The firm was founded in 1968 by Norman Brownstein, Jack Hyatt, and Steve Farber in Denver, Colorado.[1] The three men attended the University of Colorado Law School together in the 1960s. Hyatt was the first managing partner of the firm and died in 2017 at the age of 75.[2] Farber helped raise money to bring the 2008 Democratic National Convention to Denver and died in 2020 at the age of 76.[3]
Brownstein experienced a record year in 2015 with its revenue increasing by nearly 7 percent to $172.2 million and its net income increasing by 6 percent to $58.4 million. The firm’s profits per partner increased nearly 7 percent to $899,000.[4] Brownstein credits this growth to increased client demand and executing on its defined business strategy.
Lobbying practice
In 1995, the firm expanded their services to include lobbying.[5] On January 1, 2007, Brownstein Hyatt & Farber merged with Schreck Brignone and the new firm was named Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck. Frank Schreck is a former chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission.[6] A 2016 article in the Denver Post called the firm "a national juggernaut".[1]
In March 2020, Brownstein acquired the services of Katelynn Bradley, a former director of investor and capital markets with the House Financial Services Committee. She plans to register as a lobbyist and will advise the firm's financial services clients.[7] The company has lobbied on behalf of the Saudi Arabian government.[8]
In 2021, Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck earned US $56.25 million in federal lobbying revenue, making it the largest lobbying firm in the nation.[1] As of March 2020, the firm has 13 offices across the United States and 600 employees.[9]