Politicians, corporate leaders, anyone faced with the harrowing task of testifying before a congressional committee, can now consult a guide to help navigate safely through the process. Delta State University alumnus, William N. LaForge, is the author of the comprehensive new guide, “Testifying Before Congress: A Practical Guide to Preparing and Delivering Testimony before Congress and Congressional Hearings for Agencies, Associations, Corporations, Military, NGOs, and State and Local Officials” published by TheCapitol.Net, July 2010.
LaForge visited the Roberts-LaForge Library on the Delta State University campus Friday, Oct. 15, to speak to students, faculty, and community leaders about his career in law and politics that began with his education at Delta State. Following the presentation, LaForge signed copies of his book for members of the audience.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better year for publishing because of all of the odd things that have happened this year,” said LaForge, citing the hearings resulting from the BP disaster along with other cases of corporations and individuals testifying before Congress. “This book was a long time coming and I have been fortunate to work with agencies and individuals that provided the training and experience needed to write it,” he said.
Growing up in Cleveland, LaForge graduated with honors from Delta State University in 1972. He earned his law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law, received an LL.M. in international law from Georgetown University, and studied international law at Cambridge University. He received fellowships to study government and public policy in the European Union and at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, and he is the recipient of an honorary doctorate of laws from the Stetson University College of Law.
LaForge is an attorney, Washington office managing shareholder and government relations practice group leader with the Winstead law firm. A registered lobbyist, he specializes in federal government relations, and represents businesses and other organizations with public policy interests before the United States Congress and federal executive branch agencies. For more than 30 years, LaForge has been involved with the public policy arena at local, state, and federal levels. As a prosecutor and a deputy chancery court clerk in the Mississippi Delta, a senior congressional policy advisor in Washington, and a private practitioner since 1990, he has extensive experience in government relations and public policy advocacy.
As a practical guide to assist witnesses and their organizations in preparing and delivering Congressional testimony, “Testifying Before Congress” is designed for use by anyone or any organization called upon to testify before a committee of the United States Congress, and for those who are providing assistance in preparing the testimony and the witness. This book can serve as a guide through the unique maze of the Congressional hearings process for virtually any witness or organization, including especially federal departments and agencies, the federal judiciary, members and staff of the legislative branch itself, associations, corporations, the military service branches, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), private and voluntary organizations (PVOs), public interest entities, state and local governmental officials and institutions, and individuals who are chosen to appear as a witness before Congress for any reason on any topic.
In 400 pages, LaForge prepares potential witnesses for every eventuality, including using actual briefings and rehearsals used by such agencies as USAID, NASA, and the IRS, as well as corporate and NGO examples.
LaForge is a member of the bars of The District of Columbia and Mississippi. He is past national president of the Federal Bar Association, and a member of the board of directors of the Federal Bar Building Corporation. A frequent speaker on the topics of government, public policy, and the operations of Congress, he holds an academic appointment as an adjunct professor at George Washington University, where he has taught courses in the fields of commercial law, public policy, lobbying and business-government relations for more than 25 years. He has been a visiting professor of law in Russia, Poland and Bulgaria. He has served as a trustee of the Delta State University and the Pi Kappa Alpha educational foundations, and he is past national president of both the Delta State University Alumni Association and the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity.
