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In a word,
responsibility. Soon after joining OGC, you'll be assigned clients with whom
you'll work on a one-on-one basis. Your clients might be:
- a contract negotiator preparing for award of a contract
- a contracting officer reviewing a vendor's performance
- the head of a Marine Corps installation
- a naval officer responsible for an investigation
- a scientist with a patentable invention
- a committee responsible for proposing new legislation
- an engineer responding to a contract claim from a contractor.
It will be your responsibility to support your client through good legal advice.
It will be your challenge to build their trust and awareness so that they seek
that advice before problems arise.
If a matter
involving your clients goes to litigation, you won't be carrying someone else's
briefcase. In much of the litigation that arises, OGC has the lead--particularly
in trials before administrative boards. In Federal court cases, while the
Justice Department represents the Navy, good trial preparation by the OGC
attorney is well rewarded throughout the course of litigation. Your clients will
be relying on your expertise.
The diverse areas in which OGC attorneys practice relate to the DoN's job to
design, purchase, and maintain all of the ships, submarines, and aircraft in the
U.S. naval fleet. OGC attorneys help their clients address legal concerns in
virtually every area of the law relating to business, Government contracts,
property, human resources and other issues affecting a multifaceted, high
technology organization. DoN OGC attorneys are regularly called upon to provide
legal advice and recommendations spanning many areas of OGC practice. With the
consolidation of DoN assets and regionalization of activities, OGC attorneys are
also assisting an increasing number of Fleet and other activities as they assume
new responsibilities that were previously addressed by other OGC clients and
shore activities. OGC's structure allows for the coordinated provision of legal
advice at all levels of the Department’s principal components.
Typically, the
law practice in OGC Headquarters and Field offices follows core practice areas
with respect to acquisition, public employment, ethics, environmental concerns,
fiscal issues, and personal and real property law. However, as a reflection of a
particular client organization and mission, OGC practice areas can include
subject matters such as: information and physical security, law enforcement,
leases, licenses, transportation law, construction and demolition, tax
questions, bankruptcy, base realignments and reorganizations, invention
disclosures, copyright and trademark questions, private party transactions,
utility law, admiralty and maritime law, and a variety of agreements and
memoranda of understanding. Although the majority of OGC attorneys are
generalists largely within a Federal administrative law practice, approximately
50 OGC attorneys are members of the bar of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
and specialize in the multi-faceted practice of
intellectual property law
In all of these areas, your challenge will be to help your clients get the job
done well, and to do so consistent with law and national policies. OGC attorneys
work with "real time" problems with "real life" solutions.
You'll often find OGC attorneys involved in leading edge issues and precedent
setting cases. As a OGC attorney, you could affect those decisions.
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