Attorneys, paralegals and other legal support staff are probably not the first jobs that come to mind when thinking of a large engineering organization. At the Kansas City District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Office of Counsel plays a vital role in the district’s ability to execute its many missions — albeit sometimes in the background.
Practicing what is known as preventative law, the Office of Counsel is typically not the face of the Kansas City District. However, they play a critical role representing the legal position and rights of USACE as an organization and are engaged in the planning and design phase of many of the district’s projects to ensure smooth and effective execution from project conception to completion.
Attorneys and support staff at the district practice in areas such as contract law, fiscal law, torts and admiralty claims, environmental law and labor law. The people who make up the Kansas City District’s Office of Counsel are as unique and interesting as the work they perform. Let’s meet three of our assistant district counsels!
Jennifer Spangler
Jennifer Spangler practices both labor and contract law at the Kansas City District. As one of the district’s two labor attorneys, Spangler advises management on various labor relations issues — from issues involving the union to disciplinary matters.
“Typically, I work closely with what is called a labor management relations specialist and we act as a team to try and troubleshoot issues,” said Spangler. “I provide them with legal sufficiency if we do have to go through the route of discipline on various matters.”
Prior to joining USACE, Spangler worked for the Federal Bureau of Prisons for over 20 years, also practicing labor law. As a labor attorney by trade, she is no stranger to labor policies and regulations within the federal government. But adding on the role as a contract attorney at the Kansas City District was a new challenge—one she was excited to take on when she joined the team.
“I’ve enjoyed the fact that I’ve gotten involved in contracts,” said Spangler. “I never practiced contract law before this, so it was nice to learn something new for my career and take on a new challenge.”
Although learning to practice a different type of law has been challenging, Spangler likes the balance it brings to her work.
“[Practicing contract law] is a nice balance,” she said. “There’s a lot of personalities and emotions that go with labor law, whereas contract law is pretty cut and dry.”
Spangler received her law degree from the University of Toledo. Like many law students, she envisioned herself as a litigator or prosecutor. However, after an internship with the City of Toledo’s Department of Human Resources, Spangler realized labor law was the legal practice she wanted to pursue.
“I found I really enjoyed labor law, focused on that and took a lot of [labor law] courses in school that pointed in that direction,” said Spangler. “Most of my career, I’ve ended up practicing labor law.”
Outside of work, Spangler and her husband enjoy visiting national parks across the country, as evidenced by the photos displayed in her office. Her favorite? Yosemite National Park.
“Yosemite [National Park] is my favorite. I got to walk in the Footsteps of Ansel Adams,” she said.
Douglas Spale
When Douglas Spale joined the Kansas City District, it was his first time working for the federal government. As the district’s real estate attorney, he primarily supports the Real Estate Division, ensuring compliance with both federal law and the district’s policies and regulations.
Spale is well aware the Office of Counsel is sometimes (lovingly) referred to as the “Office of No” by his colleagues throughout USACE. But he takes it in stride, explaining that their goal is never to prohibit.
“Our goal isn’t ever to tell you ‘No.’ Instead, we’re trying to make sure everything is operating on the correct track, in the right manner,” he said. “One thing about effective lawyering is having the foresight to say, ‘I can see issues now, but I can also see issues in the future.’ And the way we do things now is to ensure that if those issues pop up later, we can effectively combat them.”
Before coming to work for the Kansas City District, Spale worked in private practice in real estate. But Spale didn’t enter law school knowing he’d go on to practice real estate law.
“My uncle is a federal judge in Nebraska and I’d always kind of wanted to be a judge. That was the impetus for law school,” said Spale. “My favorite class [in law school] was real property law … and then I got a clerkship working for a firm doing real estate law and then a clerkship for a Supreme Court justice in Illinois.”
Spale attended the University of Illinois Chicago and began working in private practice after receiving his law degree. His firm worked with municipal clients, so when a real estate attorney position opened at the Kansas City District, he thought it would be a good fit.
“The transition from local and state level to the federal level seemed like an easy transition,” he said. “And my uncle always said getting a federal job is something to be proud of.”
Outside of work, Spale enjoys traveling, especially with his three hunting dogs. Luckily, his job gives him insight into the many hunting and recreation opportunities at USACE lake projects throughout the district and beyond.
“When I first joined USACE, I didn’t quite understand the footprint we have,” said Spale. “But more and more, a lot of the things [we do] align with stuff that I enjoy. In the fall and winter, you can usually find me in a field, or in a lake, or a in a pond or stream somewhere so, that meshes well with [the work USACE does.]”
Lisa Kosek
Lisa Kosek is the other of the of the district’s two labor attorneys, a contract attorney and is also the district’s ethics attorney. Her work involves representing the agency in Equal Employment Opportunity and Merit Systems Protection Board actions, reviewing contracts for the district’s Hazardous, Toxic and Radiological Waste program and performing ethics filings and training.
In Kosek’s practice areas, she sometimes runs into the misconception that she is here to represent an individual but says this is not the case.
“I’m a lawyer; I’m not your lawyer,” she said. “We don’t represent individual employees. We represent the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and ultimately, the U.S. Army. I’m here to act in the best interest of the Army — always.”
As the spouse of a retired soldier and having previously worked as a labor attorney for the Army at Fort Irwin, California, Kosek does not take this responsibility lightly.
“This is the Army. We’re trained to fight and win America’s wars,” said Kosek. “Granted, we’re [USACE,] we’re not so much fighting wars but we play an important role.”
Kosek attended the University of Notre Dame where she received her law degree and initially practiced in personal injury litigation. However, after getting married and later moving to Fort Irwin with her husband, she was thrown into the world of Army labor law. Thankfully, she ended up loving it.
“I just jumped right in. I never envisioned myself working for the Army,” said Kosek. “I was doing labor and employment law, and I fell in love with it.”
Like many military families, Kosek and her family were stationed overseas, which was another career curveball. Ultimately, though, it ended up being a great experience. Stationed just outside of London, Kosek and her family were able to experience a different culture for a few years, having the opportunity to visit iconic places like Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square and the Tower of London.
“We fully embraced the English picnic,” she said. “[Living in England] gave us some really amazing opportunities. It was beautiful and wonderful, and I loved it.”
Outside of work, Kosek enjoys baking and staying current on her favorite British tv shows.