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WASHINGTON, D.C.—Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice, PLLC., announced today that it has expanded its Federal and State Government Affairs Team with the addition of five experienced attorneys and professionals, including former eight-term U.S. Representative Deborah Pryce. Joining the firm along with Pryce are Harry J. Katrichis, Vicki J. Hicks, Garrett Perdue, and Lori Salley.

The new team members will practice in the firm’s Washington, D.C. and Raleigh, N.C., offices. Womble Carlyle offers a full-range of federal, state and local government affairs services, as well as strategic communications, economic development, government contracts and political law representation -- including campaign finance and ethics law compliance and PAC administration.

“Deborah Pryce and Harry Katrichis are institutions on Capitol Hill. When you get the rare opportunity to add people of this caliber, you absolutely do it.” said former four-term North Carolina Gov. Jim Hunt, a Democrat and member of the firm’s Government Affairs Team.

“I worked alongside Deborah Pryce in Congress, and she was known there as a common-sense consensus-builder who could work across the aisle to find solutions,” said former Maryland Gov. Bob Ehrlich, a Republican, former House member, and currently a member of Womble Carlyle’s Government Affairs Team. “Just getting her to join our team would be cause for celebration, but adding all five of these outstanding professionals will greatly enhance our representation of clients in state, local and federal government matters.”

The new team members are:

Rep. Deborah Pryce—Rep. Pryce spent 16 years in the United States House of Representatives representing Ohio’s 15th District and remains the highest ranking female Republican ever to serve in the House. During her service as Chair of the House Republican Conference, she was the fourth-highest ranking member of Congress. She was a senior member of the House Rules Committee and the Financial Services Committee where she chaired the Domestic and International Monetary Policy, Trade, and Technology Subcommittee and most recently was the Ranking Member on the Capital Markets, Insurance, and Government Sponsored Enterprises Subcommittee.

Before her election to Congress in 1993, Rep. Pryce served as a Municipal Court Judge and prosecutor in Ohio. She announced in 2007 that she would not seek re-election and would return to private practice.

Harry J. Katrichis—Mr. Katrichis comes to Womble Carlyle from the law firm of Foley & Lardner where his work focused on representing clients in the agriculture, energy, financial services, health care and transportation sectors. Prior to joining Foley & Lardner, Mr. Katrichis spent over six years at the firm of Arent Fox, where he served as chairman of the firm’s Public Policy Department.

Mr. Katrichis previously served as the Chief Counsel to the Committee on Small Business of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995 to 2001 and served as Minority Chief Counsel to the Committee from 1991 to 1994.

Mr. Katrichis also held three different positions in the Reagan Administration. First as a special counsel in the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Commerce and then as associate chief counsel in the Office of Advocacy at the U.S. Small Business Administration. Mr. Katrichis then went on to serve as a special assistant to the Attorney General and was detailed to the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

In addition to his government affairs practice, Mr. Katrichis had a successful career as an antitrust lawyer.

Vicki J. Hicks—Ms. Hicks, who also joins Womble Carlyle from Foley & Lardner, has extensive experience representing a wide array of agribusiness and commodity interests, technology companies, and food and drug companies. She previously served as a political appointee at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) during the Clinton Administration, where she directed a staff of 350 employees as the Farm Service Agency’s Deputy Administrator, Commodity Operations. She also was senior legislative assistant for agriculture and international trade for Senator Quentin Burdick (D-N.D.), who served as Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, and as Chairman of the Agricultural Appropriations Subcommittee. Her practice areas include agricultural trade, alternative and bio-based energy, Commodity Exchange Act, commodity procurement for domestic and foreign food assistance programs, dairy, food safety, nutrition and rural development programs.

Garrett Perdue—Mr. Perdue rejoins Womble Carlyle after spending two years with the real estate firm Jones Lange LaSalle and working full time on the gubernatorial campaign of his mother, North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue. Prior to that, Garrett was an associate with the Firm. He rejoins Womble Carlyle to work along side former North Carolina Governor Jim Hunt and the Economic Development Team on economic development projects and government relations strategy in the Raleigh and Washington, D.C, offices. Garrett, a lifelong Democrat, was very active in his mother’s previous successful campaigns for the North Carolina Senate and North Carolina Lt. Governor.

Lori Salley—Ms. Salley joins Womble Carlyle as a senior government relations advisor. She comes to Womble Carlyle after more than 17 years experience in the U.S. House of Representatives, working most recently as Chief of Staff to Congresswoman Deborah Pryce. In this role, she managed the Congresswoman's Washington and Ohio offices,
implemented legislative priorities and developed communications and outreach plans. She was also Rep. Pryce’s Deputy Chief of Staff for the House Republican Conference and previously served as Legislative Director and Rules Committee Associate for the Congresswoman. Prior to her work with Rep. Pryce, Ms. Salley served on the professional staff of the House Small Business Committee.

These new professionals will join Womble Carlyle’s other Federal and State Government Affairs professionals in the firm’s Washington office including John Mashburn, former General Counsel and Policy Director for Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.); Mark Harkins, the former Chief of Staff for Rep. Brad Miller (D-N.C.); and Jimmy Broughton, the former Chief of Staff for Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.).

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A full-service business law firm, Womble Carlyle ranks among American Lawyer magazine's list of the 100 leading firms in the country.

The firm is a recipient of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund Corporate Leadership Award, making Womble Carlyle the first law firm ever to receive the highest honor given to a business organization in recognition of its support of the Fund and its 45 member educational institutions.

The firm also is the first law firm to be awarded the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Freedom Award, which is the highest recognition given by the U.S. government to employers for their support of employees who serve in the National Guard and Reserve.

Founded in 1876, Womble Carlyle operates in the District of Columbia with more than 500 attorneys in eleven offices. Womble Carlyle serves clients both nationally and globally.