EDUCATION

Education for Scientists

Our goal is to educate the scientific community about the legal system, their rights, and their responsibilities. When scientists understand the legal issues surrounding their work, they’re able to better protect themselves against intimidation, media smear campaigns, and other forms of harassment.

We often collaborate with public universities, scientific societies, and other partners to raise awareness of our programming and ensure that it reaches scientists who may be at risk of ideologically motivated litigation or other attacks.

We offer:

• Free Workshops: Our attorneys lead workshops that help scientists from all disciplines understand their legal rights and responsibilities, and also how these relate to science advocacy and engagement in policy-related activities. These events feature an overview of legal attacks on science and cover topics such as open records laws, how to separate personal advocacy from one’s professional role, how to deal with harassment and anti-lobbying regulations. We offer for these at universities and independent laboratories and in collaboration with a variety of scientific societies and non-profits.
• Webinars: Led by our staff attorneys and leading legal experts, our webinars cover topics that help scientists understand the legal system and how to protect themselves. Similar to our workshops, these help scientists, academics, and researchers understand the rules and regulations impacting their work.
• Our Services at Scientific Conferences: We partner with scientific societies and attend their meetings so we can engage directly with the science community. At these events, we provide free counseling services, discuss the legal issues facing researchers, and give updates on legal situations making their way through the court system. You can usually find us at the American Geophysical Union Fall Meeting and the AAAS Annual Meeting.
• Publications: We publish and distribute free educational resources to help scientists understand the risks they may face as a result of their work. View our complete list of reports and publications.

Please contact us if you’d like to partner with us on a project or arrange for a workshop for your group. Sign up for our mailing list to stay up to date with our education and outreach offerings.