IEC Journal

OGE Training Schedule

Updated July 1 to correct time of Sept. 29 program.

OGE has announced an ambitious program of training over the next few months, with a highlight being their Sept. 29 program on travel issues featuring the ever-popular Lenny Loewentritt.

DC Bar Legal Ethics CLE Program

This 3 credit hour program could be of particular interest to lawyers from states whose bars require annual training on ethics topics. More information is available at the DC Bar web site:

Ethics and the Government Lawyer 2009: Hot Topics and Issues

Monday, June 22, 2009 5:30 PM to 8:45 PM

Description: In recent years, media and public attention have sharply focused on the ethics of prosecutors and government attorneys. The traditional reluctance to subject government attorneys to bar discipline is evaporating nationwide, making it more important than ever to know what the Rules of Professional Conduct require… even though they often fit imperfectly with the special circumstances of government practice. This up-to-date class will help you sharpen your ethical analysis skills and increase your sensitivity to lurking ethical problems. You will examine recent legal ethics developments as they apply to government practice, using interactive hypothetical scenarios and discussions of current cases.

Cost for government lawyers is $89.00.

CLE on Gov. Lawyers Moving Into Private Sector

The DC Bar Association will host a two hour CLE program on transition of government jobs into the private sector on December 3, 2008. The instructor is Peggy Love, of EPA. The DC Bar web site describes the program as follows:

The move from Federal government employment to the private or non-profit sector raises important ethics issues for attorneys.  As government attorneys face employment transitions in 2008, this course will help them avoid the pitfalls that leaving government service can pose.  The post employment restrictions do not always coincide with the Bar's ethics rules and carry criminal penalties if violated. Even those who are not planning to leave the government will benefit from a clear understanding of post-government employment ethics issues, including matters a federal attorney may be permanently barred from working on after leaving federal service. From potential conflicts of interest that must be considered during and after the employment search process, to rules about confidentiality and contact with one's former government employer, government attorneys will walk away from this course with a clear understanding of both the ethical standards in the applicable Rules of Professional Conduct and any relevant statutory requirements.  It is particularly important for government attorneys to understand that they face potential criminal liability and disciplinary action from the Bar for violating some of these rules. The course also will alert attendees to post-government employment issues on fee sharing, representation of a foreign entity and other issues that government attorneys need to understand when dealing with employment transitions.

Role of Ethics in an Inspector General Investigation

Thanks to Tom Lehrich for providing the slide show used in the presentation he did with Al Larsen at the OGE conference last week on the topic The Role of Ethics in an Inspector General Investigation.

OGE's Internet Cafe at the conference was so popular that many people were not able to download the supplemental materials there. We will be glad to post here any conference materials that did not make their way onto the flash drives distributed at the conference.

Course: "Ethical Decision Making for Financial Managers"

A company called Management Concepts is hosting a course in Washington Aug 25-26 on the topic "Ethical Decision Making for Financial Managers." It is "designed for federal financial management personnel and other interested in ethics in the federal government. Course topics include ethics in government, resources and guidance on government ethics, and ethical challenges encountered by government financial management personnel." The company's web site has more information.

Free CLE: Are Ethics Standards for Government Lawyers Different?

ABA-CLE and the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility are offering a free online CLE program on the topic "Are Ethics Standards for Government Lawyers Different?" Here's the program description:

This panel explores government lawyers' duties to the public and courts, placing particular attention on the role of government lawyers dealing with national security issues and criminal prosecutions. Do sufficient safeguards exist to ensure compliance with ethical responsibilities? What standards should apply when a government lawyer functions in a civil versus a prosecutorial role?

OGE Training on SF 278

OGE will conduct its SF 278 review course in late April and Early May. Details are available at the OGE web site. Here's the course description:

This course focuses on the knowledge and skills new reviewers need to complete a review of the Executive Branch Public Financial Disclosure Report (SF 278).  The course examines how to review the reports for technical accuracy and identify potential financial conflicts of interest.  The course also addresses how to determine the best action to resolve various types of financial conflicts. 

The intended audience is: "Ethics officials and other agency personnel who review and assess employees’ public financial disclosure reports and are new to the review process."

FDR Conference Registration

The Federal Dispute Resolution Conference offers an early registration discount through March 31. This year's conference will be in Orlando from August 3-7.

Seminar on "Moral Courage"

The Institute for Global Ethics will conduct a seminar in Washington on April 8, described as follows:

Our one-day Moral Courage Seminar is an interactive, small-group immersion course, based on Rushworth Kidder's latest book, Moral Courage. The course helps participants understand the importance of moral courage in 21st-century culture, identify it and define its elements, put it into practice for themselves, and help others recognize and embody it.

More information is available. We are passing this along for whatever value it might have, but are not endorsing it, since since we have no experience with it or this organization.

FDR Conference

Registration is now open for the Federal Dispute Resolution Conference, to be held this year in Orlando on August 3 - 7. The organizers describe the program as follows:

The Annual Federal Dispute Resolution Conference provides training for all professionals working in the human resources, labor and employee relations, EEO/Diversity and employment law fields, including supervisors and executives. FDR crosses disciplines and provides all the awareness, knowledge and skills necessary for every facet of federal employee management. The conference consists of high level keynotes, innovative breakout sessions, and numerous networking opportunities. Become a part of the FDR family so that you too can discuss best practices and achieve success through innovative solutions.