The attorney–client relationship lies at the heart of the legal profession—and at the center of countless ethical dilemmas. In this engaging and practical program, ethics attorney Cari L. Sheehan explores the complex interplay between professionalism, communication, confidentiality, and client management. Using real-world examples, this course examines how to build and maintain ethical, effective client relationships from engagement through withdrawal. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of confidentiality, privilege, fees, and termination of representation under the Model Rules, while learning strategies to mitigate risk and strengthen trust with clients.
Learning Objectives:
1. Identify the ethical principles governing the attorney–client relationship, including duties of communication, confidentiality, and competence.
2. Distinguish between confidentiality and attorney–client privilege, and recognize situations that may lead to inadvertent waiver.
3. Apply best practices for client communication, file management, and fee agreements to minimize malpractice and disciplinary risks.
4. Evaluate when and how to ethically withdraw from representation while protecting client interests.
5. Implement proactive steps to improve professionalism and maintain compliance with Rules 1.1, 1.2, 1.4, 1.5, 1.6, and 1.16 of the Model Rules of Professional Conduct.
Cari L. Sheehan is Assistant General Counsel at Taft Stettinius & Hollister, where she focuses on professional responsibility, conflicts of interest compliance, and civil litigation. She regularly reviews outside counsel guidelines, conflict waivers, and engagement letters, and provides firm-wide ethics training. In addition to her role at Taft, Sheehan is an adjunct professor at Indiana University’s Robert H. McKinney School of Law, where she teaches Professional Responsibility.