Rules of Misconduct and Conflicts of Interest - Granite Grok

Rules of Misconduct and Conflicts of Interest

On the matter of Governor Hassan considering Gambling Lobbyist Lucy Hodder as her next Attorney General, the indispensable Ed Mosca provides more fuel for that fire.

How would it not be a violation of at least the spirit of Professional Rule of Misconduct 1.11 for Hodder to be involved with Millennium Gambling as AG; as I read it the spirit of the rule suggests she shouldn’t even be involved as Hassan’s counsel:

(d) Except as law may otherwise expressly permit, a lawyer currently serving as a public officer or employee:

(2) shall not:
a. participate in a matter in which the lawyer participated personally and substantially while in private practice or nongovernmental employment, unless the appropriate government agency gives its informed consent, confirmed in writing; or

(e) As used in this Rule, the term “matter” includes: (1) any judicial or other proceeding involving a specific party or parties, including an application, request for a ruling or other determination, contract, claim, controversy, investigation, charge, accusation, arrest or other proceeding; and (2) any other matter covered by the conflict of interest rules of the appropriate government agency.

And do not forget that that is not the only potential conflict here.

As I observed last week, Hodder would have to be approved by the Executive council, on which sits Deb Pignatelli.  Hodder worked for her Rath Young & Pignatelli for at least nine years.

Lucy Hodder may be a Gambling lobbyist but she has also been a lawyer in the employ of Rath, Young & Pignatelli.  Hodder listed the law firm as her place of business oncampaign donation records from 2002 to 2010.   That would be the same “law firm Pignatelli” who is the husband ofNew Hampshire Executive Councilor Debora Pignatelli.  The same Deb Pignatelli who would have oversight as an Executive Councilor on approving the nomination of Lucy Hodder the gambling lobbyist/Lawyer to the position of Attorney General of the State of New Hampshire.

Hodder is an interesting choice giventhe  conflicts of interest that Hassan must be aware of.  The optics by themselves are very bad.  Optics we are hapy to continue focusing as new information comes to light.

H/T Ed Mosca, Facebook

>