Joint Legislative Ethics Committee

Office of the Ohio Legislative Inspector General

Lobbying

Contingency Fees Prohibited

admin

Ohio’s Lobbying Laws generally prohibit compensation arrangements based on the outcome of :

  • legislation,
  • decisions regarding the expenditure of state funds by executive agencies, or
  • decisions regarding the placement of state funds by one of the five public retirement systems.

A lobbyist must be paid for their efforts or representation, regardless of whether the decision is favorable to their client.

However, the contingency fee prohibition does not prohibit incentive based compensation arrangements or commission sales, so long as others in the company are also paid on commission and are not engaged in lobbying activity.

If you need advice on whether a fee arrangement complies with the prohibition on contingency fees please call the OLIG at 614-728-5100.