Lobbying in Washington D.C. is often seen as a shadowy world full of backdoor deals and nefarious promises.
But OpenSecrets.org, a research group that tracks spending in U.S. politics, has broken down the data about who's paying what to get in good with Congress.
The group compiled data about lobbying firms' revenues spanning from 1998 through 2012.
We used those numbers to rank which firms have hauled in the most money in that 14-year time span.
From American Indian tribes to Boston University, check out who is paying which firm to get the right results.
Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber & Schreck raked in $142,820,000.
2012 lobbying income: $11,400,000
Top three clients and how much they paid:
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Coalition to Reform the Foreign Investment In Real Property Tax Act of 1980: $380,000
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Apollo Advisors: $340,000
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Caesar's Entertainment Operating Co.: $300,000
Brownstein, Hyatt, Farber & Schreck was founded in 1968 by three University of Colorado graduates. Today, the firm is home to 510 employees, 260 of whom are attorneys and policy consultants.
Hogan & Hartson earned $154,753,907.
2009 lobbying income: $18,160,000*
Top three clients and how much they paid:
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Nissan North America: $2,300,000
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Anschutz Corp: $520,000
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TPG: $510,000
Hogan & Hartson merged with Lovells in 2009, The Washington Post reported at the time. That merger made the newly created company one of the world's biggest law firms.
*Most recent data available
Quinn Gillespie & Associates pulled in $160,508,500.
2012 lobbying income: $4,030,000
Top three clients and how much they paid:
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Gamesa Corporacion Tecnologica SA: $280,000
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HEB Grocery: $240,000
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Qualcomm Inc: $240,000
QGA really tries to work with both sides of the aisle, claiming it's "the first bipartisan firm" to handle both government relations and strategic communications. The firm was founded in 2000 by Democrat Jack Quinn and Republican Ed Gillespie.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
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