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I help nonprofits, brands, and changemakers understand democracy and identify their role in the effort to protect it.
Obama 2008 & 2012 | Perkins Coie Political Law Group, Partner | Elias Law Group, Inaugural Partner | Latham & Watkins
ABOUT
Tyler J. Hagenbuch
I’ve spent twenty years working where election law, politics, government, and culture meet. These days I help organizations and individuals figure out how to engage in that world without getting lost in it.
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My voting rights career started as an attorney in the Chicago headquarters of President Obama’s 2012 campaign. From there I joined the Perkins Coie Political Law Group and made partner. When that group spun off to become the Elias Law Group, I was one of the founding partners of what is now the largest mission-driven law firm in the country.
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Along the way I’ve worked with sitting elected officials, some of the more interesting companies in the country, and a long list of nonprofits. The job, as I see it, is to give people analysis they can actually use and a plan they can actually run.
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I grew up on a family farm in rural Illinois. Before law school at Vanderbilt I spent a few years in the music business, and just out of law school I was a litigator at Latham & Watkins. I came to this work by an unusual route, which is probably why I don’t think the right path to civic engagement looks the same for any two clients.
MY APPROACH
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I work with nonprofits, coalitions, the funders behind them, and the brands and creators that partner with them. I try to give each of these clients the same thing: a clear read on the situation and practical next steps that works for them. Whether you’re buried in requests to engage, rethinking your core strategic plan, or trying to make sense of a policy development for the first time, the goal is to leave you with something you can act on.
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1. There’s no one-size-fits-all. I’ve advised nonprofits raising their first dollar and a family office writing some of the largest checks in the country. The right move depends on your budget, tolerance for risk, how visible you want to be–and what you bring to the table that no one else does.
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2. Plain language, not legalese. Meaningful updates on election law and democracy policy don’t have to read like a court brief. I’ll tell you what a development actually means and what, if anything, you should do about it.
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3. Work you can actually use. I’m more interested in plans that get run than in plans that look good in a deck. Every recommendation comes with a way in for the people who have to carry it out.
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WHAT I DO
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Advice & Analysis
Briefings on elections and democracy that don’t read like a court filing. I’ll help you understand what the latest developments mean for voters, your organization, and the bigger picture — and sort the signal from the noise so you’re not reacting to every headline.
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Nonprofit Strategy & Strategic Philanthropy
For nonprofits, I work on launch decisions, executive coaching, board development, and strategic mission realignment. For those on the funding side, there’s a difference between giving money and giving it well. I help place gifts across nonprofits, advocacy orgs, and mission-aligned ventures that protect investments through messaging, data, and legal-defense work.
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Storytelling & Communications
Good lawyers are storytellers, and elections are full of stories worth telling well. I work with creators who want to get the politics right, and with executives and nonprofits shaping op-eds, manuscripts, communications plans, and keynotes — from a blank page or a near-final draft.
SELECT PROJECTS
LET'S CONNECT
Tyler Hagenbuch Strategies LLC | West Hollywood, CA
tyler@tylerh.co | 615.720.1374
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