SEVENteenth Annual Statewide Ethics Symposium

ETHICS 2013: DOING GOOD, BEING BAD,
GOING PUBLIC, BEING SAD

Presented by The State Bar of California Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct

Saturday, April 20, 2013
9:30 am to 5:15 pm  

University of California, Los Angeles, School of Law
385 Charles E. Young Dr. East
Classrooms 1347 & 1357
Los Angeles, CA 90095

6 Hours of MCLE Credit in Legal Ethics!

We gratefully acknowledge the UCLA School of Law for the contribution of its facility and generous support for this event.

Statewide Ethics Symposium

Program Schedule
Essential Information
Printable Brochure

PowerPoint Slides
 Panel 1 - Pro Bono
Panel 2 - Law Firm Dissolution
Panel 3 - Attorney Civility
Panel 4 - Trial Publicity


Please join us in honoring Paul W. Vapnek, the 2013 Harry B. Sondheim Professional Responsibility Award recipient, for his long-term contribution to the field of attorney professional responsibility.  Mr. Vapnek will be presented with this award at the Ethics symposium and will also be the keynote speaker.

Schedule of Events

8:30 - 9:30 a.m.

Registration

9:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m.

Welcoming Remarks

  • Neil J Wertlieb: Chair, Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct
  • Rachel F. Moran: Dean, UCLA School of Law

9:45 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.

Doing Good Made Easy (or at Least Easier): Ethical Issues Arising in Pro Bono Representations

This panel will examine the ethical issues that arise when lawyers "do good," by assisting needy clients on a pro bono basis. This distinguished panel of pro bono professionals will discuss ethical issues that often arise in pro bono representations, such as conflicts of interest, competency, communication, supervision and confidentiality.  The panel will also explore sensitive client issues, such as diminished capacity, managing client expectations, and withdrawal.

  • Neil J Wertlieb: Moderator; Chair, Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct; Partner, Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP, Los Angeles; Adjunct Professor, UCLA School of Law, Los Angeles
  • Renée Glover Chantler: Pro Bono Counsel, DLA Piper, East Palo Alto
  • Scott Cummings: Professor of Law, UCLA School of Law, Los Angeles; Faculty Chair, Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy
  • Amos Hartston: Chief Counsel & Director of Legal Services, Inner City Law Center, Los Angeles
  • Toby J. Rothschild: Member, Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct; General Counsel, Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, Los Angeles

11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Breaking Up is Hard to Do: Ethical Issues Arising in Law Firm Dissolutions and Partner Withdrawals

This panel will examine thorny issues that arise when lawyers and law firms “break up”;  when partners leave their firms, and when law firms dissolve.  The experienced practitioners on the panel will discuss the ethical limitations that govern what lawyers can and cannot do when they leave a firm, including notifications to clients and others, “grabbing” clients and matters, retrieving work product, and handling client files.  The panel will also consider the complex ethical issues that arise when law firms dissolve, including the impact of law firm bankruptcies and the implications on a lawyer’s ability to meet their duties to their clients.

  • Merri A. Baldwin:  Moderator; Member, Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct; Shareholder, Rogers, Joseph O’Donnell, San Francisco
  • Cecily Dumas:  Partner, Dumas & Clark LLP, San Francisco
  • Scott Garner:  Member, Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct; Partner, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius, LLP, Irvine
  • Pamela Phillips:  Partner, Arnold & Porter LLP, San Francisco

1 p.m. - 2 p.m.

Lunch & Keynote Address

Lunch: 1 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

2013 Harry B. Sondheim Professional Responsibility Award Ceremony & Keynote Address: 1:30 p.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Award Recipient and Keynote Speaker: Paul W. Vapnek,
Partner, Kilpatrick Townsend LLP

Presented By: Patrick Kelly, President, State Bar of California
2 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.

Sticks and Stones May Break Your Bones, But Your Own Words (and Conduct) Might Really Hurt You

This panel will examine the ethical issues that arise when lawyers cross the line from aggressive lawyering to uncivil or unprofessional conduct resulting in sanctions, contempt orders, reporting to the Bar, and more.  This distinguished panel of ethics attorneys and two Los Angeles Superior Court trial judges will discuss these issues from an ethics perspective and will look at real-life recent instances of courts taking steps to address attorneys’ lack of civility and professionalism.

  • Wendy Wen Yun Chang: Co-Moderator; Vice Chair, Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct; Partner, Hinshaw & Culbertson, LLP, Los Angeles
  • Alison Buchanan: Co-Moderator; Member, Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct; Shareholder, Hoge, Fenton, Jones & Appel, Inc., San Jose
  • Hon. Lawrence H. Cho: Judge, Superior Court of Los Angeles County
  • Hon. Holly Fujie: Judge, Superior Court of Los Angeles County; Former President, State Bar of California
  • Ellen Pansky: Partner, Pansky Markle Ham LLP, South Pasadena

3:45 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.

