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ß/-ð CITY ATTORNEYS ADOPT ETHICAL STANDARDS City managers have theirs, as do planners, clerks, and finance officials. Although city attorneys in California have always had the State Bar's Rules of Professional Conduct, they now have taken their commitment to ethics in the practice of municipal law one step further in identifying a series of ethical principles particularly relevant for city attorneys. At their department business meeting at the League's annual conference, city attorneys adopted a document designed to: . Serve as an aspirational guide to city attorneys in making decisions in difficult situations Provide guidance to clients and the public on the ethical standards to which city attorneys aspire Promote integrity of the city and city attorney office . The document addresses issues such as: . Promoting, defending and exemplifying the rule of law Earning client trust through quality legal advice Avoiding politicization of the city attorney's position . Each ethical principle is followed by a series of examples that explain how the principle applies in specific situation. For example, under the "no politicization" principle, an example reads as follows: The city attorney or persons seeking to become city attorney should not make campaign contributions to or participate in the campaigns of that city's officials, including candidates running for that city's offices or city officers running for other offices. For private law firms serv ing as city attorney or seeking to become city attorney, this restriction should apply to the law firm's attorneys. The full document can be viewed at www.cacities.orQ/citvattornevsethicalprinciples. It will be the subject of ongoing discussion and refinement over the course of the coming year. The development and adoption of ethical principles for city attorneys comes on the heels of last year's groundbreaking publication of Practicing Ethics: A Handbook for Municipal Lawyers. This publication analyzes city attor- neys' responsibilities under the State Bar's Rules of Professional Conduct and other state ethics laws. ... .... ... .... .... ... EMINENT DOMAIN from page 1 The webcast will review the major implications the Supreme Court decision will have on local governments, highlight how local governments have successfully used eminent domain in the past, and will look at what Congress and the state legislatures are likely to do to curb local government powers in the future. Featured speakers for this event include: . Joe Schilling, professor in practice, Metropolitan Institute at Virginia Tech Israel Small, assistant city manager, Savannah, Ga. Peter Byrne, law professor, Georgetown University Susan Frederick, senior committee director - Law and Criminal Justice Committee, National Conference of State Legislatures . . . Those that will benefit by attending this webcast include city and county managers, planning and economic development directors, and other local government officials. The cost of the webcast is $95 per site. Participants may take part as a group, but must have a computer with Internet access (56K modem or higher) and a separate telephone line for the audio portion of the webcast. To register, visit www.lQean.orQ/htmlltraininQ/ icmaindex.cfm. Registration can also be done over the phone at (877) 865-4326. Visit the League's Official Website--www.cacities.org PRIORITY FOCUS - PAGE 3 Oct. 21, 2005-lssue#41