A master of the courtroom stage who possessed an uncanny understanding of human character, Clarence Darrow was arguably the greatest trial lawyer of the twentieth century. An adamant opponent of capital punishment and a passionate proponent of civil and human rights, he was often called the "Attorney for the Damned" because he fought for the underdog and took on criminal cases thought to be hopeless. Yet, while commanding respect as a trial lawyer, Darrow was often embroiled in bitter controversy for his unpopular stands on many issues and criticized for his purported unethical professional behavior.
The ABA and Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation’s (ABA/HBFF) groundbreaking 2016 study confirmed devastatingly high rates of both mental health concerns and substance abuse amongst lawyers. For example, between 21-36% of attorneys qualify as problem drinkers—3-5x higher than the general population. Moreover, 25-30% of attorney disciplinary matters, 60% of all malpractice claims, and 85% of...
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 ...
Join attorneys Becky Howlett and Cindy Sharp for this timely webinar as they explore the prevalence of burnout, stress, depression, and anxiety in the legal profession.
The landmark 2016 study on lawyer impairment, Patrick R. Krill, JD, LLM, et al, The Prevalence of Substance Use and Other Mental Health Concerns Among American Attorneys, 10 Journal of Addiction Medicine 46...
Want to get something for nothing? Has that ever turned out well? Maybe yes...maybe no. But it can with cloud technology. Plenty of legal organizations subscribe to Microsoft 365 and do so primarily for Word, Excel, and Outlook. But there's another great benefit to Microsoft 365 - whether you are a solo attorney or a multi-member firm: OneDrive. Every Microsoft 365 subscription includes...
In this program, attorney/songwriter Jim Jesse discusses the unique issues faced when representing an organization as a client, particularly one as unique as a musical group. in this case, Jesse uses The Beatles and Rolling Stones as examples. Picture yourself as General Counsel for the two biggest bands in the world. And there's plenty of overlap between the two bands...
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
IOLTA account mismanagement is one of the most common reasons attorneys find themselves in disciplinary hot water. In most cases, the attorney has never been trained how to handle a trust account, or what the best practices are for handling one. In this program, attendees will learn about the relevant Rules of Professional Conduct, and how they can use best practices to account for all client and
Law and medicine were always the pair: well-respected professions, pathways to middle class (or better!) comfort, and laggards with technology. Whether you went to a doctor’s office or a lawyer’s office, paper ruled the day. But that’s changing. One of the last bastions of “paper is king” is the executed document – “wet” signatures serving as proof ...
Attorneys often represent people who have been traumatized as victims of abuse, crime, or other adversity. As the matter unfolds, lawyers, staff and judges alike may be exposed to emotional stories, highly charged situations, as well as gruesome and disturbing evidence, which can lead to secondary or vicarious trauma. Symptoms include burnout, PTSD, irritability, difficulties with sleep and ...
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.