Taking The Leap From Public Service To Private Sector

Co-authored by: Andrew Weiming Lee (Duane Morris, Singapore)

Of the myriad transitions attorneys may undertake in the course of their careers, perhaps none is as anxiety inducing as the transition from public service to private practice. In addition to new billing, origination, and client-development responsibilities, attorneys departing public sector jobs must remain alert to 'revolving door' laws that regulate the careers of all public employees post-employment, plus the ethics rules that apply to attorneys whether their government service was in a legal or non-legal capacity.

The main purpose of these restrictions is to prevent former government employees from taking advantage of information and knowledge learned during public employment for the benefit of another person or entity and to the detriment of the government. These restrictions must be carefully balanced, however, to ensure they do not pose such a barrier to departure as to discourage the best and