Legal Ethics in Government Contracting

In the world of government contracting, counsel must not only navigate traditional legal ethics issues, but counsel also face unique legal ethics issues arising from specific government contracts statutes and regulations as well as the dynamics of having the United States as the “client” of your adversary.  

This program, led by attorneys Eric Leonard and Craig Smith, will explore the potential pitfalls that await government contracts lawyers (whether outside counsel, in-house counsel or government counsel) that assist clients in matters involving debriefings, bid protests, due diligence, subcontracting counseling and investigations. In many of these matters, the stakes are high and there simply is no room for error.    

Learning Objectives: 

1. Compare government contractor ethics issues to legal ethics issues faced by government contracts counsel
2. Analyze hypothetical legal ethics issues that can arise for government contracts counsel in the context of the Model Rules
3. Suggest strategies for mitigating risk to counsel
4. Discuss current ethics developments and trends