Edward Mullen | Founding Partner
Edward has worked in and around Virginia state and local government for more than twenty years. Building on his significant legal, policy, and political experience, he has dedicated his career to delivering positive results for his clients.
Edward is a Founding Partner of Seven Hills Strategy Group. He was previously the Managing Partner of Reed Smith’s Richmond office, where he was also a member of the firm’s Global Leadership Team.
Edward helps clients understand, impact, and, at times, mitigate, the actions of Virginia state and local governments. He has an administrative, regulatory, and lobbying practice before all Virginia state agencies and legislative and lobbying practice before the Virginia General Assembly, the Office of the Attorney General, the Office of the Governor and other Executive Branch offices, and the Virginia congressional delegation. He regularly engages with local governments and political bodies on behalf of clients.
Working diligently to protect his clients from negative actions, Edward particularly enjoys crafting and implementing proactive legislative, administrative, and regulatory solutions to client problems. Among other matters, he has helped several industry sectors work with government to set up new regulatory frameworks or substantially revise existing frameworks and has specialized in doing so for emerging technology companies in addition to more traditional industries.
Prior to law school, Edward spent nearly six years traveling the Commonwealth with then-candidate and Governor Mark R. Warner as a Senior Aide. In that role, Edward advised the candidate/Governor on political and policy matters, engaged with political leaders and citizens from across the state, and learned the Commonwealth’s backroads by heart.
Edward is committed to his community and enjoys a particular passion for the arts and humanities, serving two terms on the board of Virginia Humanities, including several years on the Executive Committee. He currently serves as a Trustee of the Virginia Historical Society and on the board of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, and he served for several years as an adjunct professor at the University of Virginia School of Law, teaching a course in legislative drafting and statutory interpretation.
Edward lives in the Fan district of Richmond with his wife, Jennifer, two sons, and their dog, Frances. He is an avid reader and outdoorsman and spends his free moments in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains.
Education
- University of Virginia School of Law, J.D.
- University of Virginia, B.A., English Literature
Professional Affiliations
- Former Adjunct Faculty – University of Virginia School of Law
- Virginia Chamber of Commerce –Member, Board of Directors (2018-present)
- Virginia Historical Society – Member, Board of Trustees (2020-present)
- Virginia Administrative Law Advisory Committee – Member (2013-2019)
- Virginia Humanities- Member, Board of Directors (2013-2019), Executive Committee (2016-2019)
- Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership – Fellowship (2005)
- Virginia Scenic River Board – Member (2005-2012)
Awards & Recognition
- Selected by Virginia Lawyers Weekly as a “Leader in the Law” (2021)
- Selected by Virginia Lawyers Media as a 2016 Leaders in the Law – Up & Coming Leader
- Selected by his peers and the publishers of Virginia Super Lawyers magazine as one of Virginia’s “Rising Stars” for his Administrative Law practice (2010-2019). Rising Stars names the state’s top up-and-coming attorneys.
- Recognized by Virginia Business magazine as Legal Elite for Legislative/Regulatory/Administrative Law (2011-2023).
- Selected through peer review for inclusion in The Best Lawyers in America© for Government Relations Practice, 2020-2025
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