I wrote in October about “a low-profile program in which a nonprofit backed by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg places lawyers in state attorney generals’ offices, paying their keep, on the condition that they pursue environmental causes.” Now the Virginia legislature has approved a provision apparently aimed at heading off the practice in that state, the relevant provision reading: “The sole source of compensation paid to employees of the Office of the Attorney General for performing legal services on behalf of the Commonwealth shall be from the appropriations provided under this act.” Chris Horner of the Competitive Enterprise Institute has campaigned against the practice. [Todd Shepherd, Free Beacon; Charmaine Little, Legal NewsLine]
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I would be interested in knowing of any state that has or plans to allow this. I am certainly glad that Virginia has said “No”
The article linked at the top indicates that these privately paid lawyers are working in Attorney Generals’ offices in Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington state, as well as the District of Columbia.
If the Virginia Governor signs this legislation into law its name will come off the list.