This registration form is for Monday, October 19, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. ET
This program is also available on:
Tuesday, October 13, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. ET
Monday, December 14, 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. ET
This program was also presented on April 28 and July 8, 2026.
| MCLE Credit: | 2.0 (Ethics: 2.0) |
| Live-Interactive Credit: | 2.0 (all dates, all formats) |
Legal ethics is now one of the most dynamic and difficult areas of law. Every year brings significant changes to and new interpretations of existing ethics rules, all of which can profoundly affect your daily practice. Additionally, emerging technology continues to shape the practice of law, but it needs to be used correctly and in compliance with the rules. Hear from the people who run Virginia’s system to help you keep up to date and avoid potential ethics traps.
Topic Agenda
Hot Topics in the Law of Ethics
Review of the Most Significant Disciplinary Cases from the Past Year, Plus Rule and Procedural Changes
Registration Deadlines:
| Webcast: | 10 minutes prior to seminar. If you register for a webcast the day of the seminar, your e-mail receipt will include a link to launch the seminar and download the materials. |
| Telephone: | 10 minutes prior to seminar Call (434) 979-8253 to register up to one hour prior to the seminar |
Cancellation Policy: Cancellation/transfer requests will be honored until 5:00 p.m. the day preceding the seminar. You will, however, be charged $40 if you cancel or transfer your registration to a different seminar after the link to the materials has been e-mailed by Virginia CLE®.
Full refunds or transfers are available up to two days after a webcast in the unlikely event that you experience technical difficulties.
MCLE Credit Caveat: The MCLE Board measures credits by the time you spend in attendance. If you enter a seminar late or leave it early, or both, you must reflect those adjustments accurately in the credits you report on your credit reporting form. A code will be given at the end of the seminar, which must be written on your MCLE form.
Private recording of this program is prohibited.
Can’t Attend?
E-mail distance_ed@vacle.org to be notified when/if this program is made available as an online or USB seminar.
E-mail publications@vacle.org to be notified when/if this program’s seminar materials are made available for sale.
11:00 | Ethics Update for Virginia Lawyers 2026 |
1:00 | Adjourn |
Renu M. Brennan, Bar Counsel, Virginia State Bar / Richmond
Emily Hedrick, Ethics Counsel, Virginia State Bar / Richmond
Elizabeth K. Shoenfeld, Senior Assistant Bar Counsel, Virginia State Bar / Richmond
Renu M. Brennan, Virginia State Bar / Richmond
Renu Brennan is the Bar Counsel for the Virginia State Bar. She served as Deputy Executive Director of the VSB from 2016 to 2018, and as Assistant Bar Counsel for the Bar from 2008 to 2016. Ms. Brennan is Secretary of Lawyers Helping Lawyers and is a member of the ABA Standing Committee on Client Protection. She was a faculty member for the Virginia State Bar Harry L. Carrico Professionalism Course from 2008 to 2011, and she has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of Virginia since 2007. She also served as co-chair of the Judicial Nominations Committee of APABA-VA from 2009 to 2011. She participated as an instructor in the Virginia Bar Association’s Rule of Law program.
Prior to coming to the VSB, Ms. Brennan was a partner with the firm of Vandeventer Black, LLP, where she handled professional malpractice and commercial litigation. From 1998 to 2004, she was with the firm of Wright, Robinson, Osthimer & Tatum in Richmond, Virginia. She is licensed in Virginia, the District of Columbia, and California, where she practiced in Los Angeles. She holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and a law degree from Boston University School of Law.
Emily Hedrick, Virginia State Bar / Richmond
Emily Hedrick is Ethics Counsel for the Virginia State Bar and has been at the VSB since 2011. She currently serves as a staff liaison to the Standing Committee on Legal Ethics, the Special Committee on Technology and the Future Practice of Law, and recently concluded work with the Practice Management Task Force. She also drafts advisory ethics opinions and provides informal ethics advice to members of the bar through the ethics hotline.
Before joining the VSB, Ms. Hedrick was a law clerk fellow at the Supreme Court of Virginia Office of the Chief Staff Attorney. She has a B.A. in philosophy from the University of Virginia and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.
Elizabeth K. Shoenfeld, Virginia State Bar / Richmond
Elizabeth Shoenfeld is a Senior Assistant Bar Counsel for the Virginia State Bar, where she investigates and prosecutes ethical misconduct complaints against attorneys practicing in Virginia. Prior to joining the bar in 2015, she had a national litigation practice, focusing on defending automotive manufacturers in product liability actions. Since joining the bar, she has spoken throughout the Commonwealth on a number of ethics-related issues.
