Program Details
2026-10-29 12:00:00
Over 1,000+ webinars
Course Overview
2026-10-29 12:00:00
2h CLE Credits
Intermediate
2
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm ESTThe Whistleblower Protection Act has been the pioneer for a global legal revolution in free speech rights. But the enforcement options are now so hostile to its objectives that responsible practitioners must warn potential clients that acting on their rights almost guarantees official approval of whatever retaliation they challenge. In a cycle of unprecedented political repression, the law’s credibility has been shattered through attacks on the constitutionality of Administrative Judges, as well as the Supreme Court’s Slaughter decision replacing structural independence with at will status for the Office of Special Counsel and Merit Systems Protection Board leadership. Further, realistically the law never has been free from political pressure.
Tom Devine 1:10 pm - 2:10 pm ESTThe presentation will examine the record for these conclusions and offer guidance how whistleblower counsel can circumvent them to still effectively defend their clients. This session delivers that guidance: tactics to circumvent the current threat through remedies from the anti-gag statute and the constitution, so counsel can continue to effectively defend civil service employees despite enforcement options now hostile to the law’s objectives.
David SeideSince 1979 Tom Devine has been the Government Accountability Project’s legal director. Tom has assisted over 9,000 whistleblowers and not lost a case since 2006. He also has been on the front lines for passage and oversight of 38 whistleblower laws, including nearly all U.S. federal laws and internationally from Serbia to the UN, and most recently the EU Whistleblower Directive and Ukraine’. He is an adjunct professor at the DC Law School, has been recognized annually since 2012 by the Metropolitan Washington Lawyer’s Association as one of Washington DC’s top employment lawyers, appears regularly as a media expert, has authored numerous books and law journals, and spoken in over a dozen nations as the State Department’s informal “Ambassador of Whistleblowing.”
David Seide serves as Of Counsel for Government Accountability Project, the nation’s leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization. His career spans four decades of government oversight and investigations work: he has served on the staffs of two federal Offices of Inspector General, where he led multiple high-profile investigations, and as Special Counsel to Senator Jeff Merkley.
Since 1979 Tom Devine has been the Government Accountability Project’s legal director. Tom has assisted over 9,000 whistleblowers and not lost a case since 2006. He also has been on the front lines for passage and oversight of 38 whistleblower laws, including nearly all U.S. federal laws and internationally from Serbia to the UN, and most recently the EU Whistleblower Directive and Ukraine’. He is an adjunct professor at the DC Law School, has been recognized annually since 2012 by the Metropolitan Washington Lawyer’s Association as one of Washington DC’s top employment lawyers, appears regularly as a media expert, has authored numerous books and law journals, and spoken in over a dozen nations as the State Department’s informal “Ambassador of Whistleblowing.”
David Seide serves as Of Counsel for Government Accountability Project, the nation’s leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization. His career spans four decades of government oversight and investigations work: he has served on the staffs of two federal Offices of Inspector General, where he led multiple high-profile investigations, and as Special Counsel to Senator Jeff Merkley.
Requirements
The Alabama State Bar MCLE Commission requires attorneys to complete 12 credits, including 1 ethics, by December 31 of each year. All credits must be reported by February 15 of the following year. A maximum of 12 credits, including 1 ethics credit, may be carried over for 1 year only.
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