Government Accountability Project

Back as an "external" UDC-DCSL Clinic, students are once again earning clinical credit for work with the Government Accountability Project (GAP) which protects the public interest through promoting government and corporate accountability, advancing occupational free speech and ethical conduct, defending whistleblowers, and empowering citizen activists. Through GAP’s educational program students are trained in legal advocacy skills while simultaneously working on cutting edge issues of national and international importance and broad public interest.

GAP supervising attorney, Karen Hughes writes, "We are pleased to welcome ‘student attorneys’ from the University of the District of Columbia, David A. Clarke School of Law. GAP is proud to lend continued support to the historical relationship between this exceptional institution and our organization. Many of our founding advocates are graduates of the law school’s predecessor, Antioch School of Law."

Ms. Hughes provides the following snapshots of student work:

Anya Ahaghotu: is working closely with our International Program and its director, Melanie Oliviero, Anya is making inroads into the possibility of using United States congressional legislation to affect the whistleblower policies of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs). Anya has also elected to explore ways in which provisions under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act might benefit these institutions.

Jennifer Donaldson: Jennifer has been working closely with Billie Garde (ASL ’86) and associates Jason Zuckerman and Aoife O’Neill developing arguments to support clients pursuing claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Jennifer is also looking at the issue of sovereign immunity to help the attorneys prepare for litigation in the state of Alaska.

Caroll Donayre: Caroll has become a valuable asset to the Office of General Counsel and Litigation. Working closely with our General Counsel, Joanne Royce, and (Clinic Professor Karen Hughes.) Carol undertook the difficult task of reviewing nearly 100,000 pages of discovery documents to protect privileged client information. She has also prepared a comprehensive memo detailing ways to protect the privacy rights of our whistleblower clients.

Pasha Eatedali: We are pleased to see Pasha working closely with Tom Devine (ASL ’80), our Legal Director, and one of our founding advocates. Pasha has written a comprehensive overview of the history of cases before the Merit Systems Protection Board ("MSPB.") We are grateful to Pasha for his efforts and assistance on behalf of the Office of General Counsel and Litigation in preparing for a District of Columbia whistleblower trial scheduled to begin in June. I am proud to say that Pasha has also volunteered to complete assignments in several other program areas.

Joseph Kelly: Already a passionate advocate for worker rights, Jo is lending his skills and dedication to GAP’s Nuclear Program, director Tom Carpenter (ASL ‘86) and our Executive Director Greg Watchman. Jo has made significant headway into exploring regulatory limitations and challenges facing the Department of Labor. Additionally, Jo is assisting the litigation unit and the Nuclear Program in the development of case strategies for clients at the various nuclear facilities around the country. Jo has elected to develop assignments where he also identifies a need for further clarification and understanding regarding issues affecting the Nuclear Program.

Nirupama Kulkarni: Nima has expressed an interest in international policy and worker rights and this enthusiasm shows in her contributions to GAP. We are grateful for her comprehensive analysis of the MDBs and their whistleblower policies. We expect that this document will become a foundational piece that will help our International Program develop better ways to assist our international financial whistleblowers.

Roy John Levy: Roy has been given significant litigation preparation responsibilities under the supervision and tutelage of Jason Zuckerman of Clifford & Garde. Roy has delved into some very complex legal issues— including qualified immunity of state officials, state discrimination laws, jurisdictional and forum selection as well as defamation. Roy has completed several memoranda of law, which have already become valuable assets to the litigators.

Rachel Mace: Working with the guidance of Tom Carpenter and Greg Watchman, Rachel is providing important analysis in the area of 42 U.S.C. §1983 ("color of law") claims for our Nuclear Program. This issue is the foundation of many of our cases, and the research and analysis provided by Rachel will assist and benefit us in many future cases.

Sheila Thorpe: Sheila has worked tirelessly with our Legislative Program, the Office of General Counsel and Litigation and the Law Offices of Clifford & Garde. We have benefited from her many compelling memoranda of law that include the extraterritorial reach of the Sarbanes/Oxley Act, burdens of proof required for our clients before the MSPB and evidentiary considerations for a jury trial. Sheila has also assisted the Legislative Program in completing a historical overview and analysis of MSPB cases.

Nakia Waggoner: Nakia is an enthusiastic and invaluable contributor to the Office of General Counsel and Litigation. We were fortunate to have Nakia’s assistance in organizing thousands of pages of documents generated during discovery in one of our federal cases. Additionally, Nakia has provided a memorandum of law regarding First Amendment rights that we are planning to add to our resource library. Nakia has elected to pursue additional research regarding First Amendment protections and we are looking forward to additional technical writings from this student.