Agenda / Content Covered

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1. Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility: Current Rules and Challenges
   8:45 - 9:45, Barry Noeltner
   1. Competence
   2. Dedication to the Service of Clients
   3. Civility
   4. Improvement of Justice
   5. Advancement of the Rule of Law
   6. Service to the Community
2. Conflicts of Interest: Top Mistakes to Avoid
   9:45 - 10:30, Barry Noeltner
   1. Who is the Client?
   2. Commonly Overlooked Issues in Conflict Checks
   3. Not Obtaining Informed Consent/Waivers or Doing it Incorrectly
   4. Representing Clients with Adverse Interests Simultaneously
   5. Problems with Former Clients
   6. Ethical Wall Mistakes
   7. The Dangers of Highly Specialized Practices/Tightly-Knit Client Groups
3. Promoting Diversity and Inclusion in the Legal Practice
   10:45 - 11:40, Brandy L. Johnson
   1. Challenges Faced by Groups Underrepresented in the Legal Profession
   2. Eliminating Bias and Increasing Representation
   3. Barriers to Hiring, Retention, Promotion, Professional Development
   4. Communication Skills Necessary for Effective Representation of Diverse Clients
   5. Advancing Women in the Profession
   6. Mentoring Relationships Between Majority and Minority Attorneys
   7. Spotting and Fighting Age Bias in the Legal Profession
   8. Common Issues LGBTQ Attorneys and Clients Face
4. Substance Abuse and Addiction in the Legal Profession
   11:40 - 12:00, Brandy L. Johnson
   1. Types of Controlled Substances and Symptoms of Abuse
   2. Effects on Work and Clients
   3. Legal Obligations of Attorneys Who Suspect Substance Abuse in a Colleague
   4. Gambling, Work, Sex, Food, and Other Addictions: Causes, Detection, Remedies
   5. Competence Questions
   6. Lawyer Assistance Programs (LAP)

Accreditation Details:

BRANDY L. JOHNSON is an attorney with Early & Miranda, P.C., where her practice is in workers' compensation and employment law, but has experience in the areas of tort litigation, including premises liability, personal injury, appellate practice, insurance law, and medical malpractice. She earned her B.A. and J.D. degrees from Southern Illinois University Carbondale. Ms. Johnson is a member of the Illinois State Bar Association and serves on the Association's Standing Committee for Disability Law and its Diversity Leadership Council. She is a member of The Missouri Bar and has been a longstanding member of its Workers' Compensation Commission. Ms. Johnson is also a member of Inn of Court and the Illinois Jackson County Bar Association. She is admitted to practice in Missouri; Illinois, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Illinois.

BARRY NOELTNER is a partner with Heyl, Royster, Voelker & Allen, P.C., where he focuses on the defense of personal injury, construction, nursing home claims, and professional liability litigation. His personal injury experience includes defending product liability claims, workplace injury and exposure claims, and transportation injury claims. Mr. Noeltner is licensed to practice in Illinois and Georgia, including the federal district and appellate courts in those states, and has arbitrated construction cases with the American Arbitration Association. He is also a trained mediator. He earned his B.S. and J.D. degrees from Southern Illinois University.