Ethical Conversations about Transitions from Federal Government to Private Practice (Presented by The Federal Bar Association Federal Career Service Division)

Saul Jay Singer, Counsel | District of Columbia Bar

Saul Jay Singer, Senior Legal Ethics Counsel for the District of Columbia Bar, has served as litigation counsel with the United States Department of Justice, with several top District of Columbia and Maryland firms, and as a solo practitioner. He litigated several high-profile civil rights matters, including representing high school teacher David Sanders in a federal civil rights/wrongful death action against law enforcement officials arising out of the attack at Columbine High School, and he specialized in professional discipline cases. He also served as actuary and ratemaker for several ratemaking organizations, insurance companies, and as actuary for the National Flood Insurance Program.

Mr. Singer, who also serves as counsel to the D.C. Rules of Professional Conduct Review Committee and the Legal Ethics Committee, teaches Continuing Legal Education courses for the D.C. Bar, is a sought-after ethics presenter at legal seminars and conferences, and writes a Speaking of Ethics column for the Washington Lawyer. He was an Adjunct Professor of Law at the American University Washington College of Law, where he taught courses in Legal Ethics, and he previously taught courses in Legal Analysis, Research, and Writing at the University of Baltimore School of Law. His interests include working on his world-class collection of historical autographs and original documents and maintaining his delusions regarding his proficiency on the basketball court in the face of stark and brutal evidence to the contrary.

I. Ethics rules | 2:00pm – 2:05pm

II. The interplay between substantive law and the ethics rules | 2:05pm – 2:15pm

III. Successive government and private or other Employment | 2:15pm – 2:25pm

IV. Applying for other positions while still in government employ | 2:25pm – 2:35pm

V. Imputation of conflicts | 2:35pm – 2:45pm

VI. The breadth, scope, and exceptions to the duty to maintain client confidences and secrets | 2:45pm – 2:55pm

VII. Resources and Q&A | 2:55pm – 3:00pm