Mac Campbell
Partner /
Mac Campbell is a partner at Capitol Counsel, LLC. He brings to the firm decades of Capitol Hill and cabinet-level agency experience, with expertise in tax and trade issues. Campbell served as the general counsel and deputy staff director of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee under Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT). In that role, he managed the Committee’s legislative teams and oversaw the legal drafting and negotiations for legislation under the Committee’s jurisdiction including taxation, international trade, and health care. He was also the lead Committee officer tasked with matters related to jurisdiction, rules, personnel, investigations, and ethics. Prior to his service on the Committee, Campbell served on the personal staff of two of the Committee’s members. Campbell began his career on Capitol Hill as tax counsel and legislative assistant in the office of Senator Blanche L. Lincoln (D-AR). He also served as legislative director in the office of Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA).
In the Obama administration, Campbell was appointed Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Congressional Affairs. In that role, he managed the legislative and interagency negotiations for the cabinet-level office. It was there that he gained a positive reputation for his bipartisan approach and success in advancing the agency’s goals.
Campbell has spent more than a decade representing private sector entities before the federal government as a partner at a large international law firm and in a small firm environment.
Education
- Georgetown University Law Center – LL.M
- University of Arkansas School of Law – J.D.
- University of Arkansas – B.S.A.
Positions Held
- Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Washington, D.C. – Tax Counsel; Legislative Assistant.
- Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Washington, D.C. – Legislative Director. Campbell was the senior manager in charge of the Senator’s legislative staff and oversaw her legislative agenda, policy development, negotiations, hearings, and relationships.
- U.S. Trade Representative, Washington, D.C. – Assistant U.S. Trade Representative; Chief Legislative Affairs Officer.
- Senate Finance Committee, Washington, D.C. – Deputy Staff Director; General Counsel. A senior legal and policy role central to the planning and negotiations of all Committee activities, including hearings, mark ups, investigations, and floor consideration of bills and resolutions within the Committee’s jurisdiction.
Successes
As staff to Senator Blanche Lincoln (D-AR), Campbell proposed and negotiated the creation of the refundable child tax credit as part of the Economic Growth and Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2001. He was also instrumental in the negotiations concerning the Estate and Gift tax regime created under that legislation and modified in subsequent laws.
While serving in the office of Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Campbell was heavily involved with the Senate’s consideration of major legislation such as the Affordable Care Act, the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank), the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, as well as the passage of free-trade agreements with Panama, Korea, and Columbia.
As the Assistant U.S.T.R. for Congressional Affairs, he led bipartisan and bicameral efforts to pass legislation providing permanent normal trade relations (PNTR) with the Russian Federation and Moldova and the Sergei Magnistsky Rule of Law Accountability Act. Campbell also worked with Congress to extend the third country fabric program of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and to pass improvements to the Central American-Dominican Republic-United States Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR).
During his time on the Senate Finance Committee, Campbell helped organize efforts to reform the Internal Revenue Code, implement the Affordable Care Act, and advance the debate on Trade Promotion Authority.