Legal Ethics (presented by Christopher Hopkins) at NBI Estate Administration Boot Camp

Ethics

A special thank you to NBI for inviting me to speak about legal ethics at their “Estate Administration Boot Camp” in Hollywood, Florida this year.

There is still time to register or get the audio CLE, here.

Some (unusual) ethical issues we covered:

Statistics on Florida Bar disciplinary actions (what are your chances of being Bar Complainted?)

Can you ask your client for a gift?

To whom do you owe a duty as escrow agent?

How do you notify clients when you leave a law firm?

Can you lie to a Bar investigator?

Can you tell a Bar officer to F*** off?

Can you appear before a judge who is your Facebook friend?

Can you rely on a legal ethics iPhone app?

Can you threaten another lawyer with a Bar complaint?

Can you be drunk at a CLE?

You can test your skills in the 11-part questions and answers, here.

Defamation
What is the Proper Venue for an Alleged Defamatory Facebook Post in Florida? (James Lowery III v. Shane McBee)

A Martin County resident alleged posted a defamatory Facebook post which was read by a third party in neighboring Palm Beach County. Where is the proper venue? According to James Cullen Lowery, III v. Shane McBee, Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal held that “there was no“injury” to Plaintiff until …

Data Breach
Lessons From the Pandemic (APRL Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers)

I recently hosted a panel of experts at the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers (APRL) conference discussing “Lessons from the Pandemic.” My colleagues include Brian Faughnan from Lewis Thomason; Joseph Corsmeier from the Law Office of Joseph Corsmeier, and Nicole Hyland of Frankfurt Kurnit. We covered current issues of ethics, …

Ethics
The Misguided Practice of CC’ing Clients on Emails to Opposing Counsel (Palm Beach Bar Association, January 2020)

Is it ethical (or wise) to cc or bcc your clients on emails sent to opposing counsel? It is a widespread practice but not a wise choice. This article, published by the Palm Beach Bar Association in January 2020, explores the six bar opinions discussing the ethics and (lack of) …