LSC Code of Ethics and Conduct
Purpose
LSC maintains and enforces the highest standards of ethics and conduct. LSC expects all employees, officers, and Directors to perform their work with the utmost honesty, truthfulness, and integrity. The purpose of this Code is to establish LSC’s expectations for individual behavior, to provide basic guidelines for situations in which ethical issues arise, and to assist employees, officers, and Directors to carry out daily activities within appropriate ethical and legal standards. These ethical and legal standards apply to all of our business relationships and activities, including, but not limited to, those involving grantees, applicants, consultants, and vendors, as well as with one another.
The Code of Ethics and Conduct contains the following materials on the page numbers indicated.
1 Compliance
2 Leadership Responsibilities
3 Confidentiality
4 Conflicts of Interest, inlcuding Nepotism
4 Purpose
4 Statement of Policy
5 Scope
5 Definitions
6 Examples of Conflicts of Interest to Avoid
7 Reporting Requirements and Procedures
9 Confidentiality
9 No Retaliation
10 Violations of Policy
10 Outside Employment and Volunteer Activities of Employees and Officers
10 Use of LSC Property and Services
11 Conflict of Interest Questionnaire
11 Interpretation
12 Recordkeeping
14 Audits and Financial Statements
15 Protection of LSC Assets
16 Restricted Political Activities
17 Fair Dealing
18 Whistleblower Protection
18 Purpose
18 Statement of Policy
19 Scope
19 Examples of Unlawful or Unethical Activities
19 No Retaliation
20 Acting in Good Faith
20 Reporting Requirements and Procedures
22 Confidentiality
22 Anonymous Reporting
22 Records of Report
22 Interpretation
23 Equal Employment Opportunity
23 Purpose
23 Scope
24 Statement of Policy
25 Definitions
27 Reporting Requirements and Procedures
30 Confidentiality
30 No Retaliation
31 Acknowledgment Form
Message from the LSC Board Chairman and LSC President
As the single largest funder of civil legal aid for low-in-come Americans in the country, and as a steward of public funds, the Legal Services Corporation has a responsibility to conduct business with honesty and integrity in accordance with the highest ethical and legal stan-dards. LSC is guided by core values to define our conduct, in-cluding integrity, fairness, trust, respect, professionalism, excel-lence, diversity, and teamwork. These core values are not just aspirations. They are bonds that connect, unite, and focus us in our work. Ethical behavior serves as the foundation for meaning-ful and sustainable success. By operating at the highest ethical and legal standards, we all work to promote the delivery of the highest quality legal services to the greatest number of eligible clients, thereby maximizing access to justice. The LSC Code of Ethics and Conduct defines LSC’s values, responsibilities, and commitments. It is a framework that guides how we conduct our business and work with each other—and with the public—every day. It sets forth the Corporation’s standards and ex-pectations of conduct by all employees, officers, and members of the Board of Directors. Everyone at LSC is expected to do the right thing in the right way. Our conduct affects the integrity and credibility of the organization. Each of us plays an important role in establishing and sustaining an environment that is respectful of others, committed to excel-lence, and attentive to the highest ethical standards. Each of us is responsible for adhering to the letter and spirit of the Code to ensure LSC’s success. It is important that every one of us feels comfortable raising concerns and identifying potential issues, so we offer many channels of communication to seek guidance and report con-cerns. We do not tolerate any retaliation against anyone who raises a concern in good faith. Each of us needs to understand and abide by this Code every day, in everything we do. Please carefully review this Code and adhere to the standards it describes. While it cannot address ev-ery situation you may encounter, the Code is a valuable resource for helping ensure that our actions are consistent with LSC’s values and that we all work to safeguard LSC’s reputation. If you have any questions about the Code, please contact either of us, your manager, the Ethics Officer, the Director of the Office of Human Resources, or the Office of Inspector General.
John G. Levi, Chairman of the Board of Directors
James J. Sandman, President