The King Can Do No Wrong; Or, Can He?

Government clients present unique challenges and opportunities for their litigation counsel. On the one hand, they can be challenging given how politics and the collective decision making approach of governing boards can interact with the litigation process. However, they also present opportunities given the availability of unique defenses that can make even the toughest fact patterns winnable in ways that might not be possible in an identical case against a private client. The dynamics of governmental/municipal practice can be complex to navigate, and sometimes can generate spontaneous “lessons learned” for the novice attorney. This presentation will highlight the unique aspects of governmental/municipal litigation from the perspective of addressing what the speakers wish they had known before entering the field, and what their mentors might take for granted that would be valuable for novice attorneys to know early in their careers.