What Olson Remcho does

Olson Remcho LLP is a California political and government law firm formed on January 1, 2020 through the merger of two long-standing "friendly rival" firms: Olson, Hagel & Fishburn (founded 1977 by Lance Olson) and Remcho, Johansen & Purcell (founded 1983 by Joseph Remcho, Kathleen Purcell, and Robin Johansen). Headquartered in Sacramento with additional offices in Oakland and Long Beach, the firm operates with 28 lawyers as of late 2025 and serves California government agencies, constitutional officers, the state Legislature, labor unions (including SEIU), political candidates and parties, PACs, ballot measure committees, public retirement systems (notably CalSTRS), and tax-exempt organizations. The firm's core practice spans campaign finance compliance, elections and redistricting, ballot initiative drafting and defense, constitutional and appellate litigation, government law counseling (Brown Act, Public Records Act, ethics), legislative and regulatory drafting, lobbying disclosure, FPPC enforcement defense, internal investigations, education funding (including Proposition 98), nonprofit governance, professional responsibility, and public retirement law.

The firm monetizes through professional services engagements billed on a quote-based model (rates not publicly disclosed), with a separate Compliance Reporting Unit that performs recurring campaign finance, major donor, IRS, and lobby filings for over 400 filers. Go-to-market is direct relationship-driven, leveraging the partner roster's prior roles (former FPPC Chair, former CalSTRS General Counsel, former Chief Deputy of California's Office of Legislative Counsel, former Senior Counsel to the Harris for President campaign) to secure mandates on matters that shape California political and legal outcomes. Notable case outcomes include representation of the Governor and Legislature in invalidating an unconstitutional fee-vote initiative before the California Supreme Court, defense of Proposition 26 through five court battles, the Proposition 50 redistricting campaign, and CalSTRS-related recoveries totaling approximately $1.4 billion (a $500 million recovery of wrongfully withheld retirement contributions, $700 million in unpaid pension contributions plus interest, and approximately $200 million in recouped investment losses through securities litigation). The firm's technology stack consists of standard law firm practice and case management systems with no disclosed proprietary technology, APIs, or AI tooling.

Name

Olson Remcho

Legal name

Olson Remcho LLP

Website

https://olsonremcho.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Olson Remcho LLP is a California political and government law firm formed in 2020 from a merger of two long-standing political law boutiques, serving government agencies, labor unions, candidates, PACs, and nonprofits across three California offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Sacramento

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Legal Services: Professional legal services for political and government law matters including campaign finance, elections, redistricting, litigation, and regulatory compliance

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Olson Remcho LLP is a California political and government law firm providing specialized legal services including campaign finance compliance, election law, redistricting, ballot measure drafting and defense, government law advisory, litigation and appellate work, lobbying compliance, public retirement law, and education law. The firm also operates a Compliance Reporting Unit that manages campaign finance, major donor, IRS, and lobby filings for over 400 political clients. Services are delivered to government agencies, labor unions, political candidates, PACs, ballot measure committees, nonprofits, and public retirement systems across California.

Product overview

Olson Remcho LLP is California’s leading political and government law firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of legal services through its integrated practice areas. The firm's core offerings include Campaign Finance Law & Reporting Services, Elections & Redistricting, Initiatives & Referenda, Litigation & Appeals, Government Law, Legislative & Regulatory Drafting, Lobbying Advice & Reporting Services, Enforcement Actions, Internal Investigations, Education, Nonprofit Organizations, Professional Responsibility, and Public Retirement Law. The firm also operates a Compliance Reporting Unit that provides financial and compliance filing services for political clients. The practice specializes in serving California government agencies, nonprofits, labor unions, candidates, and political action committees on matters that shape California’s legal and political landscape.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Campaign Finance Law & Reporting Services
• Elections & Redistricting
• Initiatives & Referenda
• Litigation & Appeals
• Government Law
• Legislative & Regulatory Drafting
• Lobbying Advice & Reporting Services
• Enforcement Actions
• Internal Investigations
• Education Law
• Nonprofit Organizations
• Professional Responsibility
• Public Retirement Law
• Compliance Reporting Unit

Quantifiable outcome

• Recovered $500 million for CalSTRS in wrongfully withheld retirement contributions
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck: National lobbying and government relations firm with a deep political law practice serving candidates, parties, and ballot measure campaigns. Overlaps with Olson Remcho on initiative and referendum work and offers complementary federal lobbying capabilities.
• Perkins Coie (Political Law Group): Large national firm with a long-standing Political Law Group serving campaigns, PACs, and ballot measure committees. Former employer of Olson Remcho partner Andrew Werbrock (seven years in the group); competes for premium political law matters at higher price points and broader service scope.
• Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld: Global law firm with a substantial government, public policy, and election law practice. Competes for high-profile political litigation and ballot measure defense work; offers substantially broader resources and international reach than Olson Remcho.
• Manatt Phelps & Phillips: California-based national firm with a political law, government, and lobbying practice that serves campaigns, PACs, and government entities. Comparable California roots and government law offerings, but with broader corporate and litigation practices that compete for some of the same public-sector clients.

Direct peers

• Nielsen Merksamer Parrinello Gross & Leoni: Long-standing Sacramento-based political law boutique serving California campaigns, PACs, ballot measures, and government clients. Closest comparable to Olson Remcho in practice mix, client base, and California political-establishment positioning, though historically more bipartisan in orientation.
• Elias Law Group: National Democratic-aligned political law firm with deep federal campaign finance, ballot access, and election law expertise. Former employer of Olson Remcho counsel Varoon Modak; represents a competitor for federal political work and Democratic Party committee engagements.
• Sandler Reiff Lamb Rosenstein & Birkenstock: Washington, D.C.-based political law boutique specializing in campaign finance, election law, redistricting, and government ethics. Comparable niche practice with federal orientation; competes for the same Democratic-aligned candidates, PACs, and ballot measure clients.
• Bell, McAndrews & Hiltachk: Sacramento political and government law boutique representing candidates, ballot measure campaigns, labor unions, and trade associations in California. Direct competitor in the same niche with overlapping practice areas including campaign finance, initiatives, and government ethics.
• Kaufman Legal Group: Los Angeles-based government and political law boutique representing candidates, ballot measure campaigns, and public agencies in California. Direct competitor in the same niche with similar Democratic alignment and concentration on California matters.

Others

• Remcho, Johansen & Purcell (predecessor firm, dissolved): One of the two predecessor firms that merged to form Olson Remcho in 2020. Included as an OTHERS reference given the direct historical lineage and continued role of co-founder Robin Johansen as Senior Counsel at the combined firm.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/olsonremcho

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 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 Olson Remcho