From routine exhibitions of a lack of decorum to serious allegations of corruption, the conduct of some American and Canadian legislators has led to members of the public to question the competence and effectiveness of not only these legislative bodies, but the system of democracy itself. Join Kedric Payne of the Campaign Legal Center (a COGEL member) as he moderates a discussion on legislative ethics with two keynote speakers: U.S. House of Representatives member Dan Goldman (NY-10) and Senator Brent Cotter, Senate of Canada (Saskatchewan). This distinguished plenary session will discuss whether these perceptions are deserved and what can be done to help increase the public’s trust and confidence in our systems.  Speakers will draw on their own experiences and perspectives in this engaging COGEL Connect session.

Attendees are encouraged to come prepared with questions.

Kedric Payne Vice President, General Counsel & Senior Director, Ethics Campaign Legal Center

Kedric Payne currently serves as Vice President, General Counsel, and Senior Director of Ethics at Campaign Legal Center (CLC).  He specializes in government ethics, lobbying law, and election law. He began his career in private practice and has since served in the three branches of federal government.

Before joining CLC, he advised on executive branch ethics laws as a Deputy General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Energy.  He also enforced legislative branch ethics laws and standards of conduct as Deputy Chief Counsel of the Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE).  Prior to OCE, Mr. Payne practiced political law at Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, and advised lobbyists and government contractors on compliance with federal, state, and local laws governing campaign finance, lobbying, and ethics. Mr. Payne began his career as a litigator at Cravath, Swaine & Moore in New York. He also clerked in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York for Judge Shira A. Scheindlin. As an adjunct professor, Mr. Payne developed the first political law course for the University of Pennsylvania Law School and received the Adjunct Teaching Award.

U.S. Rep. Dan Goldman U.S. House of Representatives NY-10

Congressman-Dan Goldman and his wife, Corinne, live in lower Manhattan where they are raising their five children. In 2019, Dan Goldman served as lead counsel for the impeachment investigation of President Donald J. Trump for abusing his office for his personal interest regarding Ukraine. In that role, Goldman led depositions and questioned witnesses in public hearings, and testified before the House Judiciary Committee.

Prior to that, Goldman served for a decade as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York. In that role, he held powerful actors accountable and made our city safer. He took on some of the office’s biggest and most consequential cases: prosecuting violent criminals and gun trafficking, mafia bosses and Russian organized crime, and landmark insider trading and major corporate fraud cases. In law school, Goldman contributed to Michelle Alexander’s seminal book, The New Jim Crow, which addressed the inequalities in our criminal justice system.

Senator Brent Cotter Senate of Canada Saskatchewan

Brent Cotter is one of Canada’s foremost legal ethicists, with extensive experience in public service and the law. A former professor at Dalhousie Law School and former dean of the College of Law at the University of Saskatchewan, he is one of the original professors and writers in the field of legal ethics in Canada.  He is a member of the Law Society of Saskatchewan and the Nova Scotia Barristers’ Society.

Mr. Cotter has served as the province’s Deputy Minister of Justice and Deputy Attorney General. He also served as Saskatchewan’s Deputy Minister of Municipal Affairs and Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs, where he led the development and implementation of a nationally recognized, government-wide program of services for First Nations and Métis peoples. He subsequently chaired the Government of Saskatchewan’s Independent Commission that provides civilian oversight of police. Mr. Cotter is also a founding board member of the Canadian Association for Legal Ethics.