VIGO G. (CHIP) NIELSEN, JR. (Marin County office) is the senior political law partner and a member of the firm's Management Committee. He also plays a very important role as one of the firm's top government law strategists.

He is widely published in the area of political law and has been or is a member of the Board of Directors of the California Journal, the Bay Area Council, the North Bay Council, the American Bar Association Committee on Election Law, the University of California at Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies National Advisory Board, the American Association of Political Consultants, and the Citizens Research Foundation. For 29 years, he has been the National Co-Chair of the Practising Law Institute's seminar courses on "Corporations in Politics."

He has been actively involved in California state politics and government for four decades, having been a campaign manager and a political law advisor to numerous politicians and government leaders as well as having served in senior government positions himself, such as being the Chief Administrative Officer for the California Assembly, the Assistant Deputy State Controller and Chief of Staff to the Lieutenant Governor.

He is an honors graduate from Yale University and received his law degree from the University of the Pacific, McGeorge School of Law.