IMLA’s Working Groups bring local government IMLA member attorneys who share common problems together on conference calls and listservs, to share experiences and facilitate problem solving in these areas of common interest with other local government attorneys from across the country. This is a FREE SERVICE for IMLA members. IMLA reserves any and all rights to the listserv.
I was a county attorney in Maryland for about 30 years and wished I had this tool then.
This working group/listserv is only availble to IMLA’s Municipal Members. Please email eeiselt@imla.org with any questions.
Our intent is to create a means for members to share information about ongoing and possible future municipal affirmative litigation activity, including but not limited to:
Our plan is to host calls focusing on litigation areas of greatest interest to participants and to redistribute documents and filings useful in a local government’s assessment of given actions.
This list is intended to act as a vehicle for discussion of legal and policy issues associated with the legal representation of airports.
This group is intended to Canadian municipal lawyers with a forum to raise issues and dialogue, covering everything from law office/benchmarking, to ethical dilemmas faced, to legal issues. Members are encouraged to raise questions and share ideas in an environment that promotes sharing amongst those who have practical similarities in their roles.
This list is designed to give City Attorneys a place to discuss issues and network.
The discussion will focus on legal and practical issues for local government attorneys associated with promoting civility in local government.
By way of background, there is a feeling, if not a reality, that civility, public discourse, and interactions we all have with one another are becoming more negative by the day. This, we find, is true in local government as well. NLC released a report in 2021 highlighting the existence of the issue on a national scale (https://www.nlc.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/On-the-Frontlines-of-Todays-Cities-1.pdf).
Engagement with the people is essential to our form of government. This is especially true when it comes to local governments. The discussion between a local entity and the public is not like Twitter, an uncivil individual can’t just be removed from the platform. Local governments are tasked with finding ways to operate that maximize public engagement and free speech while maintaining order and civility in public meetings, amongst local officials, between local officials and the public, and on social media.
Join Robert Palmer, the General Counsel and Director of Government Affairs for the Iowa League of Cities and Amanda Karras, IMLA’s Executive Director/General Counsel, to discuss the role of the local government attorney in assisting the government in promoting civility, including a discussion of legal considerations in doing so.
The workgroup has regular monthly calls designed for code enforcement or the development of laws and practices intended to resolve problems within a community.
Members are expected to come primarily from law offices where their principal area of practice involves construction law.
This group is intended for discussion of those issues unique to country governance.
This listserv is utilized to provide resources to it’s members in the wake of a disaster. We keep a comprehensive database of disaster resources from municipality all around the country. We have used the list in response to fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, COVID-19 and more.
This listserv is intended to act as a vehicle for discussion of legal and policy issues associated with diversity.
This group deals with the ever-evolving legal world of evidence, litigation holds, spoliation, privacy, data protection, and more. Join this group to see how to best protect and preserve your office’s data.
While most local government attorneys are appointed, some are elected by their constituents. Being an elected local government attorney presents unique challenges. This working group will provide a forum for elected local government attorneys to collaborate on common issues unique to their situation.
Members are expected to come primarily from law offices where their principal area of practice is employment law.
Public health, building codes and enforcement, municipal water problems and environmental protection, solid and hazardous waste management.
The Ethics Section and listserv are intended to provide members with an opportunity to share questions and issues involving the Rules of Professional Conduct or the development and application of state and local ethics laws. Members are encouraged to share ideas for improving state and local regulations of ethical conduct and to discuss concerns about the Rules of Professional Conduct and interpretations of those Rules to governmental lawyers and their practices whether in-house or outside counsel. The Section has regularly scheduled teleconferences to discuss and share issues involving these ethical issues.
The Federal listserv provides the Litigation Section with a vehicle to share ideas about civil rights and other litigation, experts, causes of action and defenses. The Section offers an opportunity through regular teleconferences to discuss emerging trends in litigation, new cases and ways in which to best defend the local government client and its officers.
IMLA holds regular calls regarding legal issues associated with federal funding. Issues include discussions of grant conditions and terminations, as well as legal challenges to these actions.
This list is intended as a vehicle for attorneys who advise Local Government Fire Services to communicate and share ideas and solutions to issues that arise in representing those agencies.
This listserv seeks offer an opportunity for local government attorneys to discuss issues involving homelessness and solutions to the problems communities face in addressing those issues.
IMLA has created an immigration working group to help facilitate the dissemination of information related to federal immigration matters that impact local governments. This group will host zoom meetings and have a dedicated listserv to allow members to communicate with one another and share information about federal immigration matters that impact local governments.
