Breaking Away from Bad: Avoiding Troublesome Clients and Ethically Handling Mistakes Made for the Good Ones

Expired

Program Number

31204

Program Date

2021-08-31

CLE Credits

The myth has been dispelled: attorneys are not perfect. Sometimes we take on clients we later regret; sometimes we make errors in handling a client matter. Neither are situations any lawyer wants to be in, but since they most likely will happen to you at least once, it’s important to know what you can do, as well as what you are required to do.

In this 60 minute video webcast, two professional responsibility lawyers will dig into these two distinct, but compatible issues. Learn about how to avoid “unworthy” clients and how to communicate about and address the mistakes you make for the clients you do take on.

Presenters will discuss a number of the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct, including 1.1, 1.2, 1.3, 1.4, 1.8, and 1.16.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

There are two kinds of “bad” every lawyer wants to avoid: making a mistake that impacts a client, and having a “nightmare” client. Be better prepared when “bad” happens to you! This webcast explores:

appropriate steps to ensure you don’t take on “bad” clients (Model Rules 1.2, 1.16)
the kinds of ethical infractions that become more likely with problematic clients

the scope of the duty to communicate with clients under Model Rule 1.4
what it means when a lawyer comes to realize that he or she may have made a misstep in handling a matter (Model Rule 1.8)