The Bar Plan Foundation
2023 Complimentary 8-Hour New Mexico CLE Webinar
Friday December 15, 2023
Approved in New Mexico for 8.0 total hours, including 8.0 ethics hours.
(All Times Mountain Standard)

8:00 - 9:00 a.m. (E) Conducting the Law Firm Practice Management Review – Part 1

Properly established and efficient practice management processes and procedures can pay big dividends in protecting against malpractice claims and ethics complaints, with the added benefit that bulletproofing your practice in these small ways frees you to concentrate on your clients rather than the day-to-day operation of your firm.

Topics: Strategic Planning; Client Evaluation & Intake; Conflicts of Interest; Engagement Letters Non-Engagement Letters Closing Letters.

Speaker: Christian A Stiegemeyer, Director of Risk Management, The Bar Plan Mutual Insurance Company – Parts 1-3.

9:00 – 10:00 a.m. (E) Conducting the Law Firm Practice Management Review – Part 2

Topics: Fee Agreements; Calendaring Procedures; Billing Procedures; File Retention Policy.

10:00 - 11:00 a.m. (E) Conducting the Law Firm Practice Management Review – Part 3

Topics: Cyber Security; Disaster Recovery; Law Firm Marketing; Investing in Yourself.

11:00 - 11:15 a.m. Break

11:15 - 12:15 a.m. 8 Hour 2023 QUIZ

All New! - The QUIZ – A potpourri of the hottest topics in legal malpractice and ethics, and what you need to know to protect yourself from novel malpractice risks and ethics complaints.

Speaker: Christian A Stiegemeyer, Director of Risk Management, The Bar Plan Mutual Insurance Company

12:15 - 1:00 p.m.: Lunch (on your own)

1:00 - 2:00 p.m.: (E) Title: Lawyer Well-Being & The Science of Happiness

A discussion on the benefits of living a life driven by conscious, thoughtful choices and guidelines for ways to incorporate conscious Happiness Practices into your daily life.

2:00 - 3:00 p.m. (E) The Ethics and Malpractice Risk of “Zealous Representation”

Although the New Mexico Rules of Professional Conduct only briefly mention “zealous representation”, clients, courts, and disciplinary authorities still speak of it fondly and often expect and demand it. This program will look at the risks lawyers face when they cross the “zealous” line with clients, third-parties, other lawyers, courts and, yes, disciplinary authorities.  

Speaker: Christian A Stiegemeyer, Director of Risk Management, The Bar Plan Mutual Insurance Company

3:00 - 3:15 p.m. Break

3:15 - 4:15 p.m. (E) A Review of Recent Ethics Opinions and Malpractice Decisions That Can Affect Your Practice.

This program will review ethics opinions and malpractice decisions from around the country and discuss what you need to do to protect yourself, your practice and your clients. Included will be discussion of: The Ethics of Trust Account Cyber Scams; Settlement talks and Rule 16-804 Misconduct; Responding to negative online reviews and use of confidential information; and, Reasonable Attorney Fees under fee shifting statutes.

Speaker: Christian A Stiegemeyer, Director of Risk Management, The Bar Plan Mutual Insurance Company

4:15 - 5:15 p.m. (E) Secondary Trauma in the Legal Profession.

It is common for the clients attorneys represent to have been traumatized as victims of abuse, crime or other adversity. It is just as common for attorneys, law firm staff and others in the profession to be affected emotionally by this trauma. This program helps identify situations leading to secondary trauma, symptoms, and ethical considerations under Rules 16-101 -Competence, 16-103 - Diligence, 16-104 - Communication, and 16-804 – Misconduct.

Speaker: Christian A Stiegemeyer, Director of Risk Management, The Bar Plan Mutual Insurance Company