Illinois (IL) Ethics CLE Course Catalog

In the latest installment in the popular “Negotiation Ethics for Lawyers” series, Zach McGee examines the use of “paltering” in negotiations – the active use of truthful statements to create a false impression – to explore whether such behavior by lawyers is ethical. Paltering is a way of deceiving the other side that differs both from lying by commission – where you misstate facts – and lying by omission – where you fail to provide information. In this program, you’ll not only learn to spot when the other side in a negotiation is paltering but also to understand why paltering works so well and why people have such different views on whether it is ethical. Using a hypothetical negotiation between lawyers, Zach will review the ethics rules that apply to lawyers in negotiations and discuss whether paltering in this context is permitted by the rules. You’ll also learn some negotiation techniques that you can use when your opponent is paltering to protect yourself and your client from being deceived. Rules covered include: ABA Model Rules 4.1 & 8.4; Cal. Business & Professions Code Sec. 6068.

In this third program in the series, Zach McGee explores the topic of business ethics versus legal ethics to help you answer two key questions: what are your business clients taught about ethics, and how can you, as their lawyer, help them make ethical business decisions? Zach uses notorious scandals at Theranos, Volkswagen and Turing Pharmaceuticals to illustrate how real-world institutional and competitive pressures can lead some business leaders to follow unethical business practices. Rules covered include: ABA Model Rule 2.1; ABA Model Rule 4.1; and Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code Section 6068.

In this installment of our Double Play series, our two, thirty-minute programs cover five ethical traps in defending class actions and ethical issues in multijurisdictional practice. Can your company offer customers a discount on future purchases in exchange for a waiver of claims after a class has been certified? Can you ethically obtain declarations from putative class members to help oppose class certification? This program considers these and other important ethical issues that often arise in class actions. How well do you know the rules that govern your ability to perform legal services in a state where you are not licensed or the sanctions for violating them? This program gives you the guidance you need to avoid engaging in the unauthorized practice of law.

We all know that CLE programs are boring and a chore to watch. But we’re breaking the rules – a CLE program that’s intentionally funny and (gasp) entertaining, yet somehow still informative. In the latest installment of this popular series, actor, writer, producer and recovering lawyer, Mark Wooster, presents a humorous take on what lawyers should not do in the service of their clients. Using clips from some recent television shows and a recent feature film, Mark will illustrate the ethics rules that apply to lawyers who can’t seem to behave themselves like ethical human beings much less ethical lawyers. Reserve your seat today and we’ll waive the two-drink minimum!

We all know that CLE programs are boring and a chore to watch. But we’re breaking the rules – a CLE program that’s intentionally funny and (gasp) entertaining, yet somehow still informative. Actor, writer, producer and recovering lawyer, Mark Wooster, presents a humorous take on what lawyers should – and should not – do in the service of their clients. Using clips from some famous films and television shows about lawyers as well as some real-world examples of lawyers and judges gone “rogue,” Mark will illustrate the ethics rules that apply to lawyers who get caught in unusual and embarrassing situations. Reserve your seat today and we’ll waive the two-drink minimum!

They say that love is blind, but it is also unethical? Recently, many states have enacted legal ethics rules that expressly prohibit dating a client, while in others, lawyers remain free to date a client unless the romantic relationship adversely affects the lawyer’s representation of the client. In this topical and engaging program, Andrew Struve examines the legal, ethical and practical implications when lawyers choose to date clients and other lawyers.

Stuart Teicher, Esq., doesn’t call them “virtual assistants”,  he calls them “virtual career killers.” That’s because the use of these devices are fraught with serious ethics issues. Join the CLE Performer Stuart Teicher, Esq., as he explores the never-ending problems with virtual assistants and related technologies. Rule 1.1 and Rule 1.6 discussed.

E-signatures have become a part of the practice, but there are ethical concerns with that. Join the CLE Performer Stuart Teicher, Esq., as he talks about digital signatures and a few other new ethics issues with technology.

Attorneys in film are constantly violating the ethics rules. Of course, the public probably doesn’t realize it, but us lawyers need to make sure that we don’t repeat these sometimes ridiculous gaffes. Join the CLE Performer, Stuart Teicher, Esq., as he explains the sometimes obvious and sometimes subtle ethics violations committed by lawyers in movies and on TV.