FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Hannah Knoch, [email protected]
July 22, 2024
MERCURY EXPANDS ILLINOIS TEAM
Mercury adds leading elections lawyer, James Hartmann, to its growing Illinois shop
CHICAGO – Mercury, a leading global bipartisan public strategy firm, announced it has hired James Hartmann to work at its Illinois offices.
Hartmann is a Chicago-based attorney who has served as Chief Counsel to the Illinois Speaker of the House, as well as House Parliamentarian and House Democratic Ethics Officer. With his hire, Mercury has added another top-notch strategist who has relationships with influential policymakers in Illinois.
“James Hartmann adds yet another skill set to Mercury’s comprehensive public strategy team in Chicago and Springfield,” said Mercury Co-Chair and Partner Cheri Bustos, who runs the firm’s Illinois operation. “We have deep relationships inside and outside of federal, state and city government. James adds to that with his legal, electoral, and regulatory knowhow.”
Hartmann shared, “I’m excited to join the growing and dynamic team at Mercury. I look forward to using my legislative and legal expertise to advocate for our clients and drive impactful change.”
Prior to joining Mercury, Hartmann played a crucial role in some of the most consequential legislation in Illinois history. Notable examples of his work include acting as a lead House negotiator and drafter of the SAFE-T Act and Pre-Trial Fairness Act, as well as several pieces of legislation that promoted gun safety and gun control like the Protect Illinois Communities Act, which banned assault weapons, and the Illinois’ firearm red flag law. Additionally, he negotiated and drafted legislation that legalized sports betting in Illinois and legislation that authorized a casino in Chicago.
He was also the primary negotiator and drafter of multiple election law bills, including initiatives that expanded vote by mail, allowed for voting centers, protected disabled voter access, and established an elected Chicago School Board. In addition to his legislative work, Hartmann has represented hundreds of candidates in all aspects of the election process, from campaign compliance, to petition challenges and election recounts. In 2023, he was named to Chicago Lawyer Magazine’s 40 under 40.
About Mercury
Mercury is a high-stakes, bipartisan public strategy firm. With 20 offices and 130 team members, the firm provides a comprehensive suite of services that includes federal government relations, international affairs, digital influence, public opinion research, media strategy and a bipartisan grassroots mobilization network in all 50 states. In addition to its two offices in Illinois, Mercury has U.S. offices in Washington, D.C., New York, California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, and South Carolina. Mercury is a part of the Omnicom Public Relations Group.
About Omnicom PR Group (OPRG)
Omnicom PR Group (OPRG) is the largest global network of communications and consulting agencies in the world. It is home to three of the top global PR agencies FleishmanHillard, Ketchum, Porter Novelli and more than a dozen specialist agencies in corporate and public affairs, political consulting and advertising, language strategy, global health strategy and organizational transformation. OPRG is part of Omnicom Group Inc. (NYSE: OMC). www.TeamOPRG.com.