Procedures for Seeking Approval of Outside Practice of Law (Union Members See, CBA Article 14):

(A) An employee seeking approval for Outside Practice of Law shall submit a CRLA Outside Practice of Law Request Form (for compensated or uncompensated outside practice of law) to their supervisor not less than 15 days prior to any engagement in outside practice.  Please submit a request via email to the HR department at hrsupport@crla.org to be assigned the form through Paycom-Documents. 

(1)   The employee shall submit a separate Request Form for each client, principal or employer for whom the employee intends to provide services.

(2)   The Request Form shall be effective for a maximum on one year. A new Request Form shall be submitted for any service or employment extending more than one year beyond the approval date.

(B)   The supervisor shall review the Request Form, shall obtain such further information as they deem appropriate from the requesting employee or such other source as they deem appropriate and, within 5 working days shall evaluate:

(1)   whether the requesting employee is a part‐time or full‐time CRLA attorney and:

(i)     is newly employed and has a professional responsibility to close the representation or case from a previous practice, and does so as quickly as possible within the limitations of professional responsibility;

(ii)    acting on their own behalf, or on behalf of a close friend, family member or another member of the recipient’s staff;

(iii)  acting on behalf of a religious, community, or charitable group;

(iv)  participating in a voluntary pro bono or legal referral program affiliated with or sponsored by a bar association, other legal organization or religious, community or charitable group.

(2)   the extent, if any, to which the proposed outside practice of law might or will interfere with the CRLA employee’s ability to fully and efficiently perform their CRLA duties including the employee’s responsibility to serve CRLA clients through advocacy in both cases and matters;

(3)   the extent, if any, to which the proposed outside practice of law might or will conflict with or violate limitations imposed by law upon CRLA;

(4)   the extent, if any, to which the proposed outside practice of law might or will create or present or foreseeably give rise to a conflict of interest between CRLA and any CRLA client.

(C)   Within five (5) working days, the supervisor shall affix their evaluation and recommendation to the Request form, and forward to the Executive Director or the Executive Director’s designee;

The Executive Director or Executive Director’s designee shall, within three (3) working days of receipt of the recommendation from the requesting employee’s supervisor, determine whether to approve or deny the request. Approval may be limited upon such further conditions or restrictions as the Executive Director or designee find appropriate. The Executive Director’s failure to provide a response within this period shall not be construed as either an implicit approval or as a waiver of the requirement for approval. If the request is denied, CRLA shall provide a written explanation to the employee. CRLA reserves the right to rescind any approved Request Form at its discretion. CRLA shall not rescind an approval in an arbitrary or capricious manner. If the approval is rescinded, CRLA shall provide a written explanation to the employee.