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Right-to-Know Law Roundtable
September 5, 2019 at 1:00 pm EDT
DATE & TIME
Thu, September 5, 2019
1:00 PM – 4:30 PM EDT
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LOCATION
Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association
3899 N. Front St.
Harrisburg, PA 17110
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The Right-to-Know Law Roundtable is the first event of its kind, a half-day session of panels and speakers filled with topics of interest to people who use the RTKL as requesters.
The schedule includes:
Opening Speaker: The Honorable Dominic F. Pileggi
Author of the Right-to-Know Law
Discussion: Practical Tips for Writing an Effective RTKL Request
Moderater: Angela Couloumbis (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Panelists: Melissa Melewsky, Esq. (Pennsylvania NewsMedia Association)
Jan Murphy (Pennlive)
Writing a request under the RTKL can be more art than science. This discussion will help requesters avoid pitfalls and make their requests as effective and efficient as possible with examples from case law and real-world experience.
Discussion: Enforcing OOR Final Determinations
Moderator: Joyce Davis (Pennlive)
Panelists: Adrienne Langer, Esq. (Cusick, DeCaro & Langer)
Terry Mutchler, Esq. (Mutchler Lyons)
Thea Paolini, Esq., MBA (Nauman, Smith, Shissler & Hall)
Agencies don’t get to choose whether or not to comply with a final determination issued by the OOR. Sometimes, however, agencies don’t comply. Does a requester have to go to court to enforce the OOR’s determination? What consequences could the agency face?
Discussion: Law Enforcement Records and the RTKL
Moderator: Cindy Simmons (Pennsylvania State University)
Panelists: Paula Knudsen, Esq. (The Caucus)
William Rozier (Pennsylvania State Police)
Liz Evans Scolforo (York Dispatch)
The RTKL doesn’t apply to police recordings like bodycams and dashcams, but it does apply to many records held by law enforcement agencies. What records are – and are not – available to requesters? This discussion will cover the State Police, local police departments, and more.
Interview: Using the Right-to-Know Law in Reporting
Moderator: Jaime Fettrow-Alderfer (Lebanon Valley College)
Panelist: Liz Navratil (Spotlight PA)
A conversation with a journalist who has used Pennsylvania's Right-to-Know Law to access government records which informed her reporting on issues of public interest.
The RTKL Roundtable is free and open to everyone. Although seating is necessarily limited, we plan to record the event and make it available online at a future date.
This program has been approved for 3 substantive CLE credits.
ABOUT OFFIT KURMAN
Offit Kurman, a full-service AmLaw 200 law firm with offices throughout the East Coast and in Southern California, serves dynamic businesses, individuals and families. Founded in 1987, the firm’s 280+ attorneys counsel clients across more than 30 areas of practice. Offit Kurman helps maximize and protect business value and personal wealth by providing innovative and entrepreneurial counsel that focuses on clients’ business objectives, interests and goals. The firm is distinguished by the quality, breadth and global reach of its legal services and a unique operational structure that encourages a culture of collaboration.
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