Ethics: The Local Government Attorney’s Role as a Competent Advisor
One of the primary functions and a day-to-day responsibility of a local government attorney is providing advice. All attorneys advise clients, but the advice a local government attorney gives the local government governing body, boards, commissions, and staff affects an entire community and in a broader sense, our society. This presentation examines the interplay of ABA Model Ethics Rules 1.1 (Attorney Competence) and 2.1 (Attorney’s Role as Advisor) and how those rules affect local government attorneys regular professional life when advising governing bodies and staff, including the need to: (1) Be straightforward; (2) present other considerations beyond strictly technical legal advice; and (3) consider the timing and process of offering advice.
Speaker: Judge Rodney D. Adams, Cathy Cunningham & Roger Horner