Public Sector Conflict of Interest Law

As a government employee or official, everything you do is subject to ethics rules. Many of those rules continue to apply after you leave office. As a company or organization doing business with government, there are government conflict and ethics restrictions. Objective legal guidance will help you maintain compliance, avoid penalty and avert reputational risk.

We advise current and former government officials, companies doing business with government and employers planning to hire former government officials. We also provide “integrity commissioner” services to numerous local governments. Our aim is always to provide practical, discreet and effective compliance strategies that consider the full scope of potential risks and help our clients lawfully meet their goals.

Our expertise includes representing clients under investigation for alleged conflict of interest and ethics breaches, developing conflict of interest and ethics policies, training employees to abide by policies and identify potential risks and working with organizations to audit existing programs. Rules regarding personal assets, outside interests, and hospitality and gifts are especially germane to this work.

Former officials and their potential employers often retain Fasken to advise on “revolving door” restrictions, and facilitate applications for waivers, reductions and exemptions from post-service limitations.

The Fasken team is active in the Council on Governmental Ethics Laws, includes an integrity commissioner to 20 municipal governments, and is recognized in the news media for its ethics law expertise.