My Interview Notes

About the field of Public Advocacy

What background is necessary or helpful for a career in public advocacy? For example, would you recommend or require that your current and prospective employees possess either a legal degree, a masters in public policy, or both?

• A bachelors degree that teaches you how to write critically and persuasively
• A masters degree in public policy could prove very beneficial if you are lacking in any other form of practical political experiences and/or internships
• A real understanding of politics, public policy, and of how the press works gained through internships and experiences

What are the best ways to enter this field?

• Not a lot of entry level positions
• Get a job working in a press source or government office.
• Work for the people that lobbying firms are trying to influence.

What are the three most vital skills or qualities for a person going into this profession to have?

• Political and public policy knowledge and/or experience
• Intelligence (able to think outside of the box and come up with creative ideas and solutions to meet the needs of your clients)
• Personality

What are some of the present trends or changes in this field? What about challenges and/or controversies?

• There tends to be a negative connotation with lobbying because for many when they think of lobbyist they think of movies such as "Thank You For Smoking."
• Lobbying is seen as a form of coercion and/or manipulation (like rhetoric).
• The field of lobbying and what it is that lobbyist actually do is more widely known today than say 10 years ago.
• Lobbyist are more influential than ever in the political arena.

What are your overall responsibilities as President? What do you do in a typical day at work?

• There is no such thing as a typical work day; a lobbyist will never experience the same day twice.
• Here's what Mr. Marlow's last 2 days consisted of: attended a meeting dealing with congestion pricing issues in Manhattan, phone conference with Drummajor Institute for Public Policy, meeting with possible 2009 mayor candidate, interviewed potential attorneys for a client, and was interviewed by me.

What is the employment outlook for public advocacy, nationally and locally? Is demand increasing or decreasing?

• The demand for employment in the field of public advocacy is definitely increasing. Entry level positions, however, are few and far between. In short, if you have experience in politics, public policy, or law even, your chances of beginning a career in this field are greatly increased. On the other hand, the likelihood of your beginning a career in public advocacy directly following your undergraduate graduation without any experience and/or internships in politics or public policy are slim to none.

What is a representative salary range for an entry position?

• Not a lot of entry level positions. Entry level salaries vary depending on firm's reputation, firm size, firm location (you'd make more in DC than in Columbia, SC for instance)education (such as a masters in public policy), experience in the field (such as internships), etc.

Does this type of career typically involve a lot of team effort, or do you primarily work independently?

• It definitely requires a lot of team effort. In fact, so much of your success in this field is dependent on your networking capabilities. You need to be able to make things happen and if you don't you should know a person who knows a person who can make things happen. It's definitely an "I'll scratch your back, if you scratch mine" type of career.

Personal Info

What are the most and least gratifying aspects of your work? What would you modify?

• The most gratifying aspect of Mr. Marlow's work is when he is able to provide for his clients tangible results. For instance, if what his client is seeking is exposure in the media then what would be gratifying to Mr. Marlow is being able to generate a buzz around his client and/or their company in the media and then being able to show his client very tangible results (i.e. articles published by major newspapers, on television broadcasts, in magazine editorials, etc.)
• The least gratifying aspect of Mr. Marlow's work is when he has to explain to a client that the theoretical democracy that he or she learned about in history courses is very different from the pratical democracy of our government. In otherwords, every vote does not count, all votes are not equal.

What experiences in your background have played a role in the success of your career?

• Law school, definitely! While Mr. Marlow doesn't feel as though a legal education or a masters even are absolute necessities for success in this field, he couldn't stress enough the importance of having a great understanding of politics and public policy from the beginning. Law school provided him with this understanding in both a theoretical and pratical sense. In law school he learned the ins and outs of the very laws that he now tries an influence on his clients behalf. Also, the networking opportunities at UVA were both endless and priceless.