ABACLE launches rule of law CLE series to promote democracy; American Bar Association (ABA), March 31, 2025

 American Bar Association (ABA); ABACLE launches rule of law CLE series to promote democracy

"The series will explore the integrity of the legal system and the vital role of an independent judiciary. Participants will hear from experts about safeguarding the rule of law, preserving public trust and ensuring justice remains free from political influence.

Programs will be added regularly to the ongoing series, which will feature nonpolitical, nonpartisan programming focused on support for the rule of law and the role lawyers and courts play in defending the constitutional framework and democratic processes, as well as topics that more broadly address the legal implications of recent administrative changes, court rulings and more.

A real-world example of the issues that will be explored in the series is the impact of recent presidential executive orders on the legal profession and the country."

OpenAI Training Data to Be Inspected in Authors’ Copyright Cases; Hollywood Reporter, September 24, 2024

  Winston Cho, Hollywood Reporter; OpenAI Training Data to Be Inspected in Authors’ Copyright Cases

"For the first time, OpenAI will provide access to its training data for review of whether copyrighted works were used to power its technology.

In a Tuesday filing, authors suing the Sam Altman-led firm and OpenAI indicated that they came to terms on protocols for inspection of the information. They’ll seek details related to the incorporation of their works in training datasets, which could be a battleground in the case that may help establish guardrails for the creation of automated chatbots...

U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria at a hearing on Friday questioned whether the attorneys can adequately represent the writers.

“It’s very clear to me from the papers, from the docket and from talking to the magistrate judge that you have brought this case and you have not done your job to advance it,” Chhabria said, according to Politico. “You and your team have barely been litigating the case. That’s obvious… This is not your typical proposed class action. This is an important case. It’s an important societal issue. It’s important for your clients.”

GenAI in focus: Understanding the latest trends and considerations; Thomson Reuters, June 27, 2024

 Thomson Reuters; GenAI in focus: Understanding the latest trends and considerations

"Legal professionals, whether they work for law firms, corporate legal departments, government, or in risk and fraud, have generally positive perceptions of generative AI (GenAI). According to the professionals surveyed in the Thomson Reuters Institute’s 2024 GenAI in Professional Services report, 85% of law firm and corporate attorneys, 77% of government legal practitioners, and 82% of corporate risk professionals believe that GenAI can be applied to industry work.  

But should it be applied? There, those positive perceptions softened a bit, with 51% of law firm respondents, 60% of corporate legal practitioners, 62% of corporate risk professionals, and 40% of government legal respondents saying yes.  

In short, professionals’ perceptions of AI include concerns and interest in its capabilities. Those concerns include the ethics of AI usage and mitigating related risks. These are important considerations. But they don’t need to keep professionals from benefiting from all that GenAI can do. Professionals can minimize many of the potential risks by becoming familiar with responsible AI practices."

What we've learned from pro-Trump attorney John Eastman's state bar trial; NPR, June 23, 2023

Tom Dreisbach, NPR ; What we've learned from pro-Trump attorney John Eastman's state bar trial

"Jessica Levinson, a professor at Loyola Law School, told NPR in an interview that those actions represent an attempt by the legal community to uphold professional standards.

"Lawyers hold positions of public trust in our society," Levinson said. "There's a reason that we have to take and pass moral character exams, that we have to agree to certain rules of the profession. Because we do have a lot of control over our clients' lives and their finances and even on larger policy issues."

Levinson said Eastman's defense faces serious challenges."

Serving on a Nonprofit Board: Basics and Ethical Responsibilities; PBI, April 6, 2022

 PBI; Serving on a Nonprofit Board: Basics and Ethical Responsibilities

Wednesday, April 6, 2022, Live Webcast

3 substantive CLE credits | 1:30 pm to 4:45 pm

"Thinking of serving on a nonprofit board? We’ve got you covered.

Many attorneys get the chance to join a nonprofit board. This can be a very rewarding experience to improve your skills and make valuable connections while helping a cause that is meaningful to you. This CLE will explore the role of the Board of Directors and the laws governing nonprofits. You will get training on the basics of nonprofit board service, including charitable issues raised under state and federal laws for current board members.

