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On March 27th, WTS Philadelphia teamed with ASHE Delaware Valley for a double dose of Ethics Technical sessions.

The first session was titled, “Ethics and the Expert Witness,” and was led by John A. Nawn, PE of Delon Hampton & Associates. John gave the legal definition of Expert Evidence as Testimony relating to scientific, technical or professional matters given by persons particularly qualified by reason of special training, skill or familiarity with the subject. He emphasized that an expert is defined by knowledge, skill, experience, training or education but not by PE licensure. An expert witness is not an advocate for their client but is there to offer an expert opinion based on facts. He ended by saying the Expert’s most important trait is credibility.

The second session was titled, “Ethical Considerations with Public Sector Assignments," and was led by Carol C. Martsolf, PE of Urban Engineers and Robert M. Wright, PE of Bowman. Their talk considered ethical issues associated with public sector clients, issues that must be addressed to protect both the consultant and the clients, and key guidelines and how to prevent awkward situations or violations. They each gave several practical examples including how the demolition of the original Penn Station building in NYC in 1963 created such a controversy that it became a catalyst for the architectural preservation movement in the United States.

The event, which offered 2 PDHs, was well attended as 135 people tuned into the virtual meeting! Thank you to everyone who joined us and to our speakers for sharing their expertise.