Committee on Government Lawyers presents CLE seminar

On March 7, 2005, the Committee on Government Lawyers (CGL) sponsored the seminar, "Basics of the Legislative Process." The four-hour program was held at the recently opened Lincoln Presidential Library in Springfield. In addition to touring the new library, the attendees heard presentations on negotiating the legislative process, utilizing the General Assembly's Web site, and researching legislative history. The rulemaking responsibilities of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules were also explained. The presenters included the ISBA's own Jim Covington, Director of Legislative Affairs, and Professor Mark Wojcik of John Marshall Law School. Lynn Patton, a member of the CGL, and Chief of the Opinions Bureau of the Attorney General's Office, discussed the process for requesting an opinion from the Attorney General's Office as well as the precedential value of such opinions. Attendees had an opportunity to ask questions of the speakers before adjourning to a reception cosponsored by the CGL and the Government Bar Association that honored senior government lawyers.