Requirements for Retainers and Authorization Letters.
51 RCNY § 1-08
in effect§ 1-08 Requirements for Retainers and Authorization Letters.
(a) Retainers.
(1) All Retainers must contain:
(i) the compensation payable to the lobbyist;
(ii) the duration of the term of representation, including the specific date the retainer takes effect (hereinafter "start date");
(iii) the client's name, which must be identical to the client's name listed in the enrollment; and
(iv) the terms of any third-party payments for the lobbyist's services, if applicable.
(2) The Principal Officer of each party to the Retainer must sign the Retainer, unless it is impracticable. If the Principal Officer is unable to sign the Retainer, another person with capacity to legally bind the parties to a contract must sign the Retainer.
(3) Whenever an amendment is made to a Retainer, the lobbyist or Co-lobbyist must file an amended statement of registration and submit the amended Retainer and the original Retainer within ten (10) days as required by § 3-213(d)(1) of the Lobbying Law.
(4) Failure to include any term of the Retainer required by this section of the Rules shall result in the statement of registration being deemed incomplete and may result in civil penalties pursuant to the procedures set forth in 51 RCNY § 1-12(c)(3).
(b) Authorization Letters.
(1) All Authorization Letters must contain:
(i) the names of the employees whom the client anticipates will lobby on its behalf;
(ii) the time period during which such employees anticipate lobbying; and
(iii) the signature of the Principal Officer.
(2) Whenever a client anticipates that additional employees will engage in lobbying on its behalf, an amended statement of registration listing the additional employees must be filed within ten (10) days, along with a supplemental Authorization Letter and the original Authorization Letter, as required by § 3-213(d)(1) of the Lobbying Law.
(c) Start Date.
(1) If there is no start date specified in the Retainer or Authorization Letter, the later of any date (i) stamped onto the Retainer or Authorization Letter or (ii) listed alongside the document's signatures will be deemed the start date.
(2) The start date listed on the statement of registration must match the start date of the Retainer or Authorization Letter.
(3) The timeliness of the statement of registration will be determined by the start date, the signature date or the date of receipt of the duly executed Retainer.
(d) End Date.
(1) A Retainer or Authorization Letter will be deemed invalid if the end date has already occurred at the time of submission. The lobbyist must submit a supplemental letter that the Retainer or Authorization Letter is still in effect in the current calendar year.
(2) If a Retainer or Authorization Letter does not contain a specific end date and the start date occurred in a previous filing year, the lobbyist must submit a supplemental letter, signed by the parties to the Retainer or Authorization Letter, stating that such Retainer or Authorization Letter remains in full force and effect in the given calendar year.
(3) The end date on the statement of registration must match either the end date of the (A) Retainer or Authorization Letter or (B) supplemental letter submitted pursuant to 51 RCNY § 1-08(d)(1) or (2), if applicable.
(e) Clarification Requirement. If there is a discrepancy between the start and/or end dates in the Retainer or Authorization Letter and the statement of registration, the City Clerk may require that the lobbyist file an amended statement of registration and:
(1) correct the start and/or end date provided on the statement of registration; or
(2) submit a letter explaining the discrepancy; and
(3) submit copies of all effective Retainers or Authorization Letters.
(Added City Record 10/5/2015, eff. 11/4/2015)
Source: City of New York, Charter, Administrative Code and Rules (American Legal Publishing XML export, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/newyorkcity/latest/NYCrules/0-0-0-97177Fetched: 10/24/2026