The Role of the State Attorney General Adjunct Professors James Tierneyand Julie Brill
Over the past twenty years, the role of state attorneys general has significantly expanded so as to allow them to be increasingly important actors in the making of legal policy. In the aftermath of the historic litigation against the tobacco industry, attorneys general have made their mark in securities regulation, antitrust law, consumer protection, internet privacy, environmental reviews, labor law enforcement, reproductive rights policy, immigration law and much more. Working alone or in combination, the state attorneys general are now major players in American jurisprudence.
If you are intrigued by this emerging and highly controversial role for attorneys general, or if you think you will need to defend your clients against this new effort, you should consider this two credit seminar that is taught by the former Attorney General of Maine who now serves as the Director of Columbia's National State Attorneys General Program. The course explores the means used by attorneys general to conduct their responsibilities. Attorneys General and their senior staffs regularly visit the class. A paper is required that with instructor permission may fill the requirement for either a Major of Minor writing credit.
NY Attorney General public advocacy The New York Attorney General Public Advocacy Externship offers Columbia Law School ("CLS") students the opportunity to do cutting-edge public advocacy on behalf of the people of the State of New York, and to address the complex legal and ethical challenges of doing such work. Examples of recent Attorney General enforcement efforts have included the mutual fund investigation; Clean Air suits; challenges to pharmaceutical pricing, and labor law compliance.
The Public Advocacy Externship consists of a placement in the Attorney General's Office and participation in a weekly seminar. The course will be taught by Debra Cohn, Deputy Attorney General, who has taught as an adjunct at CLS since 1997, and Gordon J. Johnson, Deputy Bureau Chief, Environmental Bureau. Grading will be pass/fail.
The Placement Each student will be assigned to one of the following bureaus in the Attorney General's Office: Antitrust, Charities, Civil Rights, Consumer Frauds and Protection, Environmental Protection, Health Care, Internet, Investment Protection, Labor, Public Integrity, and Telecommunications and Energy. Each student will be expected to work 12-15 hours/week for 14 weeks * one semester * at the Attorney General's primary New York City office at 120 Broadway. To the extent practical, each student will work on at least one project in depth which may be an investigation, litigation or initiative. Students should expect to do substantial research and writing as well as to participate in investigative and litigation strategy meetings.
The Seminar A weekly two-hour seminar will meet at CLS on Thursdays from 6 to 7:50 PM. We will consider issues relevant to public advocacy by government attorneys such as parens patriae standing; federal-state interaction; parallel criminal and civil proceedings; Attorney General regulatory power; sovereign immunity; ethical issues attendant to government representation as well as strategies for public advocacy including litigation, legislation, and advocacy. These issues typically will be raised in the context of a particular substantive initiative or litigation. We have invited guest lectures on relevant subject matter areas such Antitrust, Consumer Frauds, Health Care, and Securities. Class participation is welcome and expected. While students will be encouraged to discuss issues arising in their placements throughout the semester, each will be responsible for making a formal presentation of approximately 20 minutes toward the end of the semester on the substantive, procedural, ethical and strategic issues raised in their placement.
IS ELIOT SPITZER GOOD FOR AMERICA?
January 2006 - Listen to Jim Tierney and Richard Epstein of the Univ. of Chicago School of Law debate at Columbia Law School debate on the topic, "Is Eliot Spitzer Good for America?"
