ATTORNEY
Total Donated
$677,271,906
Contributions
1,435,882
Unique Donors
42,760
Top Employer
ATTORNEY
Contributors who listed ATTORNEY on federal itemized receipts account for $677.3M, according to FEC.gov aggregates on LobbyVault. The total is 1,435,882 contributions from 42,760 donors. ATTORNEY is a self-reported employer/occupation string, not a NAICS industry, and it is not combined with LAWYER even though English speakers use the words interchangeably. Firm names (a partnership, a city law department, a company GC office) sit in other rows when that is what the donor typed.
Key figures
- ATTORNEY-labeled receipts total $677.3M in itemized FEC data.
- 42,760 donors produced 1,435,882 contribution lines.
- LAWYER is a separate FEC string and is not inside this total.
- ATTORNEY is self-reported form text, not a NAICS industry.
A professional title used as an 'industry' key
Many lawyers write ATTORNEY in the occupation box and repeat it in employer, or they write a firm in employer and ATTORNEY in occupation. LobbyVault's industry harvest keys this row on the ATTORNEY label. That is why a licensed profession appears beside banks and status words in the same ranking.
The $677.3M figure is not the American Bar Association's membership giving, and it is not 'the legal industry' in NAICS 5411. It is the sum of itemized lines whose grouped label is ATTORNEY. People who wrote LAWYER, COUNSEL, or a firm-only employer are elsewhere.
Donor pool versus receipt volume
42,760 donors produced 1,435,882 ATTORNEY contribution lines. That is a smaller unique-donor set than the RETIRED or NOT EMPLOYED clusters, with a still-large receipt count. Repeat giving by a stable professional list can look like that.
LobbyVault does not publish a party split on this industry total. Partner-level gifts, PAC checks from law-firm committees, and bundled events may appear on other pages; this row is the individual ATTORNEY string.
Full analysis: ATTORNEY as an FEC occupation string: $677.3M →
Questions
- How much have ATTORNEY donors given in federal elections?
- LobbyVault's FEC.gov rollup attributes $677.3M to the ATTORNEY string, from 1,435,882 contributions and 42,760 donors. LAWYER is a different label with a different total. Neither is a NAICS legal-services sector. Figures on this answer are limited to that FEC string as indexed on LobbyVault; unitemized gifts and non-federal filings are omitted.
- Does this include law-firm PACs?
- This page totals itemized individual receipts grouped under ATTORNEY. Committee-to-committee PAC activity is a different FEC schedule. Firm-named employer rows are also separate if the donor typed the firm instead of ATTORNEY. Figures on this answer are limited to that FEC string as indexed on LobbyVault; unitemized gifts and non-federal filings are omitted.
- Why isn't LAWYER included in the $677.3M?
- FEC employer and occupation fields store literal text. ATTORNEY and LAWYER do not match, so LobbyVault keeps two rows. Merging them is a research choice, not the public file. Figures on this answer are limited to that FEC string as indexed on LobbyVault; unitemized gifts and non-federal filings are omitted.
- How many unique attorney donors are in the data?
- The ATTORNEY label has 42,760 donors and 1,435,882 contribution lines. Repeat gifts raise the receipt count. The donor figure is not a count of all licensed attorneys in the United States. Figures on this answer are limited to that FEC string as indexed on LobbyVault; unitemized gifts and non-federal filings are omitted.
Industry labels come from FEC employer/occupation self-reports, not NAICS. Data from FEC.gov via LobbyVault.
