Associate Counsel

Associate Counsel

Office of the Director of National Intelligence

Summary

The Office of the Inspector General of the Intelligence Community (IC IG) was established within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) by the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010. The IC IG's organizational divisions include Audit, Investigations, Inspections and Evaluations, Mission Support Division, the Center for Protected Disclosures, and Counsel to the Inspector General.

Duties

The Office of the Counsel to the IC IG ensures that the IC IG team receives independent, confidential legal advice and policy counsel. The Counsel team supports each IC IG Division by providing counsel; reviewing reports; highlighting and offering guidance on potential legal issues; identifying and interpreting key policy, contract and statutory or regulatory provisions; assisting in the evaluation of whistleblower disclosures and requests for External Review Panels; and reviewing matters related to IC IG personnel, administration, training, ethics, independence, and budgetary functions. The Counsel team participates in the Intelligence Community Inspectors General Forum, chairs the Forum's Counsels Committee and Legislative Subcommittee, and takes part in multiple associated working groups. The Counsel team leads IC IG's interactions with Congress and coordinates legislative matters on behalf of the Forum.

Expertly interpret and explain laws, regulations, policies, and other legal authorities related to the IC IG and authority of the Director of National Intelligence.

Provide expert oral and written legal advice and guidance addressing novel or complex legal issues, with appropriate input from supervisors and colleagues.

Develop innovative and legally sound advice and guidance outlining possible courses of action and assessing risk.

Expertly prepare complex, high profile, and persuasive legal documents on complex legal issues for a variety of internal and external recipients.

Expertly review IC IG documents for legal sufficiency.

Expertly draft policies and procedures to ensure IC IG's activities are effective, efficient, and compliant with all applicable law and policy.

Adroitly coordinate on legal matters with internal and external organizations, including the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the IC, the Executive Branch, and Congress. In doing so, expertly mediate, negotiate, and resolve intra- and inter-agency disputes covering a wide range of topics across legal practice areas. Consistently demonstrate "strategic lawyering" practices that anticipate or prevent legal problems.

Expertly conduct, or direct the conduct of, legal research and analysis on extremely complex or sensitive legal issues that have a significant impact on IC IG equities.

Respond to requests from IC elements and other federal agencies.

Expertly analyze laws, bills, reports, and Congressional records, as well as proposed Executive Branch orders, directives, regulations, and policy statements, to determine their effect on IC IG equities. Provide authoritative advice and counsel to IC IG senior management on relevant legislative proposals and congressionally directed actions. Draft legislative proposals to ensure IC IG independence and the protection of whistleblowers.

Prepare IC IG senior officials for written or oral testimony, briefings, or other engagements before the congressional intelligence committees, and perform other congressional engagement coordination functions as needed.

Foster and maintain cordial, professional, and productive relationships with counterparts within the ODNI, the public, other Offices of Inspectors General, congressional intelligence committees, Intelligence Community elements, the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency, and other entities.

Counsel clients, including executive-level government officials, on the most complex legal issues and provide innovative and highly effective guidance on possible courses of action; expertly prepare complex, high profile, and persuasive legal documents on the most complex legal issues for a variety of internal and external recipients.