International Legal Ethics Conference IV

Date: July 15-17, 2010
Location: Palo Alto, California (Stanford Law School)
More Information: Web Site

The Stanford Center on the Legal Profession will host the fourth International Legal Ethics Conference, at Stanford Law School on July 15-17, 2010. This, event, co-sponsored by the American Bar Association Center for Professional Responsibility,  will be the first time the conference will occur in the United States.

The conference is titled “The Legal Profession in Times of Turbulence,” and will focus on a broad range of issues including the conditions of legal practice, bar regulatory structures, law firm culture, access to justice, diversity, cause lawyering, client relationships, conflicts of interest, globalization, and legal ethics education.

Risk Sessions of Note

Please see the complete conference program.

Compliance for law firms

Date: June 8-9, 2010
Location: London
More Information: Web Site

Law firms are facing an explosion of regulatory and compliance obligations coupled with an increasing severity of penalties for those who fail to comply. The need to invest in compliance and develop a formal compliance programme is of increasing importance, not only to address the constantly changing compliance burden but also to ensure the overall success of your firm.

• Are you therefore satisfied that your firm is complying with its obligations?
• Are you aware of the latest regulatory and compliance developments?
• Do you realise how serious the implications are if your firm fails to comply?

With developments in outcomes-focused regulation, updates to anti-money laundering regulations, and changes to Rules 3 & 4 - conflicts and confidential information, to name but a few, Managing Partner’s Compliance for law firms conference will keep you abreast of all the latest developments and address the key issues and challenges you face.

Risk Sessions of Note:

Evolving your compliance measures and risk management strategy

• Responding to challenges facing risk stakeholders including resource limitations, internal communications, expanding external rules and internal expectations
• Securing and aligning new resources for firm risk and compliance teams – understanding the business case and addressing requirements for staff and technology
• Communicating the value and importance of the risk organisation and its efforts across your firm
• Understanding new avenues and approaches for working with industry peers on developing team expertise and acceptable risk response and compliance guidelines

John Sharkey, Director, Risk Practice, IntApp
Amasis Saba, Compliance Manager, Berwin Leighton Paisner LLP

ABA National Conference on Professional Responsibility

Date: June 2-5, 2010
Location: Seattle, WA
More Information: Web Site

The ABA Center for Professional Responsibility invites you to join us for the 36th National Conference on Professional Responsibility at the Westin Seattle on June 2-5, 2010. The Conference will be held in conjunction with the 26th National Forum on Client Protection. Legal scholars, jurists and specialists in the professional responsibility field will gather for three days of intensive seminars covering a wide range of topics, including: ethical preparation of witnesses; conflicts; confidentiality and attorney-client privilege; the ethics of investigations; sanctions for trial conduct; SEC prosecutions of lawyers; prosecutors' special responsibilities under amended Rule 3.8; virtual law practice; and restrictions on the right to practice.

Risk Sessions of Note:

On Friday afternoon, attendees are invited to participate in optional roundtable discussions including the work of the ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20, academic research projects and ideas, and ethics/risk management functions at a law firm or corporate law department, sponsored by the ABA Business Law Section Firm Counsel Project.

Constructing Risk Assessment Frameworks for Law Firms: Enhancing your firm’s risk management in a changing legal landscape

Date: April 15-16, 2010
Location: London
More Information: Web Site

With the regulatory landscape of the legal profession undergoing a significant overhaul and the model of legal services opening up for joint ventures, now is the time that law firms must start thinking about adapting their risk assessment frameworks to prepare themselves for – and capitalise on – the changes. Failure to adequately adapt their risk strategies could result in a loss of profits or fines being incurred due to non-compliance.

Featuring in-depth presentations and discussions, as well as an afternoon workshop, Ark Group’s 6th Annual Constructing Strategic Risk Assessment Frameworks for Law Firms conference will provide you with contributions from the leading figures in the field

Risk Sessions of Note:

Best practices for using technology to reduce risk
and enhance compliance

• Review of FSA insider tracking requirements and
  how MAD mandates vary across geographies
• The technology landscape - how new tools create new »
  risks, but can also help address them
• How to identify and address disconnects between policy
  and practice, risk and IT stakeholders
• Implementing information barriers to address confidentiality requirements
• Addressing FSA/MAD requirements by automating insider list management, tracking and reporting

John Sharkey, Director, Risk Practice, IntApp
Annette Fritze-Shanks, Head of Professional Standards
and Compliance, Taylor Wessing LLP

Strategicy Risk Management: Examine the latest and imminent regulatory updates and gain a competitive
advantage by enhancing your risk strategy to meet client expectations

Date: March 15, 2010
Location: London
More Information: Web Site

Hear the objectives of the new Solicitors Regulatory Board
from the SRA and on regulating for competition from the
Legal Services Board

Re-evaluate anti-money laundering regulations, the
potential impact of the Bribery and Corruption Bill and
assess the market abuse directive and methods to prevent
insider dealing

Take on board the various strategies of large law f rms in
preparing for SRA assessments and feedback post audit

Risk Sessions of Note:

Managing insider risk and addressing FSA insider list
management requirements

• Review of FSA insider tracking requirements and
  how MAD mandates vary across geographies
• Understanding risks and challenges posed by
  information technology
• Ensuring internal awareness, confdentiality and
  information barrier enforcement
• Addressing FSA requirements by automating insider
  list creation, tracking, updates and reporting
• Positioning frm capabilities to clients as
  a differentiator

Legal Malpractice & Risk Management Conference

Date: March 3-5, 2010
Location: Chicago, IL
More Information: Web Site

The Ninth Annual Conference is focused on current and important developments in the law and litigation of malpractice claims, legal malpractice insurance and risk management strategies.

The 2010 Legal Malpractice & Risk Management Conference offers interactive panels comprised of leaders in their respective fields, from professional liability practitioners and law firm general counsel to insurance professionals. Each panel will provide a comprehensive examination of current developments with an emphasis on recent legal decisions.

Risk Sessions of Note:

Managing Client and Law Firm Data, and What Gives When Client and Firm Policies Conflict?
Discovery requests, including federal disclosure requirements, raise questions about the need to produce certain types of electronic documents and communications. The casual use of intra-firm emails can create potentially embarrassing, and, sometimes, damaging evidence. These concerns warrant examination of law firm policies and practices. This session will discuss how firms can minimize their risks and how to respond to such requests.

Advance Conflict Waivers, Screening and How to Do It
What makes some advance conflicts waivers succeed while others fail? What, if anything, is the effect of the 2009 amendment to the ABA Model Rules which allows screening when lawyers move from one private firm to another? And what should or must be included to have an effective screen, whether under the ABA Model Rules or by private agreement? Learn the answers to these and other real-world questions from hands-on practitioners who regularly address them. There is both art and science here, and both can be learned.