MIAMI – August 19, 2014 – Kerri L. Barsh, co-chair of the National Environmental Practice Group of the international law firm Greenberg Traurig, will participate as a speaker in the opening weekend for the 2014 “Leaders of Excellence,” an annual training program for South Florida elected officials at part of the Good Government Initiative. Specifically, Barsh will join the “Leaders of Success Panel on Ethics” and provide her perspectives as a legal advocate. The event, which is not open to the public, takes place on August 23 at the Courtyard Marriott in Coconut Grove, Fla.
Barsh’s session, titled “Ethics and Politics—How Do You Compromise without Being Compromised?,” will help participants better understand the rules, roles and relationships of key stakeholders, as well as what defines ethical reasoning and decision-making. The following speakers will join Barsh on the panel: Joe Centorino, Executive Director, Miami-Dade Commission on Ethics and Public Trust; Jan L. Jacobowitz, Esq., Lecturer and Director, Professional Responsibility and Ethics Program, University of Miami School of Law; Tim VanderGiesen, Chief, Public Corruption Unit, Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office; and Susan Trevarthen, Town Attorney and Chair of the Municipal Land Use and Zoning Group, Weiss Serota Helfman Pastoriza Cole & Boniske.
The mission of the Good Government Initiative is to cultivate leaders of excellence in South Florida through the development and training of elected officials and those aspiring to run for office, and to engage the community in its governance through outreach and education. From August to November every year, the group offers a certificate program for elected officials who receive more than 60 hours of training in the nuts and bolts of government in South Florida. This year’s Leaders of Excellence class includes 16 municipal elected officials and one school board member from throughout the South Florida region.
“I am honored to have been selected to share my knowledge and perspectives with this highly influential group of participants and am grateful for the opportunity to continue to help mold our current and future South Florida leaders,” Barsh said.
At Greenberg Traurig, Barsh represents public and private clients on an array of environmental regulatory, permitting and litigation matters, including transactional support and due diligence, environmental assessment and liability matters, energy and infrastructure projects, wetlands and coastal permitting, complex land use projects, air quality matters, hazardous materials contamination, and other compliance and enforcement cases.
Greenberg Traurig’s Environmental Practice is one of the firm’s oldest practice groups and consists of an integrated network of more than 60 lawyers and five environmental professionals in the U.S. and abroad. The firm’s results-oriented approach to problem-solving has led national companies and other organizations to turn to this team with their most challenging environmental issues.