Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas W. Harker kicked off the event with remarks about how OGC attorneys directly support the DON’s mission by providing accurate, timely, and candid legal advice and counsel.
“None of the priorities from the President on down happen without the hard work of all the people that are here in the inside,” said Harker. “Thank you all for all your work in support of the DON. I appreciate everything you’ve done for us.”
The symposium brought together staff from around the globe to hear directly from OGC and DON leaders about major priorities and initiatives and to learn from and build relationships with colleagues from different offices and practice areas.
“There is only one reason all of us are here, and that is to support the warfighter,” said Acting General Counsel of the Navy Garrett Ressing. “My goal for the symposium was for our community to be more knowledgeable about our practice areas, better informed about our organization and further inspired to continue the important work we do in support of them.”
This year’s symposium also celebrated OGC’s 80th birthday. DON OGC has greatly evolved from its roots, starting as a two attorney, procurement law division growing to the international, multi-practice legal organization it is today.
OGC also heard from two other distinguished guest speakers: Lt. Gen. Eric M. Smith, Deputy Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps for Combat Development and Integration, and Matthew H. Swartz, Executive Director, U.S. Fleet Forces Command.
The symposium afforded OGC attorneys the opportunity to participate in a host of informative breakout sessions concerning a wide range of contemporary legal issues. Mirroring the breadth of OGC’s practice, different training sessions focused on intellectual property law, litigation, personnel law, ethics and professional responsibility, and acquisition, environmental, fiscal, national security, and real estate law.
This is the second year in a row the symposium was held virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of attorneys “attended” the symposium via Microsoft Teams.