Industry ties
- Attorney political contributions from Birmingham, AL
- Attorney political contributions from Montgomery, AL
- Attorney political contributions from Phoenix, AZ
- Attorney political contributions from Tucson, AZ
- Attorney political contributions from Beverly Hills, CA
- Attorney political contributions from Hillsborough, CA
- Attorney political contributions from Los Angeles, CA
- Attorney political contributions from San Francisco, California
Cycle-over-Cycle Trend
| Cycle | Total | Contributions | Donors |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | $3,235,933 | 4,864 | 3,031 |
| 1982 | $1,545,309 | 1,688 | 752 |
| 1984 | $1,886,981 | 2,043 | 862 |
| 1986 | $1,572,282 | 1,675 | 749 |
| 1988 | $2,030,108 | 2,065 | 863 |
| 1990 | $1,557,176 | 2,251 | 879 |
| 1992 | $2,687,995 | 3,676 | 1,118 |
| 1994 | $2,255,218 | 3,094 | 925 |
| 1996 | $3,372,391 | 3,724 | 1,007 |
| 1998 | $2,534,513 | 3,092 | 883 |
| 2000 | $4,207,942 | 3,837 | 1,004 |
| 2002 | $3,067,950 | 2,829 | 770 |
| 2004 | $3,817,930 | 3,806 | 924 |
| 2006 | $3,406,581 | 2,978 | 721 |
| 2008 | $5,084,085 | 4,556 | 846 |
| 2010 | $3,931,697 | 3,286 | 670 |
| 2012 | $7,340,774 | 4,119 | 717 |
| 2014 | $3,960,210 | 2,790 | 587 |
Top Donors
| # | Name | Total | Contributions | City / State | Occupation | History |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | BROCK, ROBERT L | $25,952 | 14 | TOPEKA, KS | — | 1980 |
| 2 | FIELDS, STEPHEN | $20,000 | 1 | NEW YORK, NY | — | 1980 |
| 3 | GOLDMAN, MARTIN R | $16,800 | 7 | SOUTHFILD, MI | — | 1980 |
| 4 | HILL, JOHN L | $13,750 | 11 | AUSTIN, TX | — | 1980 |
| 5 | BOGGS, THOMAS HALE JR | $13,393 | 32 | CHEVY CHASE, MD | — | 1980 |
| 6 | ANDELSON, SHELDON W | $13,250 | 12 | LOS ANGELS, CA | — | 1980 |
| 7 | KEE, NORMAN L | $12,000 | 4 | NEW YORK, NY | — | 1980 |
| 8 | BORDERS, WILLIAM A JR | $11,500 | 3 | WASHINGTON, DC | — | 1980 |
| 9 | HAYES, LLOYD | $11,500 | 9 | PORT ARTHUR, TX | — | 1980 |
| 10 | JOHNSON, GEORGE DEAN JR | $11,500 | 3 | SPARTANBURG, SC | — | 1980 |
| 11 | MORIN, CHARLES H | $11,500 | 4 | WASHINGTON, DC | — | 1980 |
| 12 | DE FAZIO, HUGH E JR | $11,000 | 5 | DOVER, NJ | — | 1980 |
| 13 | MILLER, WILTON R | $11,000 | 3 | TALLAHASSEE, FL | — | 1980 |
| 14 | MONTGOMERY, KENNETH F | $10,300 | 8 | CHICAGO, IL | — | 1980 |
| 15 | BARNETT, B MR | $10,000 | 1 | LOUSIVILLE, KY | — | 1980 |
| 16 | CAPUTO, ANTHONY J | $10,000 | 3 | YONKERS, NY | — | 1980 |
| 17 | JACKSON, DONALD L | $10,000 | 1 | KNOXVILLE, TN | — | 1980 |
| 18 | JORDAN, THOMAS N JR | $10,000 | 1 | SANTA ROSA, CA | — | 1980 |
| 19 | MORRIS, WILLIAM W | $9,900 | 6 | LAS VEGAS, NV | — | 1980 |
| 20 | HACK, WILLIAM S | $9,750 | 13 | NEW YORK, NY | — | 1980 |
| 21 | COLLEY, WILLIAM J | $9,350 | 25 | WASHINGTON, DC | — | 1980 |
| 22 | CULVERHOUSE, HUGH F | $9,000 | 8 | — | — | 1980 |
| 23 | LOPEZ, PETER M | $9,000 | 6 | MIAMI BEACH, FL | — | 1980 |
| 24 | MORRIS, JOHN A | $8,950 | 9 | EVANSTON, IL | — | 1980 |
| 25 | MALLIN, JOEL | $8,750 | 6 | NEW YORK, NY | — | 1980 |
| 26 | MURASE, JIRO MR | $8,000 | 4 | NEW YORK, NY | — | 1980 |
