Five lobbyists at Williams & Jensen are leaving to set up their own bipartisan shop, Alignment Government Strategies.  

Bert Carp, Michael Beer, Rebecca Anderson, Jenny DiJames and Pat Pettey, all formerly with Williams & Jensen, are joining with Leo Jardot, who previously ran the Washington office for the pharmaceutical firm Wyeth.  

“We saw an opportunity to do something entrepreneurial,” said Carp, who served as a domestic policy aide in the Carter administration and lobbies on telecom, tax, energy and other issues.  

In 2013, Williams and Jensen was the seventh largest lobbying practice , according to reports filed with Congress under the Lobbying Disclosure Act. But in recent years, as the biggest firms’ LDA revenue has decreased, boutique firms have become hot little K Street commodities .  

In an interview, Carp said he and the team at Alignment Government Strategies expect to register a roster of clients in the coming weeks, but he is not yet ready to disclosure which ones will sign on with the new firm. While at Williams & Jensen, Carp and several of the members of the AGS team were registered to lobby for Comcast, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, Navistar and NextEra Energy Inc., among others.  

“The government relations business has changed dramatically in the last few years, but the expectations of clients have not,” Carp said in a statement.  “Along with the experience required to be successful in Washington, clients today often require a more nimble lobbying platform and a greater level of flexibility. They also look for a hands-on approach from their advisors and that’s precisely what we aim to deliver.”  

Anderson served in the White House office of legislative affairs during the George H.W. Bush administration. Beer previously worked for such lawmakers as then-Rep. David Hobson, R-Ohio. DiJames’ résumé includes a stint with ex-Rep. Bud Cramer, D-Ala. And Pettey, a former chief of staff to then-Sen. Bob Smith, R-N.H., focuses on environmental, energy and transportation issues.  

The shop is headquartered at 601 Pennsylvania Ave. NW.  

“With regard to the recent departure of some of our partners, we at Williams & Jensen, are privileged to have worked with scores of great professionals over the decades our firm has been in business,” J. Steven Hart, chairman and CEO of Williams & Jensen, said in a statement. “Our entire firm wishes these individuals well as they begin a new chapter in their professional lives.”