Watchdog
Critically monitoring the activities of governments, industry, courts or other organizations and alerting the public or taking legal action when the activities appear to go against the public interest. Watchdog work is generally performed either by nonprofit organizations that monitor specific government or industry actions, or by special government officials known as “inspectors general” who are tasked with ensuring that the government operates in compliance with customary laws and policies and without waste, fraud, or theft of taxpayer money.
More Information
More Information
Day-to-Day Activities
- Attorneys working with non-governmental organizations may:
- file complaints with government agencies and legislative committees to bring issues to the public’s attention and force agencies and/or legislatures to conduct investigations;
- submit Freedom of Information Act requests to government agencies requesting documents on a wide variety of issues;
- pursue litigation as necessary to force government agencies, industry, or other organizations to fulfill their legal duties.
- Attorneys working in Inspector General offices may:
- investigate and address complaints concerning the agency’s actions;
- conduct audits and evaluations of agency expenditures;
- draft reports conveying to the agency the results of the office’s audits/investigations and recommending remedial procedures to be taken by the agency.
Practice Settings
- Government (Federal, State and Local)
- Nonprofit and Legal Services Organizations
Skill Set Required
- Analytic skills
- Legal research
- Written advocacy
- Oral advocacy/public speaking