In advance of the Bar Convention, I contacted seminar chairs seeking their response to four questions about their upcoming panel. Here are the questions I sent:
- Who should attend this seminar?
- What is the one main takeaway a lawyer will gain by attending this seminar?
- How is this seminar timely? (That is: Why do attorneys need to learn more about this topic right now? What’s going on now in the world or in law practice that makes this topic important?)
- What is the most common misconception about this issue? In other words, what do lawyers think they know, but don’t?
Today, I share, in two separate posts, the responses of those whose seminars are calendared for tomorrow, Thursday, June 12. (Note: Not all seminar chairs responded.) Click on the seminar title to read more detail as published in the Convention brochure.
What follows are the seminar responses I received for the morning programs.
Follow @azattyThursday, June 12, 8:45 am
Chair: Gary Restaino
Who should attend this seminar?
Gary Restaino
Criminal defense attorneys, legal aid attorneys and employment law attorneys should attend this seminar to better understand the barriers (including employment) faced by defendants reentering society from a period of incarceration, and the opportunities available to assist them.
What is the one main takeaway a lawyer will gain by attending this seminar?
The biggest takeaway may well be the power of second chances.
How is this seminar timely? (That is: Why do attorneys need to learn more about this topic right now? What’s going on now in the world or in law practice that makes this topic important?)
One of the key current events with respect to this seminar is the growing “Ban the Box” movement, in which certain employers (either through voluntary action or local ordinances) push the background check process farther into the employee selection cycle, in order to enable a former criminal defendant to develop a rapport with the employer in lieu of outright rejection based on criminal history.
Thursday, June 12, 8:45 am
T-19: The Annual Ethics Game Show
Chair: Lynda Shely
Who should attend?
Lynda Shely
Anyone who needs 3 hours of ethics credit while having fun, wants to learn the latest ethics news, and earn a prize … several ethical rules changed this year – do you know how they apply to your practice?
What is the one main takeaway from attending?
No, it’s not the prize – it will be the latest ethics and risk management tips for all firms, including some checklists and templates.
What is the most common misconception about ethics?
IT IS NOT BORING – it can be fun and informative and everyone takes away not only a prize but useful ethics information to share with their offices.
Thursday, June 12, 10:30 am
T-20: The Unblinking Eye: High-Profile Cases and Cameras in the Courtroom
Co-Chair: Judy Schafert
Who should attend this seminar?
Judy Schaffert
Practitioners who try cases, both criminal and civil; public lawyers; lawyers who represent potentially controversial or notorious clients; people who care about the public or the media; politically active practitioners; and anyone who cares about the courts as public institutions.
What is the one main takeaway a lawyer will gain by attending this seminar?
Cameras have entered the courtrooms of our state, but when and how involves more implications and decisions than many might expect.
How is this seminar timely? (That is: Why do attorneys need to learn more about this topic right now? What’s going on now in the world or in law practice that makes this topic important?)
There has been a recent change in Arizona court rules — and the technology continuously leapfrogs.
What is the most common misconception about this issue? In other words, what do lawyers think they know, but don’t?
Many lawyers do not appreciate the extent to which cameras in the courts implicate their duties, and their clients’ and witnesses’ rights, especially under the new rules.
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AZ Attorney 
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