Finding the Right Fit in State and Local Government: Agency Counsel vs. Litigation Counsel

Join OPIA for a community discussion with Wasserstein Fellow Lucy Pittman, an Assistant Attorney General in the Office of the Solicitor General for the District of Columbia. Lucy will discuss her career path through local/state government practice. She will compare the roles of agency counsel (who advise officials on policy, legislation, and governmental services) with the roles of litigation counsel (who represent the government and its officials at both the trial and appellate levels). She will share her insights on the joys and challenges of these varied practice settings, the personality and skill sets that are well-suited for those roles, and review practical tips for students wanting to practice in these settings.

Lunch provided. RSVP below.

Lucy Pittman represents the District of Columbia, its agencies, and officials in appeals before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit and the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. She is also responsible for coordinating the Office of the Solicitor General’s intern and fellowship programs as well as supervising and mentoring law students and new attorneys. Prior to joining the Office of the Solicitor General, Lucy was the Deputy General Counsel for the D.C. Child and Family Services Agency. At the agency, she advised agency officials on child welfare policies, regulations, and statutes. Earlier in her career, Lucy served as a trial attorney for the District of Columbia and as an adviser in the Executive Office of the Mayor. In both roles she worked on several long-standing institutional reform cases pertaining to the city’s child welfare, juvenile justice, and mental health services. Lucy also volunteers her time to the District of Columbia attorney disciplinary system. She currently serves as the Vice-Chair of the Board on Professional Responsibility. Lucy earned her law degree from the Washington College of Law, American University, and a Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of Iowa.

If you or an event participant requires disability-related accommodations, please contact HLS Accessibility Services at accessibility@law.harvard.edu two weeks in advance of the event.