9th Annual Avoiding Legal Malpractice Seminar 2020 (Online Seminar)

A pre-recorded streaming video replay of the September 2020 webcast, 9th Annual Avoiding Legal Malpractice Seminar 2020.

Malpractice suits not only cost firms money, they also rob the firm’s leadership of valuable time they need to spend with clients or to address other management issues. They can also inflict enduring damage to a firm’s reputation.

The dynamic duo are back! This unique program, which consists of an attorney with over 30 years of risk management experience and an attorney with decades of experience defending legal malpractice cases, will provide both new and experienced practitioners with an overview of the most common legal malpractice claims (and related risks, such as cyber, management, and employment-related claims), and how to avoid them. During this 2-hour interactive seminar, Eileen Garczynski and Dennis Quinn will explain how to avoid the errors that frequently occur and how to respond appropriately to risky situations. They will also dive deep into the ethical issues associated with these risks. The speakers will discuss Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct 1.1 Competence, 1.2 Scope of Representation, 1.3 Diligence, 1.4 Communication, 1.5 Fees, 1.6 Confidentiality, 1.7 and 1.9 Conflict of Interest, 1.15 Safekeeping Property, 4.2 Ex Parte Communications with Represented Person, 7.1 Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services, as well as ABA Formal Opinion 489. Attendees should be able to come away from this session with ways to reduce risk while also making the firm eligible for favorable Lawyers’ Professional Liability Insurance pricing and coverage.

Topics of discussion will include:

• Conflicts recognition and resolution among affiliated companies
• Managing conflicts and waivers for outside counsel
• Maintaining client confidences and communications
• Client confidences and whistleblower actions
• Technology and cybersecurity concerns for in-house counsel
• Preventing and addressing corporate misconduct

FACULTY

Eileen Garczynski, Ames & Gough / McLean
Dennis Quinn, Carr Maloney / Washington, DC

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Eileen Garczynski, Ames & Gough / McLean
Eileen Garczynski is a senior vice president and equity partner of Ames & Gough. She is a lawyer by training and has more than 30 years of risk management and insurance experience. She leads the law firm initiative at Ames & Gough, focusing on the risk management and insurance needs of law firms. She is a Special Liaison to the American Bar Association's (ABA) Standing Committee on Lawyers' Professional Liability, having been a former member of that committee. She is also the former vice chair of the Insurance & Risk Management Committee for the Section of Intellectual Property Law of the ABA. Ms. Garczynski recently authored the second edition of How to Place a Cyber Liability Insurance Policy as well as a guide on Protecting Law Firms Against Management Liability Threats for the American Bar Association.

Dennis Quinn, Carr Maloney / Washington, DC
Dennis Quinn is a partner at Carr Maloney. He concentrates his practice on professional liability, commercial litigation, and ethics counseling. He has successfully represented hundreds of clients in legal malpractice actions, accounting malpractice actions, and ethical complaints, trying cases in most of the state and federal courts in the District of Columbia, Virginia, and Maryland. Mr. Quinn regularly advises lawyers and law firms on ethical issues, frequently speaking to bar associations and professional groups on ethics, risk management, and the avoidance of malpractice claims and bar complaints.  He is an elected representative to the Virginia State Bar Council and currently the chair of the Bar’s Standing Committee on Legal Ethics.