Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren's campaign accepted maxed out donations from a number of high-powered individuals at a law firm that represents corporations and multinational Fortune 100 companies despite swearing off money from PACs linked to such corporations, Federal Election Commission filings show.
The money came from senior personnel at Brown Rudnick LLP, an international law firm headquartered in Boston. Individuals at the firm, which specializes in a number of areas that include bankruptcy and corporate restructuring, international arbitration, and corporate, securities, and mergers and acquisitions, all gave maxed out donations of $2,800 to Warren's presidential campaign during the first quarter for the Democratic primary.
Those who contributed to Warren include: William Baldiga, the CEO of Brown Rudnick and chairman of the firm's management committee; Ed Weisfelner, the chair of Brown Rudnick's bankruptcy and corporate restructuring practice group; Jeff Jonas, a co-hiring partner who is the managing director of the restructuring and finance department; Robert Stark, also in the corporate restructuring department; and Joseph Ryan, the former chairman and CEO of Brown Rudnick who now serves as a consultant to the firm.
Throughout the 2018 election cycle, employees at the firm gave $56,300 to the Elizabeth Warren Action Fund, filings show. Brown Rudnick employees also added $50,000 in combined contributions to Elizabeth for Massachusetts, Warren's Senate campaign committee, the last cycle. Many of the individuals, including the firm's CEO, maxed out contributions to Warren's action fund, Senate campaign, and now presidential campaign.
Brown Rudnick is not the only firm where individuals who represent corporations have given to Warren in recent years.
Employees at Ropes & Gray LLP, a global law firm that represents clients on internal investigations and government enforcements matters, including white collar crime, have contributed $65,000 to Warren since she first ran for Congress in 2011, data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics shows.
Mintz Levin, a Boston-based firm that focuses on bankruptcy and corporate security, has seen its employees give $55,000 to Warren since 2011.
People at Goodwin Procter, which is involved with financial institutions and white collar defense, have added at least $35,000 to Warren.
Warren has taken over $1.1 million in donations from those in the securities and investment sector since first running for Congress in 2011. It has been the sixth most generous industry to her campaign committees.
Lawyers and law firms, which have combined to provide Warren with $3.5 million in donations, have been the second most generous sector to the Democratic senator behind retired individuals.
Brown Rudnick did not respond to requests for comment on the donations from their senior personnel by press time. Warren's communications director also did not respond to inquiries on the contributions.