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13 Pass It On: Newsl. Gov't & Pub. Sector Law. Div. 1 (2003-2004)

handle is hein.journals/passit13 and id is 1 raw text is: Volume 13, Number 1 1'll''' GPSLD Government and Public Sector Lawyers ivision THE NEWSLETTER OF THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION'S GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC SECTOR LAWYERS DIVISION ABA Hosts Luncheon for Federal Agency Lawyer Leaders By Katherine Mikkelson T he Division was once again tapped by the ABA president's office to assist in organizing a luncheon for federal agency lawyers held September 8,2003, at the Willard InterContinental Hotel in Washing- ton, D.C. This was the second time that the Division was asked to participate, after a successful debut in 1999 under ABA Presi- dent Bill Paul. This year, 40 federal offices were represented, with approximately 75 people attending the luncheon. ABA President Dennis Archer began the luncheon by explaining that the pur- pose of the gathering was to discuss the benefits of bar participation for govern- ment lawyers, some of the impediments that exist and the fact that it is vitally im- portant to bar associations that public lawyers are included in the work of the bar. Archer explained that the ABA can serve as the national voice of the legal profession only if it fully represents all segments of the bar. Government lawyers have unique perspectives and concerns that must be shared if sound policies are to be achieved. When the ABA House of Delegates is de- bating a policy proposal, the voice of the government lawyer must be heard. The ABA needs the insight, experience and ex- pertise of public lawyers if it is to carry out its work effectively. Full participation of public lawyers is vital not only to bar associations, but also to the individual government lawyer, Archer added. Through participation in the bar, government lawyers enhance their legal education and professional develop- ment and, thus, their value to their agen- cies. They participate in pro bono activities and work with their private sector col- leagues to address and resolve issues in a forum that is uniquely suited for such co- operative problem-solving. Their partici- pation also provides the private bar with the perspective of the government and a better understanding of how the govern- ment conducts its business, said Archer. Archer also discussed how government lawyers have sometimes been discouraged from bar participation because of an as- sumption, in some cases inadvertently rein- forced by management directives, that such participation is not a legitimate part of their service to the government. Some have suggested that a lawyer's participa- tion in bar activities is not entitled to agency support unless it is undertaken in an 'official' capacity, where the lawyer has been designated by agency management to represent the government, said Archer. It is the ABAs position that the government stands to benefit in a variety of ways from the participation of its lawyers in the full range of bar association activities, and that it is therefore entirely appropriate for the government to support and encourage it. Archer acknowleged that impediments within the ABA also need to be removed. Examples of ways to reduce internal imped- iments include: examining the cost of regis- tration fees for professional conferences and programs, overcoming the perception that public lawyers are not as welcome as private attorneys within the ABA and weighing the impact of holding meetings in expensive continued on page 2 ABA Hosts Luncheon for Federal Agency Lawyers, p. 1 Ethics Watch, p. 3 ABA Annual Meeting Recap, p. 4 Division Election Results, p. 4 m Jobs, p. 6 P ASS tJos Fall 2003

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