Jail administration can create unique legal questions and challenges. This working group brings together attorneys working in the area of jail administration and advising on jail legal issues to help share policies, practices, and solutions.
This listserv reports on the legal advocacy activities of IMLA and the Local Government Legal Center (LGLC). It provides members an opportunity to comment on whether IMLA should join a case as an amicus, creates a forum for discussion of cases important to local governments and to inform IMLA and LGLC in their efforts to represent the interests of local governments. It is intended for thoughtful comment and analysis.
This listserv seeks offer an opportunity for local government attorneys to discuss issues involving Land Use and solutions to the problems communities face in addressing those issues. The group has also drafted codes and ordinances that have been provided to IMLA members.
This listerv was created to allow new lawyers (in age and/or experience) to communicate with one another. Should you have any questions or issues you’d like to share with your fellow colleagues, posting it on the list will allow all the members of this listerv to view and respond. You must be under 40 years old and have been practicing law for no more than 7 years. This list aids in the work of our New Lawyers committee.
Headed by Erich Eiselt, IMLA Assistant General Counsel, IMLA’s Opioid Litigation Work Group is a resource for localities seeking more insight about the opioid litigation underway across the country. Convening every two weeks, typically on Tuesdays at 1 PM Eastern, the Opioid Work Group discusses the growing spectrum of actions by municipalities against the opioid manufacturers, distributors and other defendants, focusing not only on the federal Multi-District Litigation (MDL) in the Northern District of Ohio, but on numerous state court actions. Calls–which are attended by upwards of 40 jurisdictions– encourage input from participants; some calls have included legal experts from academia and leading opioid plaintiffs’ counsel to take questions from attendees. Participants have discussed such issues as the merits of AG-led actions, nuances of retainer agreements, issues to consider before filing, state court versus federal court actions, and so on.
In addition to hosting bi-weekly calls, IMLA summarizes significant orders from the MDL and and state proceedings.
This group is being created to discuss alternatives to policing that local governments are exploring. A number of local governments have launched programs intended to provide unarmed crisis responders. Because this is a new approach, the legal issues our members are encountering are also novel. This group will allow members to collectively brainstorm issues surrounding alternatives to policing.
This group is designed for attorneys assigned to advise police departments and serves as a platform for colleagues to share information, ideas, and solutions to the critical issues affecting police agencies and the performance of their duties. The goal is to foster collaboration within this working group by holding regular meetings and serving as a resource for all members on the topic.
This working group was formed to assist local government attorneys with professional sports teams in their jurisdictions. This group will provide resources to local government attorneys working in this area, whether you are actively negotiating with a sports team or looking for more of a high level overview of issues in this area.
This list seeks to serve counsel to state leagues and the attorneys who represent state associations of municipal or county attorneys.
This working group is intended to provide municipal lawyers with a forum to identify and address issues of particular interest to smaller and/or rural communities. All municipal lawyers are invited to join in and contribute to regularly scheduled teleconferences, and to attend the group’s presentations and functions at IMLA’s conferences and seminars.
The Technology Working Group will have municipal attorneys from across the country share knowledge, best practices, and practical solutions to the complex legal challenges posed by emerging technologies. The working group will focus on a broad range of technology-related issues that affect cities, counties, and local agencies, including cybersecurity, AI, data governance and protection, public records and privacy, technology procurement, and digital accessibility and ethics. Each month, members will meet virtually to discuss recent developments, exchange insights on pressing legal and policy questions, and hear from guest experts in law, government, and technology.
In addition to monthly meetings, the Working Group will maintain a listserv , similar to the ones you are already familiar with at IMLA, to facilitate ongoing dialogue among members, as well as a shared repository of sample policies, guidance documents, ordinances, and legal memoranda that municipal attorneys can adapt to their own jurisdictions. The repository will serve as a living library of practical resources addressing topics such as incident response plans, acceptable use policies, data and AI governance frameworks, privacy and cybersecurity standards for public systems and ethical uses and deployment of technology.
Deals with interactions between local governments and the universities and colleges within those jurisdictions and includes discussion of issues like housing, rental properties, alcohol abuse and rowdies; as well as other problems and solutions.
This group discusses legal issues related to hosting the world cup and is intended for jurisdictions that are hosting the event.
This group intends to host periodic zoom calls for the 9th circuit to discuss important recent decisions or legislation of interest.
