Quarles' 2025 Annual Legal Ethics Seminar
Presented live from Quarles' Milwaukee Office; In-person simulcasts in Indianapolis, Madison, and St. Louis
Please join Quarles for our annual year-end Legal Ethics Seminar featuring three, hour-long ethics CLE presentations.
The program will be presented from Quarles' Milwaukee office with live in-person simulcasts in our Indianapolis, Madison, and St. Louis offices. For guests who are unable to join us in person on November 7, or guests who prefer attending virtually, Quarles will host three CLE-eligible remote webinar replays on December 5, December 16, and January 8.
Our 2025 program will consider the following topics:
- Ethical and Other Traps for Attorneys in Handling High Profile Public Matters
Presented by: Daniel E. Conley, Partner (Milwaukee); Lindsey Davis, Partner (Milwaukee); and Benjamin Graff, Partner (Phoenix)
Guest presenter: Lori Richards, CEO, Mueller Communications
The panel will address ethics issues arising from handling high profile legal issues in the face of intense social and traditional media scrutiny, with special emphasis on those that can occur when counsel interacts with internal and external public relations experts generally and in the context of crisis response.
- Ethical Pitfalls at Trial and on Appeal in California: Six Lessons for Your Highest Stakes Litigation Matters
Presented by: Jeffrey Michalowski, Partner (San Diego) and Evan Peña, Partner (San Diego)
Ethical concerns abound when your litigation matters approach and enter trial, and these issues can have profound impacts on trial outcomes and on appeal. This is especially true in a plaintiff friendly state like California, where the substantive law and procedural issues may be different than other jurisdictions. In addition, the plaintiff’s bar increasingly attempts to direct juror anger not just at the defendant’s key witnesses, but at the company’s in-house counsel and outside counsel – charges of concealment or dishonesty, witness tampering, and unfair play are now standard maneuvers in the plaintiff’s attorney’s playbook. This session will address recurring issues in California (and beyond) that in-house counsel can help anticipate and navigate to mitigate the risk of a disaster verdict – whether to represent individual defendants and questionable witnesses, and what to do when things go sideways; how to avoid claims of spoliation or concealment of evidence; how to fairly educate your witnesses without drawing charges of witness tampering; navigating the duty of candor when the company discovers key evidence on the eve of (or during!) trial; what to do when a percipient witness or expert witness misspeaks on the stand; and how to use plaintiff’s counsel’s aggressive trial tactics to turn around disaster verdicts on appeal.
- A Practical Approach to the Ethics of Attorneys Sitting on Not for Profit (And Other) Boards
Presented by: Mary Kate Hogan, Partner (St. Louis); Pamela Lundborg, Partner (Naples); and Will Schultz, Partner and Executive Committee (Milwaukee)
Many attorneys meaningfully contribute to their communities by volunteering to serve on not-for-profit boards. This panel will address potential ethical traps that may await well-meaning attorneys and provide a practical approach to avoiding such issues on not-for-profit (and other boards). Among topics to be addressed will be the importance of knowing: whether you are wearing your board or attorney hat; if the other board members think you are acting as an attorney; if your client is the executive director, organization, board or all three; if your legal advice addresses your own conduct as a board member, lawyer or otherwise; the potential malpractice implications of “kind of” being the attorney or dabbling; how to maintain privileged conversations; how to avoid legal conflicts of interest and duties of confidentiality between other clients and the not-for-profit; and understanding the relationship between your ethical obligations as an attorney and as a board member with duties of care, loyalty and obedience.
Advance registration is required. Registration for the in-person programs on November 7 will close on Friday, October 31, or as in-person simulcasts in our office locations reach capacity.
Continuing Legal Education:
After the event, Quarles will apply for up to 3.0 hours in 60-minute states/3.5 hours in 50-minute states of ethics continuing legal education credit in U.S. jurisdictions where applicable. Quarles certifies that this activity has been approved for California Participatory MCLE credits by the State Bar of California in the amount of 3.0 ethics credits.
Participants seeking CLE credit for attending the in-person seminar in Milwaukee or for attending an in-person simulcast in Indianapolis, Madison, and St. Louis on Friday, November 7, 2025 must follow the two-step CLE process below:
- Complete the CLE Attendance Verification form and return it to Quarles after the event.
- Within 3-5 business days you will receive a personalized CLE affidavit from MCLE‑Quarles@americanbar.org with instructions for receiving your Certificate of Attendance. Please complete one affidavit for the full event. Upon completion of the affidavit, you will be able to download your certificate(s) and they will be emailed to you as well from MCLE‑Quarles@americanbar.org. Please check your spam or junk folders if you do not receive the affidavit.
Questions?
Please contact Alexa Curto and Lauren Klika, events@quarles.com.