Administrative Agencies and Administrative Law Judges

Note: This is not for CLE.

Description

The Career Choice Series is designed to help you choose your career path. Whether you’re a law student, young lawyer, or transitioning attorney, find out what it’s like to work in various practice areas and the best way to position yourself to get there.

In this segment, our speakers will discuss their respective positions as a lawyer and an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) working for an administrative agency. Administrative law is the body of law that governs the activities of administrative agencies of government and works to regulate the increasingly complex social, economic and political spheres of human interaction.  This can include rulemaking and regulatory policy in various areas of law such as transportation, immigration, trade, homeland security, taxation, etc. Administrative lawyers observe, evaluate, assess, and sometimes oppose the implementation of certain statutory provisions adopted by Congress or the state or local legislative body. As a whole administrative lawyers make a conscientious effort to standardize and systematize the way in which government agencies operate.

Administrative Lawyers also may represent the Agency in actions taken before Agency Administrative Law Judges and in actions in District and Appellate Courts.

Administrative Law Judges are employed within the administrative agencies to function as an independent fact-finder who has the duty to develop the record and, for those appointed under the APA provide due process to those before them.

Our speakers are both employed by the Social Security Administration* in different capacities and will share with you their various experiences and pathways into administrative law, what attracted them to it, the pros and cons, and what a typical day entails. Chris Fortier is an attorney-advisor with the Social Security Administration’s Office of Hearing Operations in Falls Church, Virginia.  He works for the Chief Administrative Law Judge supporting the national hearing operation. Judge Jodi B. Levine is an Administrative Law Judge with the Social Security Administration Office of Hearing Operations in Oklahoma City.

Speakers

Chris Fortier, Attorney-Advisor, Social Security Administration Office of Hearing Operations, Falls Church, VA

Hon. Jodi B. Levine, Administrative Law Judge, Social Security Administration Office of Hearing Operations, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Moderator:
Emily Roschek, Director, ABA Career Center, Chicago, IL

*Please note, both our speakers are presenting as individuals and do not represent or speak on behalf of the Social Security Administration or any governmental entity.

Sponsored by ABA Career Center, Young Lawyers Division, Law Student Division, and Section of Administrative Law and Regulatory Practice

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