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Total Credits: 3 Virginia
Tags: Virginia CLE
“Ethics Tonight – Season 2021” is a 3-hour CLE Ethics Program offered free for Virginia attorneys in partnership with the Virginia State Bar. Three video vignettes in the style of a late-night talk show shed light on ethical issues that many attorneys face daily. A group of panelists will apply the Virginia Rules of Professional Conduct to the analysis of the issues presented.
During the panel discussions, attendees will be encouraged to ask questions and share comments. The intent is to emphasize that attorneys should take time to identify and reflect upon the ethical issues that arise in the day-to-day practice of law on a more frequent basis. Ultimately, the desire is to have attendees leave the program with greater sensitivity to the many ethical issues that can be in play any day of the week, be better prepared to view these issues as learning opportunities and be more willing to take advantage of these opportunities in order to see that the issues are responsibly addressed and resolved.
The issues raised in Vignette One, “Friendships,” include the types of costs and expenses that can be passed along to clients, for example, convenience fees for processing credit cards and technology fees to cover the costs of enhanced firm cybersecurity efforts; ethical issues that arise as a result of attorneys and staff working remotely; confidentiality concerns that arise out of the personal relationships attorneys are involved in; and what the term “personal interests of the lawyer” means in the context of conflicts of interest.
In Vignette Two “She’s Good,” the panel will have the opportunity to discuss an attorney’s obligations upon learning that a client intends to commit fraud, to include the meaning of the term “know” in this context; to do a deep dive on the ins and outs of withdrawing from a matter; and to explain how to ethically respond to a negative online review.
Finally in Vignette Three “It’s Getting Late” the program will conclude with a discussion on harassment in the workplace, the duties owed to prospective clients, the ethical boundaries of an attorney or firm offering various types of ancillary services, and the boundaries of non-lawyer ownership of a law firm in your jurisdiction.
| General Credits | Ethics Credits |
| 3 | 3 |
Since 1998, Mark Bassingthwaighte, Esq., has been a Risk Manager with ALPS, the nation’s largest direct writer of lawyers’ malpractice insurance. In his tenure with our company, Mr. Bassingthwaighte has conducted over 1200 law firm risk management assessment visits, presented over 600 continuing legal education seminars throughout the United States, and written extensively on risk management, ethics, and technology. Mr. Bassingthwaighte is a member of the State Bar of Montana as well as the American Bar Association where he currently sits on the ABA Center for Professional Responsibility’s Conference Planning Committee. He received his J.D. from Drake University Law School.
Jeannie P. Dahnk received her undergraduate degree from George Washington University in 1981 and her law degree from Marshall-Wythe School of Law, College of William & Mary in 1985. Ms. Dahnk is a Member, Virginia State Bar, Fredericksburg Area Bar Association and the American Bar Association; Past President of the 15th Judicial District Bar Association. Chair, Board of Directors, Legal Aid Works (formerly Rappahannock Legal Services); Former Board member of the Fredericksburg Area American Red Cross; former Board member of the SPCA of Fredericksburg; former Member of the Fredericksburg Area Parks and Recreation Commission.
Ms. Dahnk was President of the Virginia State Bar 2003-2004; President elect of the Virginia State Bar 2002-2003; Virginia State Bar: former Vice chair of the Task Force on Public Access to the Disciplinary Process; former Chair of the Committee to Study the Annual Meeting; former Chair of the Committee to Study Pro Hac Vice; former Member Virginia State Bar 6th District Disciplinary Committee: former Member of the Virginia State Bar Lawyers Malpractice Insurance Committee; former Chair Virginia State Bar Leadership Task Force; former Member Supreme Court of Virginia's Solo & Small Firm Practitioners Forum; Chair of Law School for Legislators; former Chair of the Midyear Legal Seminar Planning Committee; former chair and member Virginia State Bar Professionalism Faculty; former member Budget and Finance Committee; former member Executive Committee and Council; former Virginia delegate to the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association; former Chair, Risk Management Subcommittee, Member, Virginia State Bar Trust Accounting and Technology Review Committee; Member, Virginia CLE Committee. Ms. Dahnk has a civil law practice with Glover & Dahnk in Fredericksburg, Virginia.
Barbara Balogh Saunders is Assistant Ethics Counsel for the Virginia State Bar. She has held this position since June 2001. Ms. Saunders staffs the Ethics Department’s “hotline,” providing ethics advice to members of the Virginia Bar, and also is staff counsel responsible for reviewing and investigating unauthorized practice of law complaints.
Prior to joining the Virginia State Bar, Ms. Saunders was in private practice for twelve years. She was a partner at the law firm of Poindexter & Schorsch in Waynesboro where her practice focused on domestic relations, Workers Compensation, and Social Security disability. Prior to practicing in Waynesboro, Ms. Saunders practiced in Richmond.
Ms. Saunders graduated from Mary Washington College in 1983 with a BA in International Affairs. She graduated from T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond in 1989.
