Senior Advisors Program

IMLA Members:

Click here to access a current list of Senior Advisors.

Scope of Advisor Engagement

Senior Advisors may:

• Field occasional phone calls or emails from IMLA members
• Serve as a sounding board on thorny or unfamiliar issues
• Share practical insights, historical context, and lessons learned
• Help members think through strategy, process, and risk considerations

Senior Advisors may not:

• Provide legal advice in a manner that constitutes the practice of law
• Draft pleadings, memoranda, or legal opinions
• Enter attorney‑client relationships
• Represent IMLA or members in any legal matter

Participation is informal, voluntary, and non‑exclusive.

Eligibility Criteria

There are two options to become a Senior Advisor.  Option A is for someone fully retired from local government law and Option B is for someone who is not fully retired but is engaged in limited consulting work.

Option A: Fully Retired Senior Advisors

Criteria

• Fully retired from the active practice of municipal law
• Former local government attorney (city, county, or special district)
• Minimum of 15 years of local government law experience.
• Minimum of ten years as a IMLA member or former IMLA member

• Must be in good standing with their state bar association either inactive or active status (but cannot have been suspended or disbarred in any jurisdiction)
• Advisors must self-certify that they meet the criteria and will be asked to do so on an annual basis

Permitted Activities

• Informal mentoring and issue discussion only
• No consulting, contract, or paid legal work for local governments

Option B: Retired / Limited Consulting Senior Advisors

Criteria

• Retired from full‑time practice
• May engage in limited consulting or project‑based work for local governments.  “Limited consulting work” means occasional, non-full-time professional services for local governments or related entities that are not the individual’s primary occupation and do not resemble an active local government law practice.  This may include, but is not limited to, project-based short-term engagements, interim or advisory roles, strategic consulting, serving as special counsel on discrete matters.
• Former local government attorney with a minimum of 15 years of experience
• Minimum of ten years as a IMLA member or former IMLA member
• Must be in good standing with their state bar association either inactive or active status (but cannot have been suspended or disbarred)
• Advisors must self-certify that they meet the criteria and will be asked to do so on an annual basis

Additional Conditions

• Advisors must disclose any ongoing consulting relationships to IMLA
• Advisors must decline member inquiries that present a conflict of interest.  A conflict of interest exists in addition to any conflict under the Rules of Professional Conduct or any applicable governmental rules of ethics, when a Senior Advisor has a current or recent professional relationship, financial interest, or personal involvement that could reasonably be expected to affect the Advisor’s objectivity or create the appearance of divided loyalties with respect to a member inquiry.
• Advisors may not use the program to solicit work

Advisor Expectations (Applicable to both types of Senior Advisors)

• Participation is voluntary and unpaid
• Advisors determine their own availability and preferred method of contact that will be listed on IMLA’s website (available to members only)
• Advisors may limit the number or type of inquiries they accept but they must be responsive if they are declining an inquiry
• The program is generally expected to take less than 10 hours per month of the Senior Advisors’ time and may be less than that
• Advisors agree to respond in a reasonable timeframe
• Advisors agree to participate in the IMLA mentorship program
• Advisors may also be called on to assist with other IMLA professional development matters such as zoom meetings with the New Lawyers Group, reviewing bootcamp videos, or other items intended to assist IMLA members’ professional development.
• Advisors must submit a bi-annual report of their activities as Senior Advisors without breaching confidentiality.

Member Use Guidelines

Members may contact Senior Advisors to:

• Talk through complex or novel issues
• Gain historical or practical perspective
• Sense‑check approaches before formal action

Members acknowledge that:

• Senior Advisors are not providing legal advice in a manner that constitutes the practice of law
• Neither they nor their clients are clients of the Senior Advisors
• Any insights shared are informal and non‑binding
• Responsibility for legal decisions remains with the member and their jurisdiction
• The member is responsible for upholding their own rules of professional responsibility, including maintaining attorney-client confidentiality

IMLA Role and Administration

IMLA will:

• Invite Senior Advisors
• Maintain a roster with contact preferences
• Provide brief orientation materials
• Periodically evaluate program effectiveness

IMLA will not:

• Assign advisors to specific matters
• Monitor individual communications
• Guarantee availability or responsiveness

Membership Benefit for Senior Advisors

• Senior Advisors receive complimentary IMLA membership for the duration of their participation
• Advisors may be recognized publicly (with consent) as part of the program
• Senior Advisors can receive access to IMLA’s Kitchen Sink for free.
• Senior Advisors will receive a discounted conference registration rate.

Disclaimers

Participation in the Senior Advisors Program does not create an attorney‑client relationship, does not constitute legal advice by or on behalf of IMLA, and does not represent IMLA policy or positions.  Senior Advisors and members must acknowledge this disclaimer at the outset of any consultation.