From the U.S. Government Accountability Office, www.gao.gov Transcript for: GAO’s Office of General Counsel Description: Attorneys at GAO provide several types of legal support to further the agency’s mission. Released: May 2018 [First Screen] Accountability [Second Screen] Integrity [Third Screen] Reliability [Fourth Screen] GAO logo [Narrator, visual of GAO headquarters in Washington, D.C.] The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), [visual of Capitol Hill with wording Congressional Watchdog] also known as the “Congressional Watchdog,” [visual of someone walking into GAO headquarters] is an independent, nonpartisan agency that helps Congress fulfill its constitutional duties. [visual of someone walking into the Office of the General Attorneys at GAO work in the Office of the General Counsel and ensure that GAO’s work for Congress is legally sound. [Office of the General Counsel - OGC] We have four main practice areas: [Office of the General Counsel - OGC] - Audit Support] about half of our attorneys provide legal services and advice, [Office of the General Counsel - OGC] - Audit Support - Bid Protest] around a third adjudicate or resolve bid protest, [Office of the General Counsel - OGC] - Audit Support - Bid Protest - Legal Services] and the remainder either serve as in-house counsel, [Office of the General Counsel - OGC] - Audit Support - Bid Protest - Legal Services - Appropriatons Law] or provide guidance on federal appropriations law. [Audit Support Attorneys] [Attorney #1] As an audit support attorney, I provide legal advice and services to assist the GAO analysts [Attorney #2] who are auditing and assessing federal programs, and I also ensure the legal sufficiency of GAO reports. [Bid Protest Attorneys] [Attorney #1] As a bid protest attorney, I resolve disputes of federal procurements within 100 calendar days, [Attorney #2] I write “bid protest” decisions, and may hold evidentiary hearings and conduct alternative dispute resolution. [Appropriations Law] [Attorney #1] As an appropriations law attorney, I provide formal decisions and informal advice [Attorney #2] in response to questions from congressional committees and federal agencies on how they can spend public money. [Legal Services] [Attorney #1] As a legal services attorney, I serve as in-house counsel to GAO management; I conduct litigation on behalf of GAO [Attorney #2] before administrative boards and in federal court, and handle labor-management relations at GAO. [Last Screen] GAO logo