When the Client Is the Government: Ethical Duties in the Face of Official Misconduct This webinar will apply governmental ethics case law and experiential insights to the recently published ABA Formal Opinion 524, Government Lawyers’ Obligations When Knowing of a Public Official’s Intended or Ongoing Violation of Law which addresses government attorneys’ ethical duties when they become aware that a public official or government employee is violating, or intends to violate, the law. In examining Model Rule 1.13, ethical duties to an organizational client, the speakers will address unique considerations for government lawyers. The discussion...

Debugging City Hall: The Practical, Ethical, and Litigation Risks of Lindke v. Freed at Two Years While the Supreme Court's two-prong test is now familiar, the operational gap between the doctrine and its daily application remains the hard part for municipal counsel. Lindke v. Freed replaced appearance-based reasoning with a structured test: actual authority to speak for the government on the specific matter, and a purported exercise of that authority in the specific post or moderation action. Lower courts are still working...

Source of Income Ordinances and the Expanding Landscape of Landlord-Tenant Preemption Local governments increasingly face questions about how far they can regulate residential housing and landlord-tenant relationships, especially as states enact legislation that limits municipal regulatory power. Source-of-income ordinances, which generally prohibit landlords from rejecting prospective tenants based on lawful sources of income such as housing vouchers or public assistance, have become a major point of contention in the broader debate over local housing regulation. This webinar will examine the...

The CROWN Act and Beyond: Navigating Dress Codes, Grooming Standards, and Workplace Discrimination This webinar addresses the CROWN Act and the evolving legal landscape surrounding discrimination based on natural hair, hair texture, and protective hairstyles. Speakers will discuss the issue from a practical perspective for local government attorneys. During the session attendees will receive an overview of the CROWN Act and the development of state and local protections, The current federal legal landscape and how existing federal anti-discrimination law intersects...

Municipal Response to Citizen Suits Under Clean Water and Clean Air Acts Citizen suits present unique opportunities for collaboration in developing environmental stewardship and sustainability. The traditional adversarial tacks taken by government defendants often result in prolonged litigation and exorbitant fines and attorney fees. This program explores not only effective defense and examines best tactics to preserve municipal rights and options, but explores creative collaboration between the parties in the prelitigation phase to secure mutually beneficial results and long-term sustainable government practices...

PFAS & Products Liability Law: How Cities are Securing Funding Through Litigation & Settlements with Polluters CLE available to Kitchen Sink Subscribers and in some cases to others but fees may apply. This webinar will provide an overview of how legal action against polluting chemical manufacturers is providing significant funding for municipalities nationwide. Ken Sansone will first provide a brief update on the state and federal regulatory landscape for PFAS in drinking water, wastewater, and biosolids, focusing on current and...