Holland & Knight Attorney to Testify Before Joint Ethics Panel
Robert S. Highsmith- Atlanta
Atlanta – January 25, 2010 – Holland & Knight's Executive Partner in the firm's Atlanta office, Robert Highsmith, will discuss political law and government ethics at a joint meeting of the Georgia House and Senate Ethics Committees today.
Both committees will meet with ethics experts to learn about what changes may need to be made in Georgia's ethics law.
Among Georgia’s foremost experts on campaign finance and ethics law, Highsmith served as lead attorney to Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue in preparing the Governor’s package of ethics legislation in 2003 and 2004, and served as Special Executive Counsel to the Governor in 2005 as the General Assembly passed sweeping ethics reform. Prior to that, Highsmith served as an appointee of former Governor Roy Barnes on the State Ethics Commission, the quasi-judicial body with statewide jurisdiction over ethical issues involving public officials, lobbyists and state vendors.
Additional panelists of the joint meeting will include:
- Members of the House and Senate Ethics Committees
- Jim Gatewood, Chairman, State Ethics Commission
- Bill Jordan, Immediate Past Chairman, State Ethics Commission
- Tom Plank, Acting Executive Secretary, State Ethics Commission
- Rick Thompson, Former Executive Secretary, State Ethics Commission
- Former Rep. Bob Irvin (R-Atlanta), Common Cause of Georgia
- Doug Chalmers, Attorney specializing in political law and government ethics
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