THE CHANGING ROLES OF LAWYERS IN THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH

When: Wednesday, May 10, 2006; 4:00 p.m. -- 6:30 p.m.

 Where: New York City Bar Association, 42 West 44 th Street

This program addresses the issues of where the president gets his advice on international law matters and the extent to which the advice he receives is binding. The program will also examine the notion of the president seeking result-oriented legal advice (for instance, going to the Justice Department for legal opinions that allow harsh treatment for detainees, or for opinions that define torture so narrowly that it becomes meaningless), and, what roles lawyers should be playing in ensuring civil liberties in a time of war on terrorism?

This program assembled a world-class group of former senior government lawyers and scholars to address these issues in an interactive pair of sessions. The panelists include members of both major parties, and veterans of the departments of Justice and State, the SEC , as well as a senior counsel to a Watergate special prosecutor. These are issues that define the rule of law and are at the core of our republic.

Part I. Where Does the President Get His Advice on International Law?

Moderator:

DAVID ANDREWS, Former Legal Advisor to Secretary of State

Speakers:

RICHARD B. BILDER, Foley and Lardner-Bascom Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin Law School and Member of 1988 ILA/ASIL Joint Committee on the Role of the Legal Advisor in the Department of State

NICHOLAS ROSTOW, University Counsel & Vice Chancellor for Legal Affairs, State University of New York System; former General Counsel and Senior Policy Adviser to the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations; former Special Assistant for

National Security Affairs and former Legal Adviser to the National Security Council

WILLIAM H. TAFT IV, Counsel, Fried Frank Harris Shriver & Jacobson LLP; and former Legal Advisor to Secretary of State

Part II. Is the Advice of a Government Lawyer Binding?

Moderator:

STEPHEN J. FRIEDMAN, Dean, Pace Law School and former SEC Commissioner

Speakers:

CHARLES J. COOPER, Partner, Cooper & Kirk, Former Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel

WALTER DELLINGER, Douglas B. Maggs Professor of Law, Duke University; former U.S. Solicitor General, former Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel, and author of the Principles to Guide the Office of Legal Counsel

PHILIP ALLEN LACOVARA, Special Counsel, Mayer Brown Rowe & Maw; Practitioner-in-Residence, Pace Law School; and former Counsel to the Watergate Special Prosecutor

Co-sponsored by Pace Law School .

About the Association
The Association of the Bar of the City of New York (www.nycbar.org) was founded in 1870, and since then has been dedicated to maintaining the high ethical standards of the profession, promoting reform of the law, and providing service to the profession and the public.

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