Explore the nuts and bolts of serving on a nonprofit board

Some topics covered will include:

• Proper due diligence: what questions to ask and documents to request before joining
• Understanding your role as a board member
• Board member fiduciary duties
• Board member limited liability, D&O insurance, and indemnification
• The basics of nonprofit financial information
• Ethics of serving on a nonprofit board
• And more!"

San Francisco recruits army of social workers, librarians and investigators to track Covid-19; The Guardian, May 1, 2020

Maanvi Singh , The Guardian; San Francisco recruits army of social workers, librarians and investigators to track Covid-19

"San Francisco has assembled an army of librarians, social workers, attorneys, investigators and medical students to find and warn anyone and everyone who may have been exposed to Covid-19...

Immigrant communities are justifiably worried that each time they share information about their status and location, “it will come back to haunt them,” Hayes-Bautista said. “It makes sense that people are scared.”...

San Francisco has similarly publicized that the contact tracing is “voluntary, confidential, and culturally and linguistically appropriate. Immigration status will have no bearing on these conversations.”"

Ethics Webinar: When an Attorney or Expert Screws Up; American Bar Association (ABA), Thursday, January 24, 2019

AMBAR.ORG     |      CAREER CENTER     |      MEMBERSHIP     |      CALENDAR     |      CLE     |   PUBLISHING

Oops: What To Do When an Attorney or Expert Screws Up Webinar | January 24, 2019 1:00 PM — 2:00 PM ET 1.00 Ethics/Professionalism CLE Credit   LEARN MORE

This program will address the ethical rules governing attorneys when they make a mistake or discover that someone else has made a mistake. The program also provides:

Practical tips for identifying mistakes Strategies for addressing mistakes with clients Practical solutions for resolving mistakes and avoiding malpractice claims Adverse consequences of not addressing mistakes early Practical tips to comply with ethical obligations and avoid malpractice claims Sponsor(s): Section of Litigation; Solo, Small Firm and General Practice Division; Senior Lawyers Division; Young Lawyers Division; Standing Committee on Paralegals; ABACLE Panelist(s): David Benkert (Ankura Consulting, Inc); Latoyia Watkins Pierce (AXA); Michael Leboff (Partner, Klein & Wilson); and Selena E. Molina (Associate, Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP) (Moderator)

Make This Obstruction Thing Go Away; Slate, June 22, 2017

Dahlia Lithwick, Slate; Make This Obstruction Thing Go Away

"Much has been made of the fact that Trump fired his FBI Director James Comey either because of Comey’s Russia investigation or not because of it. Much has been made of the fact that he fired Sally Yates because he didn’t like the advice she offered about Michael Flynn and that he fired U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara because Bharara wouldn’t return his phone calls. Trump also makes endless businessman-y noises about his plans to fire Rod Rosenstein; Robert Mueller; and his attorney general, Jeff Sessions. And in the meantime, he surrounds himself with other lawyers, many of whom have no experience in government service but seemingly infinite experience in emptying his ashtrays. The personal attorneys he’s recently brought on to deal with the FBI investigation (which he claims doesn’t exist, incidentally) include a fellow who appears to be engaging in the same branding and get-rich side gigs that Trump dabbles in himself and another lawyer who was on the losing side of the massive Trump University suit for which the president had to pay $25 million to settle claims from students who alleged they’d been defrauded. Nobody should be surprised, then, that Trump’s personal lawyer is now doing work that should be done by the White House Counsel’s office. We also shouldn’t be surprised that some of the Trump ashtray-emptiers now have to hire their own ashtray-emptiers. Nobody’s ever said “no” to those guys either.

This pattern goes a long way toward explaining why most serious Washington lawyers want nothing to do with the president’s dubious criminal defense dream team. Lawyers who have been trained to answer to the Constitution first and their wealthy clients far later don’t want to be in the position of having to tell the world’s largest preschooler that sometimes no bendy straw for the juice box really means no bendy straw for the juice box."