UPDATE @ 11:00 AM on Tuesday April 21. In response to a few phone calls I received, we'd like to stress that these numbers are preliminary. They are based on what was posted on the Senate Office of Public Records website on Monday April 20. We will be updating our numbers this week as we get more information.

Law and lobbying firm Patton Boggs held onto its No. 1 position, coming in as the firm with the most lobbying income for the first quarter of 2009. The firm was No. 1 on K Street for all of 2008.

According to preliminary information from the Senate Office of Public Records analyzed by National Journal, Patton Boggs reported Q1 lobbying fees of $7.48 million, 29 percent below the $10.5 million it reported in same period of 2008. Eight of the firms posted declines in lobbying income compared to the same period in 2008. We will be updating this list as we get more information from the Senate this week.

Here's the chart of the firms in terms of Lobbying Disclosure Act fee income for the first three months of 2009, compared with the first quarter of 2008. Missing from the list are Hogan & Hartson and Podesta Group. The Senate had yet to post their filings.

1. Patton Boggs (down) - $7.48 million versus $10.5 million
2. Van Scoyoc Associates (down) - $5.25 million versus $6.55 million
3. Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld (down) - $5.21 million versus $8.81 million
4. Dutko Worldwide (down) - $4.91 million versus $5.3 million
5. Holland & Knight (up) - $4.9 million versus $3.55 million
6. Cassidy & Associates (down) - $4.31 million versus $6.04 million
7. Ogilvy Government Relations (down) - $4.1 million versus $4.57 million
8. BGR Group (down) - $4.06 million versus $4.75 million
9. Brownstein Hyatt & Farber (up) - $3.8 million versus $3.38 million
10 Quinn Gillespie & Associates (down) - $3.36 million versus $3.65 million

                                                                                                                    -- Bara Vaida