A firm dedicated to better policy outcomes – and a better world.
Rock Creek Counsel provides policy guidance and visibility into our nation’s legislative process. We welcome clients committed to playing pragmatic roles in solving society’s greatest challenges, from climate change to economic sustainability. Rock Creek Counsel pursues bipartisan solutions that move us toward the future we want for ourselves and generations to come.
Clients that want policymaking clarity and influence retain Rock Creek Counsel – as a navigation aid, expert on Hill arcana, and veteran source of informed perspective. We play the role of translator, simplifying policy technicalities. We help clients understand what is happening and why, who key thought leaders are and how to connect, and – ultimately – what is possible at the highest levels of American government. And we invest just as much effort to absorb our clients’ culture, reflect their public image, and maintain discretion and confidentiality.
We have particular interest in tax and trade policy including energy, technology, labor, and sustainability issues. We put decades of hands-on legislative experience at the service of organizations out to make their mark on Washington and the world.
Rock Creek Counsel was founded in 2015 and has seen business grow steadily while maintaining the personal touch that marks relationships destined for success.
Principal: James R. Dennis
Decades of experience at the center of government.
When a restaurant is routinely proclaimed the best in America, and among the top ten on Earth, the backstage pressure is as unrelenting as anything facing a trial lawyer or committee chair. As a young man James Dennis waited tables and served as maître d’ at Virginia’s renowned Inn at Little Washington. Those long days and nights on his feet taught him to do three things: Stay cool in a service whirlwind. Always strive for perfection. And make people happy while keeping a nearly invisible profile.
Today, with the same servant’s heart, James helps clients clarify government relationships and advance policy goals. He built Rock Creek Counsel around those key skills learned tableside – and on his credentials in tax, trade, energy, budgetary and retirement policy, earned on Capitol Hill and in private practice.
As a longtime staffer and counsel to Senator Jeff Bingaman, James served in several roles including Tax Counsel and Chief of Staff of the Subcommittee on Trade. He represented the Senator on four committees – Finance, Energy, Joint Economic, and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP). He played an integral role drafting tax provisions for bills including the 2005 Energy Policy Act and 2006 Pension Protection and Policy Act while also advising the Senator on trade, Social Security, and budget questions.
Prior to joining Senator Bingaman’s office, James served as counsel for Senator Chuck Robb in a similar role on tax, budget, and small business matters. He also served as counsel to the bipartisan National Commission to Restructure the IRS (1996 – 1997), chaired by Senators Chuck Grassley and Bob Kerrey and then-Representative Rob Portman.
Since leaving the Hill, James has represented a variety of clients at prominent tax lobbying firms. TaxNotes named him one of the country’s top ten tax lobbyists.
James holds a B.A. in Political Science from James Madison University. He earned his J.D. from American University Washington College of Law and an LL.M in taxation from Georgetown University Law Center with a Certificate in Employee Benefits.
“It’s not about me,” James told himself on hectic nights back in the restaurant. “It’s about the customer, the experience, and the result.” The same conviction guides James Dennis and Rock Creek Counsel today.
Let’s Talk
James R. Dennis
Rock Creek Counsel, LLC
801 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Suite 430
Washington, DC 20004