Capabilities

Biography

Shelly Cordon Teuscher has been the director of government relations for Parsons Behle & Latimer since 1994. Her career in politics began in 1983 with a position at the Office of Legislative Research and General Counsel, the main staff office of the Utah Legislature. She has worked as a lobbyist since 1989.

During her time at Parsons Behle & Latimer, Shelly has represented clients on a variety of issues. Her considerable lobbying background includes working in the government arena both defensively to protect client interests and proactively to solve problems that confront them by getting beneficial legislation passed. Her accomplishments include getting legislation passed that affects existing litigation. She has also obtained appropriations for clients.

Shelly has been active at every level of government in Utah, and with every sort of decision maker, including the governor’s office, state legislators, regulators in many areas, and local mayors, county commissioners, and council members in several areas of the state. Issues on which she has been active include general business, environmental, telecommunications, oil and gas, mining, financial services, health care, health insurance, renewable energy, retirement, and esoteric issues of interest to clients in specialized areas such as data mining. In addition to representing business clients, Shelly has represented clients in the public sector such as towns, counties and special service districts. 

In addition to more traditional lobbying, Shelly handles the media, works cooperatively with community groups, and directs grassroots efforts.

Experience

Change in law allowing new line of business

Parsons Behle & Latimer was retained by an insurance client wanting to offer a new insurance product in the state. We met with insurance regulators to insure their support. We found a sponsor for the necessary legislation. We lobbied the bill through the 2012 legislative session. The legislation passed, allowing the client to provide the new business product starting late summer.

Defense against law that would have given an unfair advantage to a business competitor.

Parsons Behle & Latimer was retained to defend against a bill that essentially provided a subsidy to customers of a business competitor. We helped run a grassroots campaign against the measure, and lobbied virtually every member of the Utah State Senate against the bill. In the end, the bill was defeated.

Accomplishments

Academic

Brigham Young University, (B.A., 1980)