Enough is Enough: Avoiding Vexatious Lawyering
Presented by: Legal Humorist Sean Carter

While lawyers are expected to provide their clients with zealous representation, we are not allowed to become outright zealots in pursuit of our client's objectives. Yet, time and again, this is precisely what happens as lawyers become fixated on winning at all costs. And as a result, they end up paying the ultimate price -- the loss of their license to practice law.

In this sobering but surprisingly funny presentation, legal humorist Sean Carter will distinguish permissible zealous legal practices from unethical legal zealotry.

Attorney, Heal Thyself: The Detection, Treatment and Prevention of Substance Abuse
Presented by: Legal Humorist Sean Carter

Substance abuse is a huge problem in the legal profession. Lawyers suffer among the highest rates of alcoholism, drug addiction and being shot in the face by the former Vice President. And while Mr. Carter can't do much about Dick Cheney's aim, he can show you how to detect, treat and prevent substance abuse within your organization.

Show Me The Ethics!: The Ethical Way to Bill for Legal Services
Presented by: Legal Humorist Sean Carter

While it is important for lawyers to be compensated for their services, it is even more important for lawyers to use ethical billing and collection practices in securing such compensation. Drawing on examples provided by current and past nominees from his annual Ethy Awards for the worst ethical behavior, legal humorist Sean Carter will provide a poignant reminder of how NOT to bill clients and collect fees. And in the process, he will reinforce the relevant legal ethics principles underlying such practices.

I Think, Therefore I Am ... Biased: How Implicit Biases Manifest in the Legal Profession
Presented by: Legal Humorist Sean Carter

The human brain is wired to recognize patterns and make generalizations, even those based on faulty or incomplete information. And contrary to popular opinion, lawyers are human as well and therefore, we are just as susceptible to forming biases and acting upon them. And it does not require that we harbor ill will or animus towards other people. In fact, most often, our biases are not even our own, but rather those that have been taught to us.

In this eye-opening presentation, the presenter will use videos to show lawyers just how easy it is to form these biases, how they manifest themselves in the way we treat clients, colleagues and opposing parties, and most importantly, how we can reduce the effect of these biases by recognizing and compensating for them.

The 2023 Ethy Awards
Presented by: Legal Humorist Sean Carter

Each year, Hollywood celebrates the best performances in motion pictures at the Oscars. Well, at the Ethys, we note the worst ethics violations in the legal profession. Humorist Sean Carter will host the festivities and announce the award winners in such categories as: Worst Original Excuse, Best Courtroom Outburst, Most Creative Billing, Least Competent, and much more.

In the process of recapping some of the most egregious instances of unethical behavior, Mr. Carter will demonstrate how the rest of us can avoid more common ethical violations.

Nice Lawyers Finish First
Presented by: Legal Humorist Sean Carter

It's been said that nice guys finish last. And while that might be true in the rough and tumble arenas of politics, professional prize fighting and marriage, nothing could be further from the truth in the practice of law. Zealous representation doesn't require us to be zealots. In fact, the most effective representation requires just the opposite. Nice lawyers finish first ... and so do their clients!

Yelp, I've Fallen for Social Media and I Can't LinkedOut: The Ethical Pitfalls of Social Media
Presented by: Legal Humorist Sean Carter

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and the other social media tools have become ubiquitous in our high-tech society. And while social media can undoubtedly help lawyers to enhance their networks of colleagues, clients and prospective clients, it can also ensnare the unwary in a web of ethical violations.

Fail Better: Continuing Efforts to Eliminate Bias in the Legal Profession
Presented by: Legal Humorist Sean Carter

In this surprisingly funny seminar, Sean Carter will illustrate how even hidden and seemingly benign biases prevent lawyers from effectively representing clients and creating diverse and inclusive workplaces. And while these biases are somewhat unavoidable, it is possible for lawyers to "fail better" in a continuing effort to eliminate bias in the legal profession.

Yakety Yak! Do Call Back!: The Ethical Need for Prompt Client Communication
Presented by: Legal Humorist Sean Carter

While it is important to comply with every obligation of the ethics canon, the obligation to promptly communicate with the client may be the most important. Lawyers who flaunt this rule leave their clients with no choice but to contact the state bar in a desperate attempt to seek answers to their questions. And, of course, by that point, the disciplinary authorities will have a long list of questions of their own.

In this insightful webinar, legal humorist Sean Carter will provide lawyers with practical tips for how to meet the increasingly difficult of burden of talking, emailing and texting to each client's content.

