Problem:
Conflicting Financial Interests Your Spouse's Employment What if your spouse is an employee of a Government contractor? May you participate in a Government matter involving this contractor? The answer depends upon the extent of your involvement in the Government matter and the extent to which your spouse's financial interest would be affected by your actions on behalf of the government. Let's look at some examples.
Example 1: In her job with the Federal Government, Betty determines the training needs of agency employees and procures those training services from private companies. Betty's husband, John, owns a consulting business that provides computer training services. Betty awarded some of the agency's training agreements to her husband's company. Did Betty do anything wrong?
Example 2: Scott, a Government employee, is the coordinator for the Law Enforcement Coordinating Committee for a U.5. Attorney's office. His job responsibilities include arranging training seminars for local and state law enforcement.
Scott negotiates with Smith & Jones, LLP, to provide the training seminars for his U.5. Attorney's office. Scott's wife is a general partner in Smith & jones, LLP. Over the next two years, Scott recommends, selects, and hires Smith & Jones, LLP, to conduct periodic seminars that his office sponsors. Did Scott have a conflict of interest when he selected his wife's employer to provide the seminars?