Loose Lips Sink Ships: Media, Confidentiality and Trial Publicity

This panel will address the specific legal and ethical rules that govern what lawyers can legally and ethically say to the press about a big case.  They will cover permissible statements in and out of the courtroom, and the ethical recourse you may have in responding to unfair adverse publicity.  Gag orders, due process issues, and both the California Rules of Professional Conduct and the ABA Model Rules will be addressed.  This panel will also consider the practical reality of how ethical dilemmas involving trial publicity commonly arise, how to see them coming, and how they can be addressed.

  • Wendy L. Patrick:  Moderator; Advisor, Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct; Deputy District Attorney, San Diego
  • Hon. Judith C. Chirlin, Ret.: Retired Los Angeles Superior Court Judge; Executive Director, Western Justice Center
  • Mark Geragos:  Partner, Law Office of Geragos & Geragos, Los Angeles
  • Laurie L. Levenson:  Professor of Law; William M. Rains Fellow; David W. Burcham Chair in Ethical Advocacy; Director of the Center for Legal Advocacy at Loyola Law School, Los Angeles 

Essential Information

Printable Brochure

For your convenience, we have provided a printable version of the program brochure  that duplicates the information on this web page.

Register Online

Online registration is available at https://www.ieventreg.com/17th_annual_ethics_symposium_2013.

Register by Mail or Fax

Print out and complete the Mail / Fax Reg. Form and return it with payment to the State Bar of California. Checks should be payable to the State Bar of California.

MAIL TO Program Registrations, State Bar of California, 180 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94105; OR

FAX TO Program Registration at 415-538-2368. In order to fax your registration, credit card information is MANDATORY. (Photocopies of checks will not be accepted).

Registration Fees

  • $155 Program Package includes: 6 hours of MCLE credit, resource materials and lunch
  • UCLA School of Law Alumni Fee: $125 Program Package includes: 6 hours of MCLE credit, resource materials and lunch
  • Student Fee: $60 Program Package includes: resource materials and lunch
  • Free of charge: admission to program only. No MCLE credit, resource materials or lunch (registration for free attendance is offered on a space available basis) MAIL OR FAX FORM ONLY.

Pre-Registration Deadline

In order to pre-register, your form and check, payable to The State Bar of California, or credit card information, must be received by April 12, 2013. Please register early as space is limited.

Cancellation / Refund Policy

All requests for refunds must be received in writing no later than April 12. Refunds will not be made for requests received after April 12th. However, with advance notice, your registration can be transferred to another person.

On-Site Registration

On-site registration is limited and subject to availability. Please register in advance.

MCLE Credit

This program offers up to 6 hours of MCLE credit in legal ethics. The State Bar of California and the Committee on Professional Responsibility and Conduct are approved State Bar of California MCLE providers.

Questions

For registration questions, please call 415-538-2508. For program content, please call 415-538-2167.

Special Assistance

Please call 415-538-2167.

Hotel Information

No special block of rooms has been arranged for this one-day event.  Visit the following website for information on lodging near the UCLA campus: http://www.admissions.ucla.edu/Tours/Accommodations.htm.

Airport

The closest major airport to UCLA is the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Driving Directions

From Downtown Los Angeles: Take the 10 Freeway westbound to the 405 Freeway northbound. Follow 405 Freeway northbound to Sunset Blvd. Exit.  Exit Sunset Blvd., heading East (turn right). Take Sunset Blvd. to Hilgard Ave. (Hilgard Ave. is at the northeast corner of the campus). Turn right on Hilgard Ave.  Follow Hilgard Ave. to the Westholme Dr. (second light) entrance to the campus. Turn right on Westholme Dr.  The parking kiosk is immediately on the right.

From the San Fernando Valley: Take the 405 Freeway southbound to Sunset Blvd. Exit. Turn left onto N Church Ln. Turn left onto Sunset Blvd, heading East. Take Sunset Blvd. to Hilgard Ave. (Hilgard Ave. is at the northeast corner of the campus) Turn right on Hilgard Ave. Follow Hilgard Ave. to the Westholme Dr. (second light) entrance to the campus. Turn right on Westholme Dr.  The parking kiosk is immediately on the right.

From LAX Airport and Orange County: Take the 405 Freeway northbound to Sunset Blvd. Exit Exit Sunset Blvd., heading East (turn right).  Take Sunset Blvd. to Hilgard Ave. (Hilgard Ave. is at the northeast corner of the campus). Turn right on Hilgard Ave. Follow Hilgard Ave. to the Westholme Dr. (second light) entrance to the campus. Turn right on Westholme Dr.  The parking kiosk is immediately on the right.

Get additional driving directions from Google Maps.

Visitor Parking

Visitors may purchase all-day (daily) parking permits ($11.00) at the parking kiosk on campus.  We recommend that you park in Parking Structure P2.  Walk along Charles E. Young Drive, up from P2 to the Law School, the entrance of which is located on Dickson Court.