Practicing with Professionalism
Practicing with Professionalism
Presented by the Colorado Supreme Court Office of Attorney Regulation and the Colorado Bar Association
You must have your NCBE number (National Conference of Bar Examiners) or your Attorney Registration number to claim credit for this class!
This is a MANDATORY course and is a condition of admission to the Colorado Bar. The course starts promptly at 9 a.m. Late arrivals may be denied admission.
Declining professionalism within the legal community continues to threaten the standing of our profession in the eyes of the public, and leads to increased dissatisfaction among lawyers themselves. Therefore, maintaining high standards of professionalism within Colorado's legal community remains a high priority for the Colorado Supreme Court and the Colorado Bar Association.
Professional responsibility (legal ethics) and lawyer professionalism are related but separate concepts. Professionalism is concerned with the aspirational aspects of lawyering, how lawyers should act, their commitment to our justice system, and their public service obligations. Legal ethics include, but are not limited to, the scope of representation, duties to the court and to your client, conduct while forming, representing, and terminating a relationship with a client, and a vast array of issues concerning how you manage your law practice. This course agenda embraces all values inherent in lawyer professionalism. We look forward to presenting this course to you!
Agenda:
8:15 - 8:55am
Registration and Continental Breakfast
9:00 - 9:45am
Introduction
Welcome to the Profession
- The Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel
- The disciplinary process
- Principles of Professionalism
9:45 - 10:35am
Elements of a Practice
- Government lawyers, D.A.s and P.D.s
- In House Counsel
- Private lawyers
- Finding and evaluation potential clients
- Conflicts screening
- Entering into the attorney-client relationship
- Identifying the client
- Defining the scope
- Office management issues
- Calendar and filing systems
- File retention
10:35 - 10:50am
Refreshment Break
10:50 - 12:00pm
Managing the Money
- Trust Accounts
- Accepting, accounting for, and disbursing client funds
- Record keeping
- Financial record retention
- Fee Agreements
- Flat fees
- Contingent fees
- Billing Issues
12:00 - 12:30pm
Lunch Break - (Lunch Provided)
12:30 - 12:40pm
Resources for Lawyers: CAMP
12:40 - 1:35pm
Relationships with Clients and Courts
- Standard vs. Alternative Client Relationships
- Unbundling
- Ghost writing
- Conflicts arising during the representation
- Confidentiality vs. privilege
- Neglect-communication-competency
- Billing
- Termination/withdrawal
- Duties to courts
1:35 - 2:20pm
Duties to Third Parties and Beyond
- Ethical duties to third parties
- The duty of honesty
- Not-so-private conduct
- Criminal conduct
- Discipline in other jurisdictions
- Dishonest conduct
- Boundary issues
2:20 - 2:30pm
Resources for Lawyers: COLAP
2:30 - 3:00pm
Q & A
3:00pm
Adjourn
Location Information
CLECI Large Classroom
1900 Grant Street, Suite 300
Denver, CO 80203
Get directions
1900 Grant Street, Suite 300
Denver, CO 80203
Registration Fees
| CBA Member | $100.00 |
| Non Member | $100.00 |
- General Credits: 6.00
- Ethics Credits:
- EDI Credits:
To join the CBA or add a Section to your membership click