In his popular column, Dear Ethics Lawyer, legal ethics expert Mark Hinderks answers interesting legal ethics and professional responsibility questions with concise, to-the-point responses. Join Mark for this live Q&A, following the "Dear Ethics Lawyer" format, to gain advice and guidance on emerging and common issues in public power. Issues covered could include generative AI, conflicts arising from lawyer pitches to clients, confidentiality obligations, inadvertent disclosures, joint representation and advance waivers, limitations on communications, discovering additional information post-settlement, obligations to an entity under Rule 1.13, and other similar topics.

Join a candid discussion with general counsel from public power utilities and joint action agencies as they share the legal, regulatory, and business challenges demanding their attention today. From cybersecurity and artificial intelligence to reliability, environmental compliance, workforce issues, data centers, litigation risks, and evolving federal and state policies, panelists will discuss the issues creating the greatest uncertainty—and the greatest opportunity—for public power.

Seize the final networking opportunity of the conference as you gather with your peers at this informal continental breakfast. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to foster connections that will endure after the conference ends.

Artificial intelligence is rapidly moving from experimentation to everyday business use, creating new opportunities—and new legal, regulatory, and ethical challenges. From data privacy and cybersecurity to bias, transparency, and accountability, public power utilities must establish clear governance frameworks that enable innovation while managing risk. This session will explore emerging AI regulations, ethical considerations, board and management responsibilities, and practical steps utilities can take to develop policies for the responsible use of AI.

The presentation will provide an overview of the Tariffs imposed over the past two years, the legal challenges and resulting court orders, and resulting opportunities for importers of goods to receive refunds. The presentation will also discuss the interrelation between the tariffs, utility procurement and domestic content requirements for federal tax credits and certain forms of federal funding.