Wednesday, September 16, 9:00 a.m.–12:15 p.m. ET
| MCLE Credit: | 3.0 (Ethics: 3.0) |
| Live-Interactive Credit: | 3.0 |
Three programs, one Garden State perspective on legal ethics. Professional legal educator Stuart Teicher, Esq. (known as The CLE Performer) brings his trademark straight-talking Jersey approach to ethical practice. Start with a defense of zealous advocacy that pushes back against the civility police. Then, move into strategic communication techniques that prove direct doesn’t mean unprofessional. Finally, finish with true crime stories about lawyers who crossed the line, showing exactly where ethical boundaries lie.
Agenda:
9:00–10:00 a.m.
Zealous advocacy doesn’t require sacrificing professionalism, and civility doesn’t mean weak representation. When the system crushes people, lawyers are the last line of defense—but effective defense requires both strength and strategic professionalism. This session explores the history of zealous advocacy and explains how civil, professional conduct actually strengthens client representation. Direct communication paired with professional civility produces better outcomes than aggressive posturing. The most effective advocates understand where ethical boundaries lie and use professional conduct as a strategic advantage.
10:00–11:00 a.m.
Balancing zealous advocacy with professional civility is an essential skill for today’s attorneys—and who better to teach it than someone from the Garden State? This session draws on his Jersey roots to show how direct, no-nonsense communication can actually strengthen your advocacy without crossing ethical lines. You’ll learn why being straightforward doesn’t mean being rude, and how authentic, strategic communication drives better results for clients while keeping you out of disciplinary trouble.
11:00–11:15 a.m.
Break
11:15 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
True crime doesn’t just happen in dark alleys and abandoned warehouses. It happens in conference rooms and courthouses, too. And when it’s lawyers who perpetrate those crimes, they have another problem: ethics issues. This session explores bad barrister behavior and the ethics lessons that lie beneath. Mr. Teicher will talk about real missteps committed by actual lawyers, he will explore why lawyers make such bad decisions, and he’ll distill the ethics lessons for everyone. Whether it’s true lawyer crime or true lawyer slime, this program helps lawyers avoid getting “bit in their true-lawyer behinds.”
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. |
Cancellation Policy: Cancellation/transfer requests will be honored until 5:00 p.m. the day preceding the seminar. You will, however, be charged $60 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.
| 9:00 | Defense of Zealous Advocacy That Pushes Back Against the Civility Police |
| 10:00 | Strategic Communication Techniques That Prove Direct Doesn’t Mean Unprofessional |
| 11:00 | Break |
| 11:15 | True Crime Stories About Lawyers Who Crossed the Line, Showing Exactly Where Ethical Boundaries Lie |
| 12:15 | Adjourn |
Stuart I. Teicher, Esq., is a professional legal educator who focuses on ethics law and writing instruction. He has been a practicing lawyer for over 30 years, and his career is now dedicated to helping fellow lawyers survive the practice of law and thrive in the profession. Mr. Teicher teaches seminars and provides in-house training to law firms and legal departments. He provides continuing legal education (CLE) instruction at law firm client events and also gives keynote speeches at conventions and association meetings.
Mr. Teicher helps lawyers get better at what they do (and enjoy the process) through his entertaining and educational CLE “performances.” He speaks, teaches, and writes— Thomson Reuters published his book entitled, Navigating the Legal Ethics of Social Media and Technology. His most recent book is entitled, How to Stop Hating the Law: A Path to Hope for Miserable Lawyers.
Mr. Teicher is a Supreme Court appointee to the New Jersey District Ethics Committee where he investigates and prosecutes grievances filed against attorneys. He also served on the New Jersey Office of Attorney Ethics Fee Arbitration Committee. Mr. Teicher is an adjunct professor of law at Georgetown Law where he teaches Professional Responsibility, and for 15 years he was an adjunct professor at Rutgers University in New Brunswick where he taught undergraduate writing courses. He also taught both Professional Responsibility and Legal Writing at St. John’s University School of Law in New York City.
