Former Missouri Congressman William Lacy Clay Jr. advises and advocates on behalf of clients whose interests intersect with the federal government.

In guiding clients, Congressman Clay draws upon his 20 years as a member of the House of Representatives during which he served on the following House Committees: Financial Services, Natural Resources, and Oversight and Reform. During that time, he also served as Chair of the Subcommittee on Consumer Protection and Financial Institutions; the Subcommittee on Housing, Community Development, and Insurance; Chairman of the Subcommittee on Information Policy, Census, and National Archives of the Oversight and Reform Committee.

View More

Congressman Clay was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus (which his father co-founded), the Congressional Progressive Caucus, the U.S. Congressional International Conservation Caucus, the Congressional Arts Caucus, and is a current board of directors member of the DC Jazz Festival and the William L Clay Scholarship and Research Fund.

Representative Experience

  • Served as outside counsel to The AI Trust Foundation for Safe & Beneficial AI, providing cross-disciplinary legal support and helping establish it as a leading nonprofit advancing global AI standards and regulation.
  • Advised a broadcast technology company on government affairs strategy to secure FCC rule changes authorizing its geotargeted advertising system, building congressional and agency support that overcame industry opposition and enabled nationwide deployment.
  • Advised a fintech company on public policy advocacy, government affairs and regulatory compliance, including application of federal and state consumer finance laws.

View More

  • Helped bring the largest federal investment ever in the St. Louis region, the newly constructed Western headquarters of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, to his district.
  • Supported the Federal Reserve’s quantitative easing program.
  • Sponsored the African American Civil Rights Network Act of 2017, which establishes a U.S. Civil Rights network to commemorate and honor the history of the civil rights movement from 1939 to 1969 through a network of national parks sites.
  • Serves as an advocate for African American and minority empowerment, having brought $30 million in federal funding for affordable housing to St. Louis, and sponsored a career fair for HBCUs to bring new job opportunities to graduating students.
  • Congressman Clay spearheaded the effort to remediate nuclear waste found in St. Louis communities that was a remnant of The Manhattan Project. His efforts assisted in reaching a bipartisan agreement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
  • Targeted federal resources to build the Lacy Clay Center for Children’s Health, a facility designed to provide mental health services to children and adolescents within an underserved community.
  • Congressman Clay assisted in the development and building of the new $120 million National Archives Administration Center in North St. Louis County.
  • Congressman Clay championed environmental justice, securing over $300 million in funding for cleanup in minority neighborhoods.
  • During his time as a state senator, Congressman Clay enacted the Youth Opportunities and Violence Prevention Act to provide youth job training and to bring Youthbuild to the state of Missouri.

Professional Highlights

Honorary Doctorates

  • Lincoln University
  • University of the District of Columbia
  • Logan College
  • Harris Stowe State University

View More

  • Professional Development
    • Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government for Senior Executives
  • Honors & Awards
    • Lifetime Achievement Award, Missouri Martin Luther King State Committee – 2021
    • Political Leadership Award, Urban League of Metro St. Louis – 2020
    • Congressional Black Caucus Charter School Leadership Award – 2019
    • President’s Award, National Urban League – 2017
    • Creating Inspiration Award, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. – 2017
    • Political Leadership Award, National Newspaper Publishers Association – 2011
    • Lifetime Achievement Award, Thurgood Marshall Foundation – 2009
    • Missouri Parent of the Year, Missouri Parents Association – 2001
  • Publications
    • "William L. Clay, Jr." in Black Americans in Congress, 1870-2007. Prepared under the direction of the Committee on House Administration by the Office of History & Preservation, U. S. House of Representatives. Washington: Government Printing Office, 2008.

Education

  • B.S., University of Maryland, College Park