| 27 | DYCHE, W E JR | $7,750 | 6 | HOUSTON, TX | — | 1980 |
| 28 | LEWIS, ORME | $7,500 | 13 | PHOENIX, AZ | — | 1980 |
| 29 | LIPSEN, ZEL E MR | $7,250 | 3 | WASHINGTON, DC | — | 1980 |
| 30 | ANDERSON, JOHN M | $7,000 | 3 | SAN FRANCISCO, CA | — | 1980 |
| 31 | DAWSON, DONALD S | $7,000 | 10 | BETHESDA, MD | — | 1980 |
| 32 | GOULD, KINGDON JR | $7,000 | 10 | LAUREL, MD | — | 1980 |
| 33 | CAMP, JOHN C | $6,500 | 10 | LAKE CHARLES, LA | — | 1980 |
| 34 | DURAN, ALFREDO G | $6,500 | 5 | MIAMI, FL | — | 1980 |
| 35 | KERR, WILLIAM G | $6,500 | 10 | OKLAHOMA CITY, OK | — | 1980 |
| 36 | MCLENNAN, ALEX | $6,500 | 5 | ATLANTA, GA | — | 1980 |
| 37 | BRAY, ROY H | $6,300 | 4 | HOUSTON, TX | — | 1980 |
| 38 | DOHERTY, GERARD F | $6,250 | 10 | CHARLESTOWN, MA | — | 1980 |
| 39 | FORGOTSON, EDWARD H | $6,250 | 11 | WASHINGTON, DC | — | 1980 |
| 40 | DAMRELL, FRANK C JR | $6,150 | 7 | MODESTO, CA | — | 1980 |
| 41 | EWING, BAYARD | $6,050 | 11 | PROVIDENCE, RI | — | 1980 |
| 42 | FERGUSON, CHESTER H MR | $6,000 | 2 | TAMPA, FL | — | 1980 |
| 43 | GRAY, J CHARLES | $6,000 | 2 | DE HARY, FL | — | 1980 |
| 44 | HEAD, HAYDEN MR | $6,000 | 2 | CORPUS CHRISTI, TX | — | 1980 |
| 45 | CLADOUHOS, HARRY W | $5,950 | 9 | BETHESDA, MD | — | 1980 |
| 46 | MANATT, CHARLES T | $5,900 | 12 | LOS ANGELES, CA | — | 1980 |
| 47 | AIDLIN, JOSEPH W | $5,800 | 8 | LOS ANGELES, CA | — | 1980 |
| 48 | GOREN, OSIAS G | $5,650 | 4 | — | — | 1980 |
| 49 | FREEDMAN, CHERYL | $5,500 | 5 | WEST HARTFORD, CT | — | 1980 |
| 50 | DAVIS, JAMES H | $5,350 | 7 | LOS ANGELES, CA | — | 1980 |
Top Recipients
| # | Committee | Total | Contributions |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | NEW REPUBLICAN PACC00544544 | $10,020,000 | 2 |
| 2 | ACTBLUEC00401224 | $6,026,538 | 681 |
| 3 | GEORGIA UNITED VICTORYC00750323 | $3,000,000 | 1 |
| 4 | DNC SERVICES CORP / DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL COMMITTEEC00010603 | $2,880,085 | 1,155 |
| 5 | DSCCC00042366 | $2,309,209 | 746 |
| 6 | WINREDC00694323 | $2,223,935 | 393 |
| 7 | DCCCC00000935 | $2,205,271 | 627 |
| 8 | DEFENDARIZONAC00668301 | $2,150,000 | 2 |
| 9 | SMPC00484642 | $1,920,076 | 107 |
| 10 | HMPC00495028 | $1,260,099 | 51 |
| 11 | HARRIS VICTORY FUNDC00744946 | $1,135,164 | 221 |
| 12 | OBAMA VICTORY FUND 2012C00494740 | $1,030,088 | 226 |
| 13 | DNC-NON-FEDERAL INDIVIDUALC60000254 | $1,024,450 | 53 |
| 14 | REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEEC00003418 | $930,281 | 558 |
| 15 | OBAMA FOR AMERICAC00431445 | $877,265 | 511 |
| 16 | AB PACC00492140 | $875,500 | 7 |
| 17 | TRUMP VICTORYC00618389 | $857,050 | 36 |
| 18 | HILLARY VICTORY FUNDC00586537 | $833,252 | 217 |
| 19 | NRSCC00027466 | $826,889 | 429 |
| 20 | FIGHT FOR THE PEOPLE PACC00703975 | $641,314 | 445 |
| 21 | NRCCC00075820 | $599,074 | 223 |
| 22 | PRIORITIES USA ACTIONC00495861 | $545,000 | 3 |
| 23 | OPPORTUNITY MATTERS FUND, INC.C00750182 | $500,000 | 3 |
| 24 | TRUMP MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN COMMITTEEC00618371 | $492,918 | 321 |
| 25 | DNC NON-FEDERAL UNINCORPORATED ASSOCIATION ACCOUNTC60000692 | $456,000 | 13 |