I started working for the postal service as a lay lawyer in 2003. During my 14 years of professional service, I have worked on a variety of increasingly complex issues, including discrimination claims litigation before the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), adverse action litigation before the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), working with the U.S. Attorney`s Office to defend claims filed in federal courts, representation in front of safety at work. and the Health Administration (OSHA) and the OSHA Review Board. and advises internal clients on various matters related to employment, discipline, security issues, etc. My experience gave me the opportunity to play a leadership role in our office in handling OSHA issues and to work with a team of lawyers on a high-profile case defending against multiple heat stress citations before the OSHA Review Panel with national implications. The Ethics and Compliance Group consists of lawyers, federal information specialists, data protection specialists and archive management specialists who are dedicated to maintaining and supporting a world-class compliance culture at Swiss Post. This means ensuring full compliance with the Anti-Lobbying Act, the Anti-Nepotism Act, the Criminal Conflict of Interest Act, the Open Government Act, the Hatch Act, the Access to Information Act, the Privacy Act, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, the Anti-Currying Advertising Act, the Combined Federal Campaigns Regulations, the Standards of Ethical Conduct for Executive Branch Employees. Additional Standards of Ethical Conduct for U.S. Postal Service employees, financial disclosure requirements, the Federal Register Program, information security laws and best practices, and records management best practices. We achieve this through in-depth advice, effective communication, innovative and engaging training, and proactively identifying other measures to maintain compliance.
This is not a way to defend the very clear misconduct that some have committed. But we should all ask ourselves where we could have been if we had worked in Swiss Post`s legal team. „I see no urgency in the legal profession for the Advocate General to affirm his primary objective. Instead, we have legitimized institutional complacency that seems to prioritize commercial expediency. We have created environments where we need to be loved to thrive. We value relationships that make a difference, and too often, mental fatigue and burnout are a job risk where the quality of decision-making has been compromised. „I started my postal career in 2019 in the legal department of the postal service as an executive administrative assistant, which allowed me to get used to the different sub-groups of the law and the postal service as a whole. Since then, I have been promoted to the position of Government Information Specialist, which has given me the opportunity not only to advance in my career, but also to use my previous legal knowledge and research skills to effectively do my job.
My experience has paid off and benefits me every day, especially with team members who share the same work ethic and attitude as me! However, my mandate is much broader and I work with compliance colleagues in areas such as data protection, financial crime and legal risks. I am also involved in strategic projects for the company, such as the launch of the new Payzone Plus device for retailers. Ben Foat, General Counsel at Post Office, speaks with The Lawyer ahead of his workshop at the In-house Counsel as Business Partner conference in collaboration with EY and discusses key considerations for transforming the legal function. What are the top three things companies expect from their in-house lawyers? A strategic business partner who sees the big picture and […] The General Legal Department of the Legal Department consists of lawyers, paralegals and a Legal Administrative Assistant who is responsible for providing timely and generally consistent legal advice to our clients in postal operations throughout the country. The General Law Division handles consulting and litigation matters related to inquiries, postal disputes, disputes with state and local governments, all of our national preparation clients` needs, and an unlimited variety of other non-employment related legal matters. We pride ourselves on our ability to work with our clients to help them resolve their legal concerns with advice tailored to each client`s unique situation and goals. The goal is to guarantee one hour a day without meetings. For me, it`s an opportunity to have lunch and walk the dog. Other things we`ve done within the legal team include hosting a virtual coffee shop a few times a week and occasionally a virtual pub (i.e. a team meeting with beer!) after work.
Similarly, Payzone`s social team has been busy with a number of initiatives, all with the aim of keeping us healthy during this strange time. I have been a lawyer in the Postal Service`s legal department since 2014, which began with the completion of a 3-year honorary lawyer program, which allowed me to immerse myself in a fast-paced labour and employment-focused litigation environment. Working as an honorary lawyer for the Postal Service provided me with unique training and opportunities to collaborate with colleagues across the country, as well as mentorship from senior lawyers who carefully prepared me to work with senior clients and independently litigate the cases of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and the Merit System Projection Board (MSPB) during my first 3 years. My experience as a specialist lawyer continues to influence both my enthusiasm and confidence as a professional lawyer, resulting in leadership roles, diverse expertise through the participation of working groups, and the management of increasingly complex advice and litigation. I have been a member of the National Tort Center since 2003. I joined the CNT as a paralegal specialist, where I adjudicated tort claims and provided assistance in tort litigation before becoming a supervisor, examiner/arbitrator of tort claims in 2011. In my supervisory role, I continue to adjudicate claims and supervise a team of adjudicators, paralegals and legal administrative assistants. Despite the heavy workload and many challenges of overseeing a team that carries a heavy burden of claims and process support, it`s rare that I go a day without learning something new or participating in a claim that is completely off the beaten path. Last year, Richard joined the legal team at La Poste as lead counsel and was responsible for providing legal support to Payzone Bill Payments Ltd, a subsidiary based in Northwich, Cheshire.
He told The Brief about a typical day in his professional life. Our public procurement training for the company was mainly prepared by the in-house team, but in other areas we used information from our external legal panel, such as the GDPR. However, the internal really offers its value by providing tailored examples that align with the business and understanding the problems that have arisen before. The Equal Employment Opportunity Litigation Unit consists of a team of equal employment opportunity advocates who, with the support of a paralegal specialist and an administrative assistant, represent the Postal Service in certain administrative complaint proceedings before the EEOC nationwide. Lawyers defend the postal service against discrimination complaints filed under various federal workplace discrimination laws, including Title VII, the Employment and Age Discrimination Act, and the Rehabilitation Act. Attorneys independently handle all aspects of litigation, including identifying legal issues, investigating factual circumstances, assessing liability and potential damages, preparing requests for disposition and other legal briefs, communicating with clients, negotiating settlements where appropriate, and representing the Postal Service in mediation and EEOC hearings. Paragraph 27: „Secondly, I am not a lawyer. The Mission relied on counsel (internal and external) to provide advice on criminal matters, and lawyers had operational responsibility for investigating and prosecuting criminal misconduct.
My main task and the role of the rest of the board was to set policy informed by legal advice. Having joined the post office in August 2020 during the pandemic, I am in the strange position of not having met any of my colleagues on the legal team and very few of my colleagues on Payzone. Still, I found no problem fitting into both the Payzone team and the Post legal team. This is a credit to my colleagues and the work culture of Payzone and Post, which has focused on wellness during the pandemic and the resulting challenges of remote work.
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