12th Annual Avoiding Legal Malpractice Seminar 2023

This interactive lecture-style program is designed to provide law firms with an overview of the most common legal malpractice claims (including related risks, such as cyber, management, and employment-related claims), and how to avoid them. During this 2-hour seminar, Eileen Garczynski (an attorney with more than 30 years of risk management experience) and Dennis Quinn (an attorney with decades of experience defending legal malpractice cases) will give you a framework to identify and proactively address risks and opportunities across your entire firm.

Our experienced speakers will identify the errors that frequently occur in specific practice areas and advise on how to respond appropriately to risky situations. You will learn how to carefully select clients, manage the engagement and non-engagement of potential clients, and properly terminate a client relationship. The seminar will also cover how to avoid conflicts of interest, malpractice claims from a dissatisfied client, fee disputes, missed deadlines, untimely notice of claims to the insurer, and falling victim to Internet scams, as well as preventing employee theft and poor lawyering.

The speakers will discuss Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct Rule 1.1 (Competence), 1.3 (Diligence), 1.6 (Confidentiality), 1.5 (Fees), 1.7 (Conflicts of Interest), and more.

Covered topics include:

• Frequency and severity of legal malpractice claims
• The most common causes of legal malpractice claims
• The most common practice areas generating legal malpractice claims and why
• Issues with lateral hires and law firm mergers
• Conflicts recognition and resolution among affiliated companies
• Management of conflicts and waivers for outside counsel
• Protection of client confidences and communications
• Whistleblower actions
• Technology and cybersecurity concerns for in-house counsel
• Corporate misconduct

COVID-19 POLICY FOR LIVE-ON-SITE ATTENDANCE

By attending a live-on-site Virginia CLE^® seminar, you acknowledge the health risks associated with COVID-19 and that you MUST follow all Virginia CLE^® COVID-19 policies. You may NOT attend a live-on-site program if you have tested positive for COVID-19, if you are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, or if you are under any self-quarantine orders per CDC guidelines.

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.

Inclement Weather Policy and Updates.

COURSE SCHEDULE (September 7) (Eastern Time)

• Sign-in for live seminar attendees in Charottesville begins at 10:30 a.m.
• Q&A will be handled via chat room for Webcast attendees.
• Q&A will be handled via e-mail for telephone seminar attendees.

COURSE SCHEDULE (October 2) (Eastern Time)

• Q&A will be handled via chat room for Webcast attendees.
• Q&A will be handled via e-mail for telephone seminar attendees.

COURSE SCHEDULE (October 31) (Eastern Time)

• Q&A will be handled via e-mail for telephone seminar attendees.

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. With over 30 years of insurance and legal experience, she leads the law firm initiative, focusing on the risk management and insurance needs of law firms. She is also a liaison to and former appointed member of the American Bar Association’s (ABA) Standing Committee on Lawyers’ Professional Liability and the former vice chair of the Insurance & Risk Management Committee for the Section of Intellectual Property Law of the ABA. She is a regular speaker at industry and bar related events and a frequent writer of industry related publications.

Ms. Garczynski joined Ames & Gough in 2007 and is located in the firm’s McLean, Virginia, office. She previously served as a claims manager and inside counsel for both Travelers Insurance Company and Wausau Insurance Company. She also was a litigation and risk manager for the American Red Cross and spent seven years with LexisNexis as a strategic market planning manager, developing key insurance and legal products for Fortune 500 companies, law firms, and insurers.

Ms. Garczynski received her law degree from the University of Baltimore School of Law, a market strategy certificate from Georgetown University, and her undergraduate degree, cum laude, from the College of Wooster.

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. He served six years on the Virginia State Bar’s Standing Committee on Legal Ethics, three as the Committee’s chair. 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.