Leadership, Ethics and COVID-19

Most security issues in government present leadership challenges and might in the first instance, best be addressed with effective leadership. In the next instance, such issues present process challenges; getting the process right leads to better policy and to better results. Only in the third instance are issues resolved through law, in part because you cannot legislate leadership. National security lawyers play an essential role in all three areas: Leadership, process, and law. COVID-19 has presented new and unparalleled leadership, process, and legal challenges at the federal, state, and local level, for lawyers, as well as public health officials. COVID-19 has also given lawyers renewed opportunity to consider and understand what it means to be a national security lawyer and to swear an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. Judge James Baker and Amy Jeffress lead a discussion of the role of ethics and leadership in defining the role of today’s national security lawyers.

Amy Jeffress is a partner at Arnold & Porter, and co-chairs the White Collar Defense & Investigations practice:

https://www.arnoldporter.com/en/people/j/jeffress-amy

Hon. James E Baker is the Director of the Institute of Security Policy and Law at Syracuse University:

http://law.syr.edu/profile/the-hon.-james-e.-baker

References:

James E. Baker, "Leadership in a Time of Pandemic: Act Well the Given Part." Journal of National Security Law and Policy, Volume 11, Issue 1. October 2020.

https://jnslp.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Leadership-in-a-Time-of-Pandemic_2.pdf