General Counsel Office
The Office of the General Counsel (OGC) is located
on the 6th floor of the National Office Headquarters in Washington, D. C. The
telephone number is (202) 606-5444. The fax number is (202) 606-5345 and the machine is
dedicated to the use of the OGC so that confidentiality is not an issue. General Counsel
and Chief of Staff Elizabeth Glazebrook Watson is assisted by Legal Secretary Tammi E.
Strozier, Deputy General Counsel Deborah Glass Schwarz, ADR Coordinator & Assistant
General Counsel Deborah Schick Laufer, and various legal interns from the local law
schools who rotate through the office to gain practical experience and earn school credit
(please be patient, they are unpaid but very enthusiastic).
As counsel to the Agency, the OGC is responsible for the
legal work of FMCS including representing FMCS before other administrative agencies and
working with the Department of Justice if court action is required. The OGC coordinates
answers to most Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests and, of interest to the field
staff, filing motions to revoke subpoenas when mediators are ordered to appear in court
(please see instructions below). Although Peter Regner is the FMCS Chief Ethics Officer,
the OGC is primarily responsible for answering routine questions and administering the
Agency’s ethics program which includes both training and personal counseling for
individual employees. Requests to engage in outside employment, for instance, are
processed through the OGC after being approved by an employee’s supervisor. All
ethical questions and concerns are treated as confidential (with minor exceptions as
required by law).
In conjunction with the Resource Center, the Office of the
General Counsel is available to provide general guidance on developing labor law, ADR, and
arbitration in the private, state and federal areas, information about new legislation,
and other related legal issues. With regard to subpoenas, mediators should notify the OGC
immediately, by fax if possible, as soon as any party even hints that they are planning to
issue a subpoena for the mediator to testify and produce documents. If possible, the OGC
will contact the party and explain the Agency’s policy against allowing mediators to
testify. If the party cannot be persuaded that a subpoena will not be honored and the
mediator is actually served, the subpoena should be faxed to the OGC as quickly as
possible in order that a motion to revoke (have it dismissed) can be prepared and
submitted within the strict time limitations.
In cooperation with the Communications Office, the General
Counsel serves as Legislative Director to review testimony before key committees and to
comment on relevant proposed legislation which may affect the operations of FMCS.
Other functions of this office include dealing with any
national emergency boards which are established under the National Emergency Procedures of
the Taft-Hartley Act, interpreting conflicts under the FMCS administration of the Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), providing training and support in
dispute resolution skills to attorneys within government and the private sector as part of
the agency’s outreach mission.
This office welcomes comments, suggestions, and questions.
Who to contact
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