As a freshly minted Procopio employee, could former city attorney Jan Goldsmith “provide confidential information to the new employer that would be harmful to the City”?

As long expected by city hall insiders, ex–city attorney Jan Goldsmith is one more step along the road to his big-money reward in the lucrative world of influence-peddling. “As Of Counsel, Jan will be leading teams of Attorneys and support staff on a wide variety of matters ranging from government issues to business and business litigation, drawing on his varied experiences as a judge, city attorney, state legislator, and private attorney,” Kim Jewell, marketing director for the Procopio law firm, told the Union-Tribune.

“When employees leave City service, they often take with them insider information and close personal relationships with City decision makers that in some circumstances could be detrimental to the City or to other parties seeking to conduct business with the City,” notes the city’s website. “Without post-employment restrictions, that former City employee could provide confidential information to the new employer that would be harmful to the City in contract negotiations.”

Thus, a one-year “cooling-off” period prevents exiting officials “from being compensated to lobby the City on any matter for one year after they leave City service.” In a letter dispatched before she stopped the practice of issuing written advice, ethics chief Stacey Fulhorst told ex-mayor and newly hired chamber of commerce chief Jerry Sanders in May 2013, “During your one-year post-employment period (which commences on the date you left office as Mayor), the City’s post-employment lobbying provisions preclude you from engaging in any direct communications with a City Official on behalf of the Chamber for the purpose of influencing a municipal decision.”

The 12 months are expected to fly by for Goldsmith, at which time he could be doing all the influence peddling he wants. Current Procopio lobbying clients include North City builder Kilroy Realty; politically connected downtown developer OliverMcMillan; and multi-national mall owner Westfield, LLC.