Ethics seminar set for Boca.

Hot button ethics issues facing practitioners--from limitations on the attorney-client/ work product privileges for government lawyers to hazards of outsourcing/off-shoring legal work to electronic discovery uses and abuses--will be addressed at the 2008 Masters Seminar on Ethics.

The seminar, sponsored by the Professional Ethics Committee, will run from 8:30 a.m. to 11:35 a.m. on Friday, June 20, at the Bar's Annual Convention at the Boca Raton Resort and Club.

The seminar, which carries 3.5 CLE ethics credits, will begin with a brief introduction by Jeff Pearson, who chairs the PEC subcommittee conducting the seminar. Marion Radson, a member of the Attorney-Client Task Force, will discuss the effect of the Sunshine and public records laws on the attorney-client/work product privileges and the resulting problems encountered by attorneys who represent governmental agencies.

David Heffernan and Steve Teppler will discuss the advantages and pitfalls of electronic discovery.

About half of the seminar will be devoted to outsourcing, a rapidly growing industry creating a myriad of ethical issues. Bobbie Flowers, Pamella Seay, Steve Teppler, and Franklin Zemel will have a special interactive presentation and panel discussion on this topic, including a segment on various issues related to non-U.S. paralegals such as ensuring their proper training and supervision. Steve Teppler will discuss the impact of technology on outsourcing and the attendant ethical consequences. There will be an opportunity for questions and comments at the conclusion of the outsourcing presentation.

The seminar is aimed at helping practitioners identify and address the many ethical issues that have resulted from or been exacerbated by advances in technology.