Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division
GPSLD provides publications, programming, and services designed for the unique needs of government lawyers; advocates for policies that benefit public lawyers; promotes professionalism; and recognizes excellence within the public sector.
Villainy Gone Viral: The Many Faces of Fraud in a Pandemic [CC]
Tuesday, May 4, 2021, 1 - 2:30 pm Eastern
Fraud has been one of the most difficult challenges facing governments during the pandemic. Bad actors have sought to unlawfully benefit themselves using procurement fraud, price gauging and other schemes. Our expert panelists, representing federal, state, and local government enforcers as well as the corporate and on-line seller community, will discuss examples of fraud, how to detect it, ways to prevent it and lessons learned for our next public health crisis.
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Election Lawsuits: Politics? Professional Misconduct? [Non-CLE]
Monday, April 19, 2021, 1 - 1:45 pm Eastern
In the aftermath of the election, former President Trump's lawyers filed many lawsuits, the vast majority of which were denied, dismissed, or withdrawn. Some cases were dismissed due to lack of standing and some based on lack of evidence of voter fraud. The judges dismissing or criticizing the filings were both Democratic and Republican-appointed, and included federal judges appointed by Trump. Join us for this non-CLE program, free for ABA members, where our expert panelists will address issues related to these lawsuits.
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Summer Camp Legal Skills Conference
Wednesday, June 9 - Friday, June 11, 2021
Sharpen key legal competencies at this engaging skills conference! Gain valuable, practical knowledge without a major time commitment. Experienced practitioners will provide strategies and information to build legal skills including: deposition, ethics, writing, negotiation, and tips for remote hearings.
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Public Sector Employees and First Amendment Issues
Free Non-CLE Program
Public sector employees are in a unique position when it comes to the First Amendment. They can be disciplined if their speech disrupts the efficient operation of their office. Often, employees have to differentiate between speaking as a private citizen or as a government employee. Add in social media and the rules become even murkier. Join us for this free non-CLE program where our expert speakers will analyze these issues including a discussion of some ripped-from-the-headlines examples.
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Military Working Dogs
Kudos to Division members Jill Mariani and Frances Arricale who recently won the International Animal Law Committee’s 2020 Outstanding Policy Award for their invaluable work on ABA policy related to Military Working Dogs. Resolution 104B was passed by the ABA House of Delegates during the 2020 Midyear Meeting.
Read Resolution 104B - Click Here!
How to Manage Remote Employees in the Pandemic Era
Tips for Managers
COMMUNICATION – Establish regularly scheduled check-ins and team meetings to ensure effective communication and camaraderie. When everyone is working remotely, it's more important than ever to establish a sense of normalcy by ensuring on-going communication among staff. INVOLVEMENT – Spend a few minutes before each meeting or check-in catching up with your remote employees. Ask a few questions about how they're holding up. It's important to put a more effort into your interpersonal connections when everyone is working remotely. APPRECIATION – Be generous with your praise. When a face-to-face thank you is not possible, it's even more important to remember to praise employees. If they've done a good job, tell them that you are grateful for their work. It may seem obvious, but a lot of supervisors forget the importance of showing gratitude to their employees.
Practice Forward Amid COVID-19
Move your practice and the legal profession forward during the pandemic and beyond with continually updated tools and resources
Listen to Audio Recording
Virginia Solicitor General: Government Lawyers' Work is Critically Important
The work of government lawyers is “critically important to the balance of the rule of law,” Virginia Solicitor General Toby Heytens said during his speech at the American Bar Association Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division’s Legal Skills Conference held Oct. 18 at the Omni Richmond (Va.) Hotel.
Read - ArticleGovernment Lawyers Volunteer in Richmond, Virginia
Would you like a cup of coffee?
This simple question was the basis of the ABA’ s Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division’s (GPSLD) recent volunteer project at the Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia, on October 17. Hospital visitors were thankful for the simple gesture. But it was the government lawyer volunteers who were appreciative. The volunteers were grateful that they could bring a smile to the face of those who served our country. Several people approached the group and relayed moving stories of how they had been assisted by public lawyers. Government lawyer volunteers distributed information about lawyer referral services and pro bono assistance to those who asked for legal help. Thank you to former GPSLD council member Kristine Kassekert, who organized the project! Photo Caption L-R: Katherine Mikkelson and Bernadette Peele
Join Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division
The Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division's mission is to serve the nation’s public lawyers. By promoting integrity and excellence among public advocates, providing meaningful services not obtainable elsewhere, and by highlighting the extraordinary work of public lawyers, GPSLD works to enhance the position of public lawyers, create camaraderie within the public sector, and provide representation within the ABA for public lawyers.
Podcasts
GPSLD podcasts explore a variety of topics of interest to government lawyers or those seeking a public sector legal career. One podcast, "Compelling Conversations with Colleagues" is a series of interviews with a wide variety of public lawyers that examines how they obtained their position, their work duties and their career highlights.
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On-Demand Webinars
Good Dogs and the Law: Service, Emotional Support, Therapy and Facility Animals
Laws pertaining to service animals, emotional support or comfort animals, therapy animals, and facility dogs are confusing. This webinar examines: Section 35.136 of the Americans with Disabilities Act which covers service animals, Reasonable accommodations as it pertains to housing and air travel under the Fair Housing Act and the Air Carrier Access Act for emotional support/comfort animals, How therapy animals differ from the above categories with generally no special rights of access, How facility dogs are used by prosecutor’s offices, Children’s Advocacy Centers, law enforcement, Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) programs and family courts including best practices when setting up a facility dog program.
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Contact Us
American Bar Association Government & Public Sector Lawyers Division 1050 Connecticut Avenue, NW Suite 400 Washington, DC 20036
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GPSLD Committee Highlights
GPSLD's International Pro Bono Committee provides members with information about pro bono opportunities around the world. The Hot Topics Committee monitors public law practice to determine if there are any issues that the division should investigate more deeply by, for instance, publishing an article, presenting a CLE program or sponsoring policy before the ABA House of Delegates. To join either or both committees email alison.hill@americanbar.org