Real Metamorphosis or More of the Same: Navigating the Practice of Law in the Wake of Ethics 20/20 - Globalization, New Technologies, and What it Means to Be a Lawyer in These Uncertain Times

On April 4 and 5, 2013, The University of Akron School of Law’s Miller-Becker Center for Professional Responsibility (“MBC”) hosted the symposium, Navigating the Practice of Law in the Wake of Ethics 20/20 – Globalization, New Technologies, and What It Means to Be a Lawyer in These Uncertain Times (Ethics 20/20 – Uncertain Times). The symposium examined the myriad of changes and problems confronting the bar, legal education, and the courts. Although law schools, courts, and the organized bar have provided a steady supply of programs addressing the recent changes confronting the profession and legal education, Ethics 20/20 – Uncertain Times was the first to examine some of these changes after the American Bar Association (ABA) Ethics 20/20 Commission (Ethics 20/20 Commission) concluded its work. The Ethics 20/20 Commission conducted an almost three-year review of the profession’s ethics rules and practice standards in light of new technologies and the increased globalization of the delivery of legal services. Ethics 20/20 – Uncertain Times sought, in part, to better understand the challenges confronting lawyers – or “what it means to be a lawyer in these uncertain times” – and whether the Ethics 20/20 Commission’s recommendations really helped the profession regarding the challenges of globalization, new technologies, and related concerns (e.g., multi-disciplinary practice (“MDP”))

The New Era - Quo Vadis?

Although the Miller-Becker Institute for Professional Responsibility (the MBI) planned its Inaugural Symposium before the creation of the 20/20 Commission, the Symposium brought together twenty-six national and international experts to examine the consequences of globalization, rapid technological change, and more

The Cost of Humanitarian Assistance: Ethical Rules and the First Amendment The Second Annual Symposium on Legal Malpractice & Professional Responsibility.

Abstract Forthcoming

Entertainment Law - The Specter of Malpractice Claims and Disciplinary Actions

There is significant risk today that lawyers will become the target of a disciplinary or legal malpractice action, especially given the complexity of the law and advances in technology that reduce the amount of time that lawyers have to reflect about client matters. This risk is heightened by the increased competition in the bar to deliver legal services in a cost-effective manner, the sophistication of clients who expect competent, efficient and reasonably priced services, and the litigious nature of consumers. The risk is further exacerbated by the ever-changing methods and rules for electronic communication and the storage of information. The magnitude of the risk is underscored by the prediction that law school graduates will be the subject of three or more claims of legal malpractice before finishing a career. This article examines some good practice standards that minimize the risk that a lawyer will become the target of a legal malpractice or disciplinary action. These standards should also reduce the risk of a lawyer becoming the object of a disqualification or Rule 11 motion. This article discusses these standards in the entertainment law context but they also apply to a variety of practice areas, for example, sports law