Why It Matters

Anderson Kill PC terminated its federal lobbying registration with Ballard Partners LLC, effective March 31, according to a lobbying disclosure termination notice filed during the second-quarter reporting cycle. Ballard Partners LLC represented Anderson Kill PC as its lobbying firm, and the relationship ended effective March 31.

Anderson Kill PC has been represented by Ballard Partners LLC since at least 2018, when the firms began collaborating on 9/11 litigation, justice matters and foreign relations issues. During 2025, Anderson Kill PC filed quarterly lobbying reports with Ballard Partners LLC reporting zero lobbying income, with no specific issues or individual lobbyists listed.

Ballard Partners earned $14 million in the first quarter of 2025 alone. The firm's top clients by total historical fees include Korea Zinc Co. Ltd. at $2.4 million, Roger Ver at $2.1 million and Nerobreeze Ltd. at $2 million. Anderson Kill's minimal billings in recent years placed it well below Ballard Partners' largest accounts.

Still, the engagement remained active for years. Anderson Kill filed quarterly lobbying reports for all four quarters of 2021 with Ballard Partners LLC and continued filing through 2025, including a first-quarter lobbying report before the March 31 termination took effect.

Broader Context

Anderson Kill PC has been the primary litigator for families of victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks suing Saudi Arabia. The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) passed by overwhelming majorities in both chambers of Congress and became law on Sept. 28, 2016. The law narrowed the scope of sovereign immunity for foreign states in certain terrorism-related cases, allowing the families' lawsuit against Saudi Arabia to proceed.

Anderson Kill lobbied in support of JASTA during the first quarter of 2021. Earlier lobbying efforts documented in 2018 and 2019 filings focused on justice and law enforcement issues, including assistance to families of Sept. 11 victims and related litigation. During the third and fourth quarters of 2019, Anderson Kill's lobbying focused specifically on 9/11 litigation, and the firm retained former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi as a registered lobbyist.

In August 2025, a federal district court denied Saudi Arabia's renewed motion to dismiss, allowing the litigation to continue. Saudi Arabia subsequently appealed that ruling, and proceedings have been stayed pending appellate review.

The Bottom Line

The termination comes as the long-running litigation against Saudi Arabia remains active in federal court. The firm's decision to end its Ballard Partners relationship does not appear connected to any legislative setback; JASTA remains law, and the litigation continues through the judicial process.

The timing may indicate Anderson Kill no longer required federal lobbying representation as the case shifted further into litigation. Alternatively, the firm may have changed its advocacy strategy or consolidated representation elsewhere, though no replacement lobbying registration appears in available disclosures filed during the second-quarter reporting cycle.

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