Lawyers need to know about AI because it is changing the entire scope and delivery of legal services. AI in the legal profession is about far more than machine learning and eDiscovery. Just as businesses outside the profession use AI in basic chatbots on web sites, in automated answering and customer service phone portals and for sophisticated data searching and analytics tools...
Everyone has biases. It’s natural. While me might recognize our own explicit biases, the unconscious nature of implicit bias makes them easier to ignore. Unfortunately, ignoring our implicit biases impacts not only our practice success, but our entire life and reputation.
When we are able to recognize our own biases, and those of others, we can be in control of changing systematic biases within our workplace and society...
Join veteran attorney Cindy Sharp and certified contemplative practices teacher and attorney Becky Howlett as they unpack age bias in the legal field—what it is, why it matters, and ways to enhance collaboration across all age levels. Addressing ageism in the legal profession can strengthen cross-generational collaboration, meaning better service for clients and more fulfilling workplaces ...
Ever since law firms began using computers, there have been concerns about whether attorneys must or should use special security measures, like encryption, to protect confidential and sensitive information. Changes in ethical and procedural rules, including requirements that lawyers must (1) be technologically competent and (2) redact court filings, highlight the need for lawyers to be proactive w
Smartphones are in reality powerful computers that store massive amounts of data, potentially including information that lawyers are required to keep confidential under the Rules of Professional Conduct, such as client names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, and other information.
This program will discuss the data stored by smartphones, and the dangers created by apps that can access ...
Join Attorneys Cynthia Sharp and Rebecca Howlett in this cutting-edge CLE course exploring the benefits, pitfalls and potential ethical considerations as you incorporate ChatGPT into your legal practice. Through real-life examples and live demonstration, we will examine how ChatGPT can enhance legal research, drafting, client communication and even marketing. Don't miss out on this opportunity...
Female lawyers’ median weekly pay is 26.5% less than male lawyers and the pay gap is larger for partners and only getting worse. The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has commented that the gender pay gap is “an embarrassing reality of our economy.” In this presentation we review the history of the gender pay gap and determine if there has been any progress in the last 50 years.
Ethical conduct is a key to being an effective attorney. Each week we read about disciplinary cases where attorneys are suspended for misconduct involving clients, the courts, or other attorneys.
In this presentation we examine disciplinary cases involving the misuse of social media and the types of conduct that result in disciplinary action and suspensions. We will examine the rules of professional...
Videoconferencing is supposed to be the pandemic equivalent to in-person meetings, from meeting with a client to appearing before a judge. It is equivalent, in the sense that you can still meet or network “in-person,” but the person is encapsulated in a tiny square. It isn’t equivalent when you realize that most participants are sitting at home in the corner of their ...
Everyone knows lawyers are not supposed to chase ambulances, but do you really know what that means? What are the ethical traps that lawyers unintentionally fall into when placing information on their websites? Is it okay to say you “specialize” in an area of law? Refresh your memory of the basic marketing ethics rules that you haven’t looked at since you took the MPRE. There are
Note: Attendance at approved live course events are required to be reported by the Maine State Bar Association (course sponsor) to the Board of Overseers within 30 days following the program. Certificates of completion are for attorney records only and should not be submitted individually to the Board and will not be accepted by the Board.