That time of year has come again. Spring has sprung and that means different things to different people.
Some may see it as a time to clear out clutter that has been accumulating for far too long, while others may be more of the “green thumb” type, so planting flowers, trimming trees and cutting yards invigorates them.
There are still others that mark this time of year on their calendar because it is sacred in the golf world.
You guessed it: It’s TPC@TPC time. A time for gathering, reminiscing and meeting new people, while getting your CLE on.
The Bench and Bar Professionalism Committee, in conjunction with The Jacksonville Bar Association, is delighted to present the second annual Professionalism Conference at The Players Championship on May 10.
This event combines a premier professionalism seminar with an exciting networking event during The Players. Attendees will be catered to and have unlimited access to the Championship Club overlooking the 16th fairway after the conference ends.
From 4.0 CLER – including 4.0 ethics hours and 1.0 technology hour – to food and drink, there is something for everyone at this conference.
The professionalism in appeals section will feature a panel discussion led by District Court of Appeals Judges Wendy Berger, Ross Bilbrey and Harvey Jay III and moderated by attorney Michael Korn.
Discussion topics include the duties of appellate counsel in evaluating cases for litigation at the appellate level, consideration of the client’s objectives pursuing an appeal, appellate counsel’s duty of candor to the court in preparing briefs, duty of appellee’s counsel to confess error when warranted and dealing with difficult questioning during oral arguments.
The next section will feature the topic of professionalism in mediation and settlement.
While Duval County Judge Gary Flower moderates, the panel of Terry Schmidt, Ned Price, Audrey Moran, Michele Jernigan and Robert Cole will discuss Florida ethics rules, mediation rules of ethics and conduct as applied in the context of mediation, confidentiality and exceptions outlined in Florida Statute 44.405, mediators responsibility for outcome fairness, conflicting standards for lawyers acting as mediators, a thorough intake process and the do’s and don’ts as a reflection on years of mediation experience.
Professionalism for corporate and in-house counsel will highlight the JBA’s commitment to serving our diverse population.
Harvey Granger, corporate counsel at Baptist Health, will moderate a panel including in-house counsels Len Brown of the PGA Tour and Megha Parekh of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
They will discuss professionalism as it relates to recognizing the client(s) as officer(s); director(s); employee(s); or subsidiaries, when to retain outside counsel, monitoring outsourcing, determining conflicts of interest to internal investigations, attorney-client privilege and work product issues.
To round out the day, the final panel discussion will include Suzanne Clark, Ryan Bilbrey, Giovannie Olavarria and Chris Dix on the subject of professionalism with technology.
The panelists will discuss challenges facing attorneys in the realm of technology from defensibly handling electronic evidence to defending against cyber threats in order to protect client data.
Note that the Florida Supreme Court last year amended rules 4-1.1 and 6-10.3 of the rules regulating The Florida Bar.
As a result, attorneys are now required to obtain three credit hours of CLE in approved technology programs. Once you complete this conference, you will be one-third closer to your required technology CLE hours.
This conference will feature some of the brightest minds in their areas of expertise. As you can see, this is a program you don’t want to miss.