025 brand refresh, rather than product or technology investment.

Name

Porterfield, Fettig & Sears

Legal name

Porterfield, Fettig & Sears LLC

Website

https://pfs-dc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Porterfield, Fettig & Sears is a bipartisan Washington, D.C. government relations firm founded in 2006 providing lobbying, regulatory affairs, strategic planning, crisis management, policy research, and coalition management services to corporates, associations, and global stakeholders across financial services, healthcare, technology, housing, and manufacturing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Government Relations Advisory Services: Professional services revenue generated through consulting engagements, legislative advocacy, regulatory affairs counsel, and strategic planning services for corporate and association clients navigating Washington policy landscape.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Porterfield, Fettig & Sears is a bipartisan government relations and lobbying firm that provides corporations, trade associations, municipalities, and global stakeholders with advocacy and strategic advisory services before the U.S. Congress, federal agencies, and the executive branch. Its core offering is a unified suite of six integrated service modules — Government Relations, Regulatory Affairs, Strategic Planning, Crisis Management, Policy Analysis & Research, and Coalition Management — delivered through senior advisors with prior experience inside government.

Product overview

Porterfield, Fettig & Sears (PFS) is a bipartisan government relations firm offering a unified suite of professional advocacy services. The core offering consists of six integrated service modules: Government Relations, Regulatory Affairs, Strategic Planning, Crisis Management, Policy Analysis & Research, and Coalition Management. These services work together to help clients shape policy outcomes, navigate regulatory challenges, and drive legislative results. The firm operates across multiple industry practice areas including Financial Services, Housing, Insurance, Technology, Appropriations, Commerce/Manufacturing, and Healthcare.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Government Relations Shaping policy by engaging lawmakers and agencies with clarity and credibility. Provides detailed guidance, direct access, targeted strategy, and disciplined execution to keep client priorities front of mind with key decision-makers. Designed for corporates, trade associations, municipalities, and global stakeholders needing legislative advocacy.
• Regulatory Affairs Monitors and interprets fast-moving regulatory developments to help clients stay ahead. Manages risk, shapes implementation, and preserves operational flexibility before rules are finalized, helping clients avoid regulatory surprises across federal agencies.
• Strategic Planning Aligns internal client goals with external policy realities through high-level positioning and detailed legislative forecasting. Pressure-tests ideas, anticipates shifts, and plans around upcoming Washington developments for corporate and association clients.
• Crisis Management Responds quickly to reputational, political, or policy threats. Manages congressional oversight and navigates public policy backlash with calm, control, and experience for clients facing high-stakes Washington crises.
• Policy Analysis & Research Analyzes legislation, regulations, and emerging trends through the lens of client priorities. Produces briefing materials that cut through noise and provides immediately actionable recommendations backed by real-world experience.
• Coalition Management Builds and manages coalitions that bring together aligned voices, strengthen client positions, and show policymakers a united front. Handles structure, strategy, and stakeholder engagement for both informal networks and formal multi-party coalitions.

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Forbes Tate Partners: Bipartisan Washington government relations and public affairs firm of comparable scale, serving enterprise clients across financial services, healthcare, tech, and energy — directly comparable in business model, boutique posture, and senior-level engagement model.
• Mehlman Consulting: Mid-sized bipartisan DC lobbying and strategic consulting firm with a strong focus on healthcare, financial services, and tax policy; closely comparable in client mix, senior-heavy staffing model, and bipartisan positioning.
• Subject Matter: Bipartisan government affairs and strategic communications firm of similar boutique size, serving Fortune 500 and trade association clients — directly comparable in business model, pricing approach, and cross-sector client profile to PFS.
• Thorn Run Partners: Bipartisan government affairs firm offering federal lobbying, advocacy, and strategic counsel for healthcare, financial services, and technology clients — closely aligned in size, bipartisan/bicameral model, and practice-area emphasis.
• The Cormac Group: Bipartisan Washington lobbying and strategic advisory boutique serving corporate and association clients across tax, trade, healthcare, and financial services — closely comparable to PFS in scale, client mix, and relationship-driven model.
• BGR Group: Long-established bipartisan government affairs firm in Washington with comparable practice areas (financial services, healthcare, technology) and similar senior-credentialed staffing model, though somewhat larger in scale than PFS.
• Cassidy & Associates: Veteran Washington government relations firm providing strategic advocacy, lobbying, and policy counsel to corporate and association clients — comparable in offering and client profile, though historically larger and longer-tenured than PFS.

Broad incumbents

• Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck: Major national law and lobbying firm with one of the largest federal lobbying practices in DC, serving many of the same financial services, energy, healthcare, and technology clients PFS targets — broader incumbent with overlapping capabilities but materially larger scale and geographic reach.
• Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Global law firm with one of the largest and most prominent government affairs practices in Washington, frequently ranking among top federal lobbying spenders — overlapping client types in financial services and energy but operating at vastly greater scale and providing a full legal-plus-lobbying offering.
• K&L Gates: Global law firm with a substantial federal government affairs and public policy practice spanning financial services, healthcare, and technology — broader incumbent competing for the same enterprise policy-advocacy mandates but providing integrated legal services PFS does not offer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Porterfield, Fettig & Sears