Legal Ethics and Professionalism Seminar

Friday, December 3, 2004

8:00 a.m.– 4:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time

8:00- 9:00 Jesselyn Radack Former U.S. Department of Justice Attorney and honored by the Philadelphia Bar Association for her conduct as a lawyer. She will discuss the ethics of attorney federal whistleblowers serving the public interest while staying within the ethical bounds of client confidentiality rules. She will review how states can close the gap between confidentiality rules and whistleblower protection laws.

9:00- 10:00 Ross S. Howorth Business and corporate law attorney with Hiscock & Barclay, LLP, Rochester, NY. He will discuss the ethical considerations for using technology in practicing law and managing a law office, including the inadvertent failure to protect client confidences and secrets. He will also discuss the ethical use of websites.

10:15-11:15 Charles Lundberg Partner at Bassford Remele, a Minneapolis trial law firm. Mr. Lundberg served 12 years on the Minnesota Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board, and served as chair for the last 6 years. He will discuss how to minimize ethics and legal malpractice problems, and what to do when such issues arise. He will discuss the ethics of legal fees, and the self-reporting of ethics problems.

11:30-12:30 Bette K. Conrad, Shareholder and member of the Private Wealth Services Practice Group of the Florida Law Firm of Gunster, Yoakley & Stewart, P.A. She recently published a book, “The Tao of Legal Ethics,” and will explain the philosophy underlying legal ethics and how to achieve professionalism by practicing the Tao of legal ethics.

12:30-1:00 Lunch

1:00-2:00;

2-15-3:15 Doug Schafer. Principle, Schafer law firm of Tacoma, Washington. He will review the historical development and current status of client confidentiality rules. He will review recent cases concerning client confidentiality and discuss proposed changes to client confidentiality rules.

3:30-4:30 Zach Elsner He will discuss ethical issues involved with attorney liens and how a bar complaint may result from filing an attorney lien. He will describe how ethical rules and opinions have drastically limited the use of attorney liens. He will explain a proposal to amend the attorney lien statute to make it compatible with ethical rules.

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This program is sponsored by the Washington and Oregon Continuing Legal Education Forum, a non-profit organization. Registration and materials are at www.freecle.com. 7.0 C.L.E. ethics credits have been applied for from the Washington State Bar Association.