Discover the best little lobbying database in town on July 24

Learn how to use the best little lobbying database in town at a workshop 9:30 am – 11 am on Thursday, in the Bloomberg Room of the National Press Club.

Since World War II, the most detailed descriptions of how Washington's influence industry works can have been tucked away in underutilized files at the Department of Justice, where lobbying firms and other organizations that represent foreign interests have to make regular filings. These provide much more insights into how influence is wielded in Washington -- including names of lawmakers, executive branch and congressional staffers and even media organizations contacted and expense accounts -- than the records filed by on Capitol Hill by lobbyists working for domestic organizations.

Who are big lobbying firms (who work for both domestic and foreign interests) contacting most? How are countries on your beat working the levers of power in D.C.? Now it's easy to find out, thanks to a Sunlight Foundation effort to put the DOJ records into a searchable database. Learn how to use this new tool from Sunlight's developers and reporting team.

Registration is $5 NPC members; $10 public. Register here