Becker & Poliakoff

Becker Shareholder & Certified Planner Katie Berkey Appointed to Florida Bar’s Board Certification Committee

Becker Shareholder & Certified Planner Katie Berkey Appointed to Florida Bar’s Board Certification Committee

Becker & PoliakoffThe Florida Bar recently appointed Katie Berkey, a shareholder and certified Professional Planner with Becker & Poliakoff, to serve on the City, County & Local Government Certification Committee. Katie, who is Florida Bar Board Certified in City, County and Local Government Law, will serve a 3-year term that began on July 1, 2021.

“Katie is exactly the kind of lawyer you want evaluating and upholding the standard of excellence in this practice area,” said Bernie Friedman, Chair of Becker’s Government Law & Lobbying Group, overseeing its Land Use & Zoning practice. “She knows what it takes to balance thorough practical knowledge in a constantly evolving niche with platinum grade client service. It’s her success on those clients’ behalf that uniquely qualifies her to assess others in our industry and makes her a great addition to this committee.”

The purpose of the nine-member City, County & Local Government Certification Committee is to identify those lawyers who practice city, county and local government law and have the special knowledge, skills and proficiency to be properly identified to the public as board certified in this niche practice area.

The committee will review and evaluate certification and recertification applications in accordance with area standards and recommend approval or denial to the Florida Bar’s Board of Legal Specialization & Education; prepare area examinations in accordance with test specifications and the drafting handbook and grade the exams; propose amendments to rules that govern the practice areas to ensure that the standards are current, attainable, and continue to represent the level of knowledge, skill, and proficiency expected of a “board certified specialist or “board certified expert;” and increase awareness of board certification through interaction with Bar sections, substantive law committees, the courts and the public.

ABOUT KATIE BERKEY
A Shareholder and certified Professional Planner with Becker & Poliakoff, Katie Berkey, AICP advocates for a wide variety of Florida clients facing zoning, land use and planning challenges. Her work on their behalf includes representing their interests before city and county commissions, councils, and boards; advising on the complex environmental resource and water use permitting process; and counseling on local and state code compliance. She also regularly negotiates the right contract terms for their private and government projects. Katie earned her Board Certification in City, County & Local Government Law in 2019. She is the only practicing professional to hold this Board Certification and the certified Professional Planner designation in Southwest Florida and is one of only eight to do so statewide.