Smith, Costello & Crawford

What Smith, Costello & Crawford does

Smith, Costello & Crawford (legal entity Public Policy Group, LLC) is a Boston-based public policy law firm that provides government relations, regulatory consulting, and lobbying services to enterprises, trade associations, and nonprofits operating in Massachusetts and the broader New England region. The firm operates with a partner-led model (four named partners: James E. Smith, Michael A. Costello, Jennifer K. Crawford, and Carlo P. Basile) supported by senior policy advisors, including former Massachusetts Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders and retired U.S. Ambassador Claire D. Cronin, alongside senior associates and policy staff.

The firm delivers three core service lines: Advocacy (stakeholder engagement and government relations), Regulatory Expertise (interpretation of complex governmental regulations across healthcare, energy, and cannabis), and Corporate Transactions (contract review, negotiation, and real estate agreement compliance). It also operates an 'SCC Law' legal services brand layered on top of its lobbying practice. Vertical specialization is concentrated in healthcare policy, energy and environmental regulation (including ISO New England and offshore wind advocacy), and cannabis licensure, with additional practices in transportation, financial services, technology, and development.

The firm monetizes through negotiated professional services fees—typically retainer- and project-based engagements—and does not publicly disclose pricing. Its business is relationship-driven, with client acquisition relying on partner networks, prior legislative outcomes, and reputation rather than paid marketing. Documented marquee results include helping pass Massachusetts legislation mandating 1,600 MW of offshore wind power procurement (cited as $7 billion of economic development) and navigating clients to over 100 cannabis licenses. Customer concentration spans dozens of named organizations including Genentech, Roche Diagnostics, JP Morgan Chase, Uber, Delta Airlines, UPS, Massport, TD Garden, and Sarepta, with concentration risk constrained by the firm's tiny headcount (1–10 employees) relative to its visible client breadth.

Name

Smith, Costello & Crawford

Legal name

Public Policy Group, LLC

Website

https://publicpolicylaw.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Smith, Costello & Crawford is a Boston-based public policy law firm providing government relations, regulatory consulting, and lobbying services to enterprises, trade associations, and nonprofits, with deep specialization in Massachusetts healthcare, energy, and cannabis policy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Policy & Government Relations Consulting

NAICS

Offices of Lawyers (541110), Public Relations Agencies (54182)

SIC

Services-Legal Services (8111)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Public Affairs, Government Relations & Lobbying (BPAFADAB)

Keywords

• Public policy consulting
• Government relations services
• Regulatory affairs advisory
• Legislative lobbying services
• Healthcare policy consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

East Boston

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Smith, Costello & Crawford is a Boston-based public policy law firm (operating as Public Policy Group, LLC) that delivers consulting and lobbying services to help clients navigate the Massachusetts legislative and regulatory landscape. The firm offers three core service areas—Advocacy, Regulatory Expertise, and Corporate Transactions—with industry-specific specialization in healthcare, energy and environmental policy, cannabis policy, transportation, financial services, technology, and development. It connects stakeholders across industries and facilitates long-lasting partnerships through direct stakeholder engagement with decision makers at all levels of government.

Product overview

Smith, Costello & Crawford is a multi-faceted public policy law firm offering consulting and lobbying services. The firm provides three core service offerings: Advocacy (government relations and stakeholder engagement), Regulatory Expertise (interpretation of governmental regulations), and Corporate Transactions (contract compliance). As a law firm, it also specializes in legal services across three key sectors: healthcare (policy and regulation), energy and environmental policy, and cannabis policy (medical and adult-use licensure navigation). The portfolio comprises industry-specific advisory services rather than a unified software platform architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Advocacy Services Government relations and stakeholder engagement services leveraging extensive networks and personal relationships with decision makers at all levels of government and business to help clients communicate with decision makers and gain access to policy discussions.
• Regulatory Expertise Interpretation and navigation of complex governmental regulations affecting client businesses, including monitoring regulatory framework changes and advocating for growth-promoting policies and regulations that promote industry expansion.
• Corporate Transactions Contract review, negotiation, real estate agreements, and legal instrument analysis to determine compliance with applicable laws, rules, regulations, and policies.
• Healthcare Legal Services Healthcare policy and regulation specialization, including pharmaceutical and biotechnology policy, health care reform, provider transformation, scope of practice, mobile integrated healthcare, determination of need processes, and facility licensure navigation for providers, hospitals, pharma and biotech firms, and healthcare associations.
• Energy & Environmental Policy Services Representation of electricity generators before state and federal agencies and ISO New England, including offshore wind energy legislation and policy advocacy for renewable energy companies, electricity generators, and environmental organizations in New England.
• Cannabis Policy Services Licensure navigation for medical and adult-use cannabis businesses in Massachusetts, including regulatory compliance and government oversight advocacy for cannabis operators, entrepreneurs, and industry associations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Successfully passed legislation mandating utilities' purchase of 1600 megawatts of offshore wind power, bringing $7 billion of economic development and launching the US offshore wind industry
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers48 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Greenberg Traurig LLP: National law firm with substantial government law and policy practice spanning healthcare, energy, cannabis, and financial services. Overlaps with SCC's verticals as a broad incumbent rather than a focused boutique.
• Ropes & Gray LLP: Major Boston-based law firm with significant healthcare and life sciences regulatory practices. Comparable through overlapping healthcare policy, hospital, and life sciences clients in Massachusetts.
• McDermott Will & Emery LLP: Global law firm with healthcare and energy regulatory practices serving major enterprise clients. Comparable through overlapping healthcare, life sciences, and energy policy advisory work for institutional clients.
• K&L Gates LLP: Global law firm with a public policy and government affairs practice covering energy, healthcare, and financial services. Comparable as a broad incumbent providing regulatory and legislative advocacy services to enterprise clients.
• Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP: International law firm with a large public law and policy practice representing energy, healthcare, and financial services clients. Comparable through legislative and regulatory advocacy for enterprise clients across overlapping verticals.
• Holland & Knight LLP: National law firm with a large public policy and government relations practice including Boston presence. Comparable through its healthcare, energy, and financial services regulatory advocacy for enterprise clients.
• Mintz Levin Cohn Ferris Glovsky and Popeo PC: Boston-based national law firm with healthcare, energy, and cannabis regulatory practices and parent of ML Strategies. Comparable through overlapping practice verticals and shared Boston institutional client base.
• Foley Hoag LLP: Large Boston-based law firm with a dedicated government investigations and public policy practice covering healthcare, energy, and cannabis. Overlaps with SCC's healthcare, energy, and cannabis verticals as part of a broader legal portfolio.

Direct peers

• ML Strategies: Boston-based government relations and public affairs firm (affiliated with Mintz Levin) serving healthcare, energy, and regulated industry clients in Massachusetts and New England. Most directly comparable peer given shared Boston footprint, multi-vertical policy practice, and enterprise client base.
• Cozen O'Connor Public Strategies: National government relations and public affairs firm with a New England practice serving healthcare, energy, and regulated industry clients. Comparable as a similarly scoped public affairs firm providing lobbying, regulatory, and strategic advisory services to enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smith-costello-crawford

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Smith, Costello & Crawford