Attorneys Are Not Accomplices: How to Avoid Crossing the Line from Counselor to Co-Conspirator
Presented by: Legal Humorist Sean Carter

In their efforts to provide the best possible service to their clients, lawyers sometimes forget that they owe an even greater duty of fidelity to the law and the proper administration of justice. As a result, lawyers who “pull out all the stops” for a client run the risk of putting a stop to their law careers and even their very freedom.

You're a Lawyer Not a Fighter: The Ethical Imperative to Remain Peaceful at All Times
Presented by: Legal Humorist Sean Carter

Lawyers serve a vital role in society -- to help others resolve their disputes peacefully. And while lawyers do so through use of the adversarial process, we must not ever lose sight of the fact that we are not "fighting" for our clients. We are striving to help them reach a peaceful solution to their problem.

Sadly, quite often, lawyers get so hung up in the confrontational manner of depositions, cross-examinations, contract negotiations, and the like, that we develop a "fighting" mentality. This mentality does not serve the best of interest of our clients and nor does it serve our personal or professional interests.

The 2023 Ethy Awards
Presented by: Legal Humorist Sean Carter

Each year, Hollywood celebrates the best performances in motion pictures at the Oscars. Well, at the Ethys, we note the worst ethics violations in the legal profession. Humorist Sean Carter will host the festivities and announce the award winners in such categories as: Worst Original Excuse, Best Courtroom Outburst, Most Creative Billing, Least Competent, and much more.

In the process of recapping some of the most egregious instances of unethical behavior, Mr. Carter will demonstrate how the rest of us can avoid more common ethical violations.

Boston (Il)legal: From the Don't Try This At Home Series
Presented by: Legal Humorist Sean Carter

Lawyers on our favorite TV legal dramas often act in ways that would cause significant trouble for actual lawyers. In this multimedia webinar, legal humorist Sean Carter will use short video clips from the very popular series, Boston Legal, to demonstrate some of the legal ethics violations that played out on the show. In doing so, Carter hopes to show you how to keep your professional life from imitating art.

Technical Fouls: Even Minor Ethics Violations Can Have Major Consequences
Presented by: Legal Humorist Sean Carter

When it comes to ethics violations, there is no such thing as a minor or "technical" foul. All ethics violations are serious matters, evidencing a breach of the trust that has been placed in the lawyer. As a result, lawyers must avoid falling into the mindset that a particular violation is "no big deal."

To make this case, noted legal humorist Sean Carter will chronicle a number of recent ethics cases in which lawyers were surprised to discover that even minor ethics violations can have major consequences.

From Competence to Excellence: The Ethical Imperative for Excellent Client Service
Presented by: Legal Humorist Sean Carter

The very first rule of the ethics canon calls for lawyers to provide competent representation to clients. Yet, mere competence isn't enough to satisfy our ethical obligations to our clients. We must instead strive for excellence. In this unique webinar, noted legal humorist Sean Carter will highlight the need for excellence in client service and demonstrate the consequences of mediocrity by recounting the sagas of past Ethy Award nominees -- lawyers who earned CLE infamy for the failure to provide excellent client service.

Ally McSteal: From the Don't Try This at Home Series
Presented by: Legal Humorist Sean Carter

Lawyers on our favorite TV legal dramas often act in ways that would cause significant trouble for actual lawyers. In this multimedia webinar, legal humorist Sean Carter will use short video clips from the very popular series, Ally McBeal, to demonstrate some of the legal ethics violations that played out on the show. In doing so, Carter hopes to show you how to keep your professional life from imitating art.

Don't Be an Outlaw: The Ethical Imperative to Follow the Law
Presented by: Legal Humorist Sean Carter

Lawyers must not only have a fundamental understanding of the law, but also, a fundamental commitment to abiding by it. And while the necessity to avoid committing major felonies is obvious to everyone, some lawyers forget about the necessity to follow the "little laws" as well. In this eye-opening webinar, legal humorist Sean Carter will recount the tales of past Ethy Award nominees (those who were recognized the best of the worst ethics violations). These lawyers learned, albeit too late, that if you do even a minor crime, you will do the disciplinary time.

The (Mal)Practice: From the Don't Try This At Home Series
Presented by: Legal Humorist Sean Carter

Lawyers on our favorite TV legal dramas often act in ways that would cause significant trouble for actual lawyers. In this multimedia webinar, legal humorist Sean Carter will use short video clips from the very popular series, The Practice, to demonstrate some of the legal ethics violations that played out on the show. In doing so, Carter hopes to show you how to keep your professional life from imitating art.