Curriculum Guide · Courses

Professor Tramontano

LL.M Seminar 938 (cross-listed) | 2 credit hours

This course will examine the role of the lawyer as a political advisor to elected U.S. and foreign government leaders. Since many attorneys function in this advisory role, we will analyze some of the questions that arise when lawyers offer political advice to elected leaders and politicians outside traditional courtroom boundaries. For example: What are the rules that should apply to attorneys who work as political and legislative advisors on Capitol Hill or in the White House? Are these lawyers public servants? Who is their client? What is their responsibility to the client? What is their responsibility to the public? How these questions are answered and what rules apply will provide the basis for our work in this seminar. We will examine U.S. lobbying laws and compare and analyze both foreign and domestic laws; we also examine transparency and anti-corruption practices both here and abroad. Finally, we will analyze the U.S. legal framework that applies to lawyers representing foreign governments and advising foreign leaders. We will analyze the history of these laws, their rationale and whether they are relevant and appropriate for today's political environment.