Tony Samp named to Washingtonian magazine’s 2025 list of 500 Most Influential People in Washington, DC
DLA Piper is pleased to announce Tony Samp, the firm’s Principal Policy Advisor and Head of AI Policy, has been named to Washingtonian’s 2025 list of the 500 Most Influential People in Washington, DC. The list recognizes experts and advocates outside of government who are playing major roles in Washington’s policy debates.
In its profile of Samp, Washingtonian noted that as the founding director of the Senate’s AI Caucus, Samp “established himself as a central player in the early policy discussions being hatched in Congress,” including a USD2.2 billion initiative to organize AI strategy.
“Tony is a prominent thought leader on policy issues related to AI, as well as national security, space and emerging technologies, and he has a well-earned reputation for breaking down the nuances and complexities of these rapidly evolving areas in order to help clients succeed. We are proud to see him once again recognized as one of the most influential people in the nation’s capital,” said Loren Brown, DLA Piper's US Vice Chair and Chair of the US Disputes Practice.
Samp is one of only a few law firm leaders represented in the Tech and Telecom category, and his recognition demonstrates DLA Piper’s commitment to representing businesses and organizations before Congress and federal agencies. Samp is among the foremost advisors in the US on issues related to AI, space and emerging technology. He specializes in formulating, synthesizing and executing complex business development and risk mitigation strategies for senior policymakers and business executives.
This recognition comes at a time of significant growth and expansion of DLA Piper’s Washington, DC-based Government Affairs and Public Policy practice. Additions to the team include Senator Richard Burr, who joined as Principal Policy Advisor, and Karina Lynch, who formerly served as investigative counsel to US Senator Charles Grassley and is now Co-Chair of the Government Affairs and Public Policy practice.
DLA Piper’s Washington, DC office also recently hired Mike Walsh, former Chief of Staff and acting General Counsel at the US Department of Commerce, Julie Kearney, former Chief of the Space Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission, Marc Nichols, former Chief Counsel at the Federal Aviation Administration, and additional government affairs specialists – all part of the growing team in the nation’s capital.
DLA Piper’s global Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics Practice is an industry-unique team that consists of more than 100 lawyers, data scientists, coders and policymakers focused on AI worldwide. The group has been widely recognized as a leading AI law practice, lauded by Financial Times, American Lawyer, Business Insider and others.
