'Congress and the Attorney-Client Privilege' explored in webinar, May 16

The Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy’s new State Oversight Academy (SOA) will present the webinar “House Rules: Congress and the Attorney-Client Privilege” on Tuesday, May 16, from noon to 1:15 p.m. via Zoom.

The  Levin Center will present its 2022 Research Award winner, Professor Dave Rapallo of Georgetown University, to discuss his award-winning paper “House Rules: Congress and the Attorney-Client Privilege.”

Rapallo’s paper offers a defense of the right of Congress to determine whether, when, and how to recognize the attorney-client privilege and other judicially created common law privileges when seeking information in the course of an oversight investigation. The paper presents persuasive historical and judicial precedents and
offers an engaging alternative reading of Supreme Court dicta on this matter in the 2020 Mazars opinion.

Rapallo joined the Georgetown Law faculty as clinic director after spending 23 years in high-level positions in Congress and the White House. For the past decade, Rapallo served as staff director of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform under then-Chairman Elijah E. Cummings and Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney. He supervised a team of more than 70 attorneys, investigators, legislative experts, and communications staff, as well as the Committee’s five subcommittees, and oversaw a broad range of legislative efforts. During President Barack Obama’s first term, Rapallo served as senior director and counsel for Legislative Oversight at the National Security Council, working directly with the offices of the Chief of Staff, White House Counsel, and Legislative Affairs. Rapallo previously served as general counsel on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and as chief investigative counsel on the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform under then-Chairman Henry A. Waxman.

To register for the free webinar, visit https://levin-center.org. Anyone with questions may email the Levin Center at Wayne Law at levincenter@wayne.edu.