| Advisory opinion request as to whether the Caddo Parish District Attorney's Office (CPDAO) may pay Accurate Reporting for providing court reporters for the grand jury. |
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The Caddo Parish District Attorney's Office (CPDAO) is solely responsible for convening and presenting cases to the grand jury, and it verbally contracts with Accurate Reporting to supply court reporters to transcribe those grand jury sessions. Accurate Reporting's invoices for this service were previously paid directly by the Caddo Parish Commission out of the Criminal Court Fund account. However, this procedure was recently changed and now the invoices are paid by the CPDAO which then submits a request for reimbursement to the Caddo Parish Commission. The reimbursement funds still come from the Criminal Court Fund account which is jointly administered by the First Judicial District judges and the Caddo Parish District Attorney.
Virginia Conlin, a former employee of First Judicial District Court, owns Accurate Reporting. Ms. Conlin's job duties while employed with the First Judicial District Court were to provide court reporting services for the First Judicial District Court. However, she did not work on any grand jury cases during her employment, and the First Judicial District Court plays no role in the grand jury proceedings. Ms. Conlin retired on March 1, 2016.
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Section 1121B of the Ethics Code prohibits a former public employee, for a period of two years following the termination of his public employment, from assisting another person, for compensation, in a transaction involving the agency of the former public employee, in which the public employee participated at any time during his public employment. Additionally, Section 1121B prohibits a former public employee, for a period of two years following the termination of his public employment, from rendering the same service which he rendered during his public employment on a contractual basis to, for, or on behalf of his former agency.
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Adopt the proposed advisory opinion.
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| Assigned Attorney: |
Jennifer Land |
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