Close Ties To Ehrlich Lucrative For Lawyer

On Dec. 15, 2005, for instance, Hamilton brought the governor to meet top executives at Verizon Wireless's new offices in Hanover, according to the governor's calendar. From there, Ehrlich and Hamilton drove to Baltimore, where Hamilton and his law partners at the firm Ober Kaler hosted a fundraiser for Ehrlich.

Two weeks later, on Jan. 6, Hamilton organized and hosted a meeting of wireless communications lobbyists to discuss Maryland legislation that could help cut taxes for Verizon and other carriers, according to an e-mail given to The Washington Post.

Hamilton said the meeting with Verizon Wireless executives lasted five minutes and pertained to labor concerns and economic development issues. A company spokesman, John Johnson, said Verizon hired Hamilton as a legal consultant and did not contract with a lobbyist through his firm.

"To me, that sounds like highly questionable behavior," said Bobbie Walton of the public interest group Common Cause Maryland, which sounded alarms seven years ago when Glendening's close friend, attorney Lance W. Billingsley, was being paid to arrange meetings between executives and the governor. Billingsley, who was then chairman of the University System of Maryland Board of Regents, defended his conduct, saying he was acting as a "lawyer-advocate." But public criticism led to ethics rules forbidding any such activity by regents.

Hamilton rejected the comparison: "To say David Hamilton equals Lance Billingsley is unfair and untrue.

"We have taken great care to avoid the appearance of impropriety and to abide by all rules that govern what we do or have done," he added in a statement.

Hamilton's visibility is on the rise as one of the closest confidants of the governor. When Ehrlich needed to defend his administration against a lawsuit filed by the Baltimore Sun, he brought in Hamilton to be what the governor called "my pro bono lawyer." And as a court battle looms over new election laws, Ehrlich is again turning to Hamilton for counsel.

The two have been friends since they joined Ober Kaler together out of law school, both proteges of another attorney at the firm, Jervis S. Finney. Finney is now on the state payroll as Ehrlich's chief counsel.

Hamilton was active in the governor's campaign and served as the chief counsel to Ehrlich's transition team. Early in Ehrlich's term, Hamilton helped form a nonprofit group to defray the costs of hospitality events at the 2004 Preakness. The group sought as much as $50,000 apiece from Maryland business executives in exchange for golf dates and private receptions with the governor.

When news of the funding plan broke, a series of March 2004 e-mails shows Hamilton worked with Ehrlich's office to head off bad publicity. In one e-mail to Ehrlich communications director Paul E. Schurick, Hamilton wrote, "Please tell the Gov that my chest hurts a bit from the spear I've taken."

Over the past three years, Hamilton said, his relationship with the governor has had a positive impact on Ober Kaler's bottom line. "We didn't have a government relations practice before he was elected," Hamilton said in an interview. "But clients started coming to us and saying, 'Can you help us?' And it's worked out pretty well."

Business has been so good, in fact, that Hamilton has recently been talking to lobbyists about joining the firm and expanding its presence. The arrangement has benefited Pitcher as well. In 2002, Glendening's last year as governor, Pitcher reported $384,000 in earnings. In 2005, the most recent available report, his earnings were nearly $710,000.