Who We Are
The Expert Lobbyist in Delaware
Robert L. Byrd, Partner
Bob is a Jedi Master of government arts with long practice as the legislator he once was and the lobbyist he is.
When the confusion, the divide and the intricacies are at their worst, if anyone can be counted upon to pick his way through, it is Bob. One of Bob’s most memorable legislative achievements was the legalization of slot machines at the state’s racetracks.
Bob can provide expert advice on legislation, government contracts, regulatory review, local government matters and congressional action and see it through by getting to the right people at the right time with the right touch.
Bob has the background to work with everyone, from his days as a state representative with a blue-collar constituency to his time as the vice president and chief lobbyist of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce.
His leadership talents were recognized by his fellow legislators, who elected him the majority whip in the Delaware House of Representatives, and by Governor Ruth Ann Minner, who appointed him as the chair of the Delaware Economic & Financial Advisory Council, the panel responsible for the revenue projections that have kept the state’s multi-billion-dollar budget balanced year after year.
Bob’s list of clients in Delaware in unequaled. It includes Aetna, Anheuser-Busch, Dover Downs Hotel & Casino, the Maritime Exchange for the Delaware River & Bay, and the Medical Society of Delaware.
Bob attended Troy University in Alabama and served in the Delaware National Guard. He has been to every presidential inauguration since 1964. When his high school put on “Harvey” as the play in Bob’s senior year, he acted the part of Elwood P. Dowd, the character who could see the six-foot-tall rabbit.
PHONE: (302) 757-8305
EMAIL: robert.byrd@byrdgomes.com
In 2019 Bob Byrd released his first book, Byrd of Legislative Hall! For more information, please click here or to purchase copies, contact Carrie at (302) 757-8300 or [email protected].
Kimberly B. Gomes, Partner
Ask Kim to name her dream job, and she would say, “Lobbyist.”
Really, who even knew there were people like that?
Kim became a lobbyist in her own unique way. She did not get here through politics or law or a cause. Her earliest interests had nothing to do with lobbying. She was a gymnast and a competitor in ballroom dancing.
That led to a degree from the University of Delaware in fitness management, and that led to a position at the University of Delaware as the coordinator in charge of the fitness class program on the campus.
From there, it was on to work at an insurance office and brokerage firm, except Kim was looking for a new direction, and she thought lobbying would be fun.
Of course she did. She had a taste for the unexpected. She had the slow heartbeat that comes from winning competitiveness. She had a practical foundation of business, organizational and management experience.
Kim added in an academic component by earning a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Delaware. One of the faculty members was Ed Freel, formerly the Delaware secretary of state, and he connected her with Bob Byrd.
It clicked, and Kim joined the firm.
Kim’s background has been a fine fit, even her ballroom dancing. She paired with Tom Cook, who was the Delaware secretary of finance, for a charity “Dancing with the Stars” event, where they were judged the best dancers. See? Kim was right all along that lobbying could be fun.
PHONE: (302) 757-8303
EMAIL: kim.gomes@byrdgomes.com
Rebecca L. Byrd, Partner & Legal Counsel
People have heard of gym rats? Rebecca is a Legislative Hall rat. It is in her blood.
Rebecca knows government, policy and politics with the inside knowledge that comes from broad experience with all three branches of government, and she combines it with the perspective of a lawyer.
She can draft legislation. She can lobby for it. She can decipher federal and state regulations.
There was a method to Rebecca’s decision not to specialize in just anything. With the breadth of her background, she is ready for everything.
Rebecca is a third-generation practitioner. Her grandmother was an aide to Gov. Sherman W. Tribbitt, her father is Bob Byrd, and here she is to carry on the family tradition.
Rebecca was the deputy legal counsel to Governor Ruth Ann Minner and a deputy attorney general in the state Justice Department under Attorney General Beau Biden. She also clerked on the Delaware Supreme Court for Justices Carolyn Berger, Jack Jacobs and Henry duPont Ridgely and served as a liaison for the court to the General Assembly.
She is the author of articles on Delaware’s Coastal Zone Act (Delaware Chamber of Commerce, 2016) and a co-author of “50 State Survey: The Law of Eminent Domain" (American Bar Association, 2012).
Rebecca is a member of the Delaware State Bar Association and the American Bar Association, where she is a member of the Business Law Section and its Government Affairs Committee. She is a graduate of the George Washington University and the Catholic University of America School of Law.
Rebecca loves to travel, especially to Ireland, Venice and Santa Fe, New Mexico. She is fond of British television. She tries to read 50 books a year and wants to make it to 100, although the closest she got so far is 65.
PHONE: (302) 757-8306
EMAIL: rebecca.byrd@byrdgomes.com
Carrie R. Cole, Director of Operations
The 4077th M*A*S*H Unit had Radar O’Reilly. ByrdGomes has Carrie. She keeps the office going.
Carrie’s background could not have been better for Byrd Gomes' operations. She has a business degree, she has a knack for computers, and she previously was a legal assistant, most notably for DLA Piper, one of the largest law firms in the world.
Carrie is a graduate of Wilmington University. She has worked as a substitute teacher and a nanny, experiences just right for a busy office.
PHONE: (302) 757-8300
EMAIL: carrie.cole@byrdgomes.com