Define Clients of Offices of General Counsel

1. Define clearly the clients of the Offices of General Counsel. (1)

Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS) should initiate
a high-priority project to convene a group of general counsels or
their equivalents, OGC staff members, and a representative of the
Department of Justice to define clearly who is the client of the
Offices of General Counsels within agencies. ACUS should serve as
facilitator to the group. This initiative should be completed on an
expedited basis. The definition statements should be completed within
one year. The resulting guidance should include a policy statement
that OGC's should help identify alternative approaches whenever a
proposed management initiative is deemed to be not legally
acceptable. The legal risks associated with management proposals
should also be specified and options suggested.

In addition, ACUS should evaluate and recommend whether it would be
desirable to reconstitute and energize the Federal Legal Council to
address common legal issues related to the implementation of other NPR
recommendations, and the training needed.