Areas of Practice

Official Misconduct

Official misconduct generally involves a public official committing an act or refraining to fulfill a duty of office, with the purpose of benefiting the official or someone else, or harming or depriving someone else of a benefit.

The official conduct must be a duty imposed by law and clearly a function of the position. Likewise, the official’s action or inaction must be clear-cut as intentional and not a mere breach in good judgment.

Bribery would be an obvious example of official misconduct. Bribery is a crime for both the person offering the bribe as well as the official accepting the bribe.