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GCN Home > April 24, 2000 issue

FEDERAL CONTRACT LAW: Joseph J. Petrillo

Web site offers a forum for discussing contract law

I’m most proud of my profession when lawyers from government and the private sector bridge their differences to work toward improving the administration of contract disputes and, ultimately, justice.

To be sure, when lawyers act as advocates they must advance their clients’ interests vigorously and effectively. Even within the boundaries of the law and the relatively bloodless field of government contracts, encounters can get intense. Professionalism, however, demands that disputes in the courtroom never become personal.

Lawyers are officers of the court as well as advisers to their clients. In both of these roles, we have a common interest in making sure that the legal process works well.

Unfortunately, some attorneys forget that effective advocacy is compatible with professionalism. Indeed, the opposite is true: Unprofessional advocacy is usually unpersuasive.

Some in my profession are shortsighted, are fixated on the last case they lost or hold a grudge. They never achieve the wisdom that comes from accumulated experience. Their myopia keeps them from seeing the law as a living, evolving system.

But when professionalism reigns, lawyers from disparate backgrounds can come together, find common ground and work to improve the legal system. This ultimately benefits their clients. Fortunately, there are institutions that promote this kind of cooperation.

Jerry Walz, a mainstay of government contract law at the Commerce Department, runs one such forum. Walz has capped a marvelous career by using the Internet to enhance the state of government contract law.

A developing situation

The Commerce Web site he runs, at www.contracts.ogc.doc.gov/cld/cld.html, is a great starting point for learning about developments in government contract law.

There are capsule descriptions of new regulations and judicial and administrative legal decisions, with links to the full-text documents. The wallpaper background for the site displays Walz’s wit: It mimics a yellow legal pad.

Walz also runs a moderated list server for government contract practitioners from the public and private sectors. The dialogue is often lively, and the diversity of positions—and who holds them—is often surprising.



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