With the ever-evolving changes in the law, our professional culture, and the lightspeed progression of technology, how are you to keep up with your ethical obligations under the Rules of Professional Conduct?  The 2024 Masters Seminar on Ethics is here to help.  The seminar will feature Staff Counsel for The Florida Bar in a discussion of common issues that are getting lawyers into trouble, how you can avoid the same issues, and what to expect if someone does file a bar complaint against you.   A member of the Professional Ethics Committee will provide an entertaining presentation on staying inside the ethical lines and learning what not to do.  The seminar includes a panel of technology experts to help you understand your obligations under the ethics rules regarding the technology you use, including what you need to know about using Generative AI in your practice.  Finally, the seminar ends with a panel of experienced judges addressing their concerns about lawyer misconduct in litigation and ways they have addressed ethical problems in the past.

From Conduct to Consequences – Ethics Issues for 2023 and Beyond. This presentation features Florida Bar Staff Counsel, Patricia Toro Savitz.  She will discuss the Bar’s grievance system and explain the current trends in disciplinary cases.  This will include an examination of what conduct is getting lawyers into trouble with the bar, possible sanctions they may receive, and how you may avoid the same problems.  Ms. Savitz will also discuss how the Bar’s grievance system works and what to expect if a bar grievance is filed against you.

Judicial/Case Law Interpretation of Ethical Mandates.   In this presentation, Professional Ethics Committee member Caroline Johnson will provide ethical guidance to attorneys regarding particular Bar Rules that apply to frequently occurring events.  Professional methods will be demonstrated to address challenging clients, opposing counsel and litigation conflicts.  Supreme Court ethical opinions will be presented in order demonstrate pitfalls for attorney’s and countervailing practical techniques to employ.

Ethical Frontiers in Generative AI and Cybersecurity.  This panel will explore two critical areas where technology and an attorney’s professional ethics obligations intersects: As the legal profession continues to evolve, it is imperative that legal practitioners understand the ethical dilemmas and potential pitfalls presented by emerging technologies and the ever-present threat of cyberattacks. The panel features lawyers Steven Teppler, co-chair of the Florida Bar’s Cybersecurity and Privacy Law Committee, John Yanchunis, who leads the cybersecurity and privacy complex litigation practice at Morgan & Morgan, and cybersecurity expert Mary Frantz of Enterprise Knowledge Partners. Discussion points will include Introduction to Generative AI, Risks of Generative AI in Legal Practice, Ethical Guidelines and Generative AI, Cybersecurity in Legal Practice, Risks of Inadequate Cybersecurity, Ethical Obligations and Cybersecurity, and real life examples and scenarios.

Judicial Roundtable on Ethics.   This panel will be moderated by Professional Ethics Committee members Carolina Saavedra and Robert Borr.  The panelists consist of Federal and State Court judges.  The judicial roundtable will focus on the ethical issues confronted by the judiciary in the courtroom and how the judges have handled ethical concerns in the past, giving valuable insight to attendees into the judicial point of view.  The roundtable will include a discussion of conduct that rises to the level of an ethical violation versus a professionalism issue, frequent conduct attorneys engage in that gets them in trouble, and how technology has exacerbated these issues.  The judicial panelists will also discuss conduct attorneys may not realize could rise to the level of an ethical violation.  

Introductory Remarks including a brief discussion of the Ethics Hotline by Ethics Counsel
Jonathan Grabb
    
From Conduct to Consequences – Ethics Issues for 2023 and Beyond
Patricia Toro Savitz 
  
Judicial/Case Law Interpretation of Ethical Mandates
Caroline Johnson

Ethical Frontiers in Generative AI and Cybersecurity
Steven Teppler, John Yanchunis, and Mary Frantz
 
Judicial Roundtable on Ethics
Carolina Saavedra and Robert Borr and Federal and State Court Judges

Concluding Remarks