Total Credits: 2.1 MCLE, 2.1 Ethics, 2.0 Kansas Credit-General, 2.0 Kansas Ethics
Can you practice with civility and still be a zealous advocate? Join our distinguished panel as they discuss timely, tough, and thought-provoking issues of ethics and civility in the practice of law, review pertinent provisions of the Rules of Professional Conduct, and explore ideas for building collegiality in the legal profession.
HIGHLIGHTS:
• The importance of a lawyer’s reputation
• Changes in the practice of law
• Practicing in a society where civility is under attack
• Do the Rules of Professional Conduct require civility?
• Civility in dealings with the judiciary
• Ethics & civility among lawyers in a litigation practice & a non-litigation practice
• Impact of incivility on public perception & the profession
• Providing zealous advocacy in a civil manner
• Strategies for developing a collegial & civil practice
Speakers: Hon. Duane Benton, United States Court of Appeals, 8th Circuit, Kansas City; Keith A. Cutler, James W. Tippin & Associates, Kansas City; Laura E. Elsbury, Chief Disciplinary Counsel, Jefferson City; Moderator: Sara G. Rittman, Jefferson City
Moderator:
SEP 22 | Laurie A. Washington, O'Reilly Auto Parts, Springfield
| Ethics and Civility in the Practice of Law (1.9 MB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| MOLAP Information (210.1 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
| Important Information for Attorneys Seeking Kansas Credit (102.8 KB) | Available after Purchase | ||
Judge Benton became a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit, in 2004. He previously served on the Missouri Supreme Court for 13 years (including two years as Chief Justice). He graduated from Northwestern University (with highest honors) and Yale Law School (serving as Law Journal managing editor).
Keith Cutler is a trial attorney with the law firm of James W. Tippin & Associates in Kansas City, and has practiced in the areas of commercial, construction, general liability, and insurance defense litigation for close to 35 years. He is a frequent CLE speaker on trial practice; ethics and professionalism; and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Laura Elsbury is Missouri’s chief disciplinary counsel, appointed by the Supreme Court of Missouri in the fall of 2022. Upon graduating from law school, she worked as an assistant attorney general for the state of Missouri for nearly 10 years. After leaving the Attorney General’s Office, and before joining the Office of Chief Disciplinary Counsel, she spent more than three years at the Missouri Ethics Commission as its general counsel.
Prior to becoming a lawyer, Laura spent 25 years working for Commerce Bank in Columbia.
Sara Rittman was an Assistant Attorney General from 2019-2022. She served on the office's Professional Responsibility Committee as well as serving in leadership roles in the Governmental Affairs and Litigation Divisions. She practiced legal ethics and attorney discipline law from 1993-2019, including private practice, as Missouri's first Legal Ethics Counsel, and at OCDC. She was also previously an AAG from 1981-1993. She received her JD from UMKC in 1981.
