38th Environmental Permitting Summer School

Join us for a panel discussion on business, ethics and technology for the modern environmental professional! 

Whether you are an engineer, lawyer, or consultant, and whether you practice in the public or the private sector, your clients rely on you to provide adaptable, ethical, effective, quality work. This panel is designed to help all types of environmental professionals adapt to ever-changing work environments and constantly-updating technologies while working within the existing ethical paradigms and standards of practice. 

The first half of this year’s panel will include an increased focus on security and best practices for securing and ensuring access to work outside the office, and will discuss the use of new technology, including chatbots and AI. It will also provide you with tools, tips, tricks, and resources to be able to provide that work whether you work in the office, in the field, or in a coffee shop, and will include a discussion of how the various ethical requirements for attorneys and other environmental professionals interplay with the increasing use of technology. It will also discuss the intricacies of moving between the public and private sectors and analyze various ethical rules related to switching from public to private clients, working in a remote locations, and various public records laws. Panelists will provide practical pointers to address each of these issues and offer tried-and-true advice to help professionals become more organized and effective by using digital devices to their full capabilities in light of ethical responsibilities. Part I of the session will finish with a discussion on troubleshooting your most vexing and everyday annoyances problems encountered using technology. Attendees are encouraged to come with questions for the panelists.

After the break, the second half of the session will focus on the online technology tools created by environmental agencies that environmental professionals can use to find answers to client questions and research queries. Part II will explore a variety of database tools provided by water management districts and DEP including DEP’s Geospatial Open Data Portal and StoryMaps. The panel will feature agency personnel and experienced users to learn the latest tips and tricks to make online information searches yield the best results. This will be an interactive experience and dialogue to explore and hone the skills environmental professionals need to effectively use these online resources. The session is designed to educate both the novice and the experienced technology user and is expected to generate Florida Bar CLE credits for ethics and technology. BYOD – Bring Your Own Device and Follow Along!

Part I – Using Technology to Work Effectively in and out of the Office  Instructors: Kathryn B. Rossmell,  F. Joseph Ullo, Jr., Danielle Irwin

Part II – Government Agency Resources and Databases  Instructors: Carlyn Kowalsky, Akin Owosina, Julia Lomonico