"Changing Currents in Employment Law" is the D.C. Bar's annual three-hour event featuring legal updates and practice tips from the area's top employment attorneys — all for CLE credit. TELG's Scott Oswald serves as faculty chair and will moderate the event on October 25, 2022. Here he previews the panel on the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act with panelist Samantha Feinstein of Government Accountability Project.
This video interview by
TELG managing principal R. Scott Oswald was published by The Employment Law Group, P.C. on August 2, 2022.
» “Changing Currents in Employment Law” will take place on October 25, 2022. Click here for more details and registration options.
(Transcribed and edited lightly by The Employment Law Group)
R. Scott Oswald: Welcome to our preview of this year’s “Changing Currents in Employment Law,” the D.C. Bar’s three-hour fast-paced fall CLE, covering cutting-edge topics in employment law.
I am Scott Oswald, faculty chair of “Changing Currents in Employment Law,” and I am joined by Samantha Feinstein, Staff Attorney and International Director at the Government Accountability Project.
Hi, Samantha.
Samantha Feinstein: Hi, Scott. Thanks for having me today.
Oswald: We are grateful to have you. So, you’re speaking on a panel entitled, “A Decade Later: Assessing the Impact of the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act.”
Tell us a little bit about the panel and your co-panelists.
Feinstein: Thanks, sure. So, I’m going to be joined by Christopher Leo from the Office of Special Counsel, and our panel is going to cover the history of Government Accountability Project’s decades-long campaign to pass the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act.
It’s also going to cover some of the accomplishments that were achieved over the last 10 years of implementing the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act and the impact that it’s had.
Additionally to that, we’ll go over the key legislative changes that are needed in order to improve rights for federal employees and how to make their rights and due process even stronger.
Oswald: So, if I’m in the audience and I’m attending Changing Currents – which I will be – tell us a little bit about what I can expect to learn during the panel.
Feinstein: So, during the panel, we’re going to be talking about over a decade worth of advocacy to get federal employees and contractors the rights that they need to report government corruption and wrongdoing safely.
We’re also going to be covering from different perspectives, including from the Office of Special Counsel’s perspective, how the Whistleblower Protection Enhancement Act is working in reality. We’ll also be sharing our perspective over the last 10 years, and we’re going to be discussing and helping the audience to understand what the different weaknesses of the law are and what the legislative changes are that can help improve the effectiveness of the law.
We’re also going to be sharing some tips for lawyers who are using the Office of Special Counsel and are representing whistleblowers how to draft a complaint and work with the Office of Special Counsel in the most effective way to maximize the impact for their clients.
Oswald: Samantha, thank you. This is going to be, I think, a terrific panel.
We look forward to seeing all of you in October. That’s Tuesday, October 25th at 6 p.m. either in person at the D.C. Bar headquarters, or you can also join us virtually for our 2022 “Changing Currents in Employment Law.”
We look forward to seeing you then.
Feinstein: Likewise, hope to see you there.
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R. Scott Oswald is managing principal of The Employment Law Group, P.C. Samantha Feinstein is Staff Attorney and Director of the International Program at Government Accountability Project.
» “Changing Currents in Employment Law” will take place on October 25, 2022. Click here for more details and registration options.
