11090-2013-01Helena

MTLA Winter 2013 Seminar Managing Your Law Practice Ethically

Seminar Co-Chairs:
Philip A. Hohenlohe, Helena
Andrée Larose, Helena

January 25, 2013
Great Northern Hotel
Helena

6 CLE Credits – including 5.25 Ethics Credits (1 SAMI)

Live Interactive OPTION - Problems with driving winter roads, hotel costs, time away from office? MTLA and Fisher Video Conferencing have a solution.

Attend MTLA Seminars Via Live Interactive Video At Remote Locations in:

Billings, Bozeman, Butte, Great Falls, Kalispell or Missoula.

During online registration use the COMMENTS box to enter the remote location site nearest to you.

Pay Online With Credit Card
Brochure
PDF Registration Form (mail in with check)

Bios
Schedule

Seminar Sponsors FISHER - Video Conferencing \| Court Reporting \| Video Services \| Trial Presentation Consultation

Speakers & Topics
7:30		Registration & Continental Breakfast
8:25		Introduction & Welcome – David Lighthall, Missoula
8:30		Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst
		Elizabeth A. Best, Great Falls
9:00		An Overview of the Lawyer Disciplinary System and What You Should Know to Avoid Seeing It Firsthand (1 ethics credit)
		Shaun R. Thompson, Helena
10:00		Legislative Update
		James P. Carey, Helena
10:15		BREAK
10:30		Attorney Indemnifications and Ethical Implications (.25 ethics credit)
		Jonathan McDonald, Helena
10:45		Litigation Technology Update and Ethical Issues (1 ethics credit)
		Jim Ragain, Billings
11:45		LUNCH (on your own)
1:15		SAMI Smorgasbord (1 ethics/SAMI credit)
		Michael F. Larson, Dillon Jessica Polan, Kalispell
2:15		Judicial Perspectives Panel Discussion (1 ethics credit)
		• Hon. Justice James C. Nelson, Montana Supreme Court • Hon. Holly B. Brown, 18th Judicial District • Hon. Ingrid G. Gustafson, 13th Judicial District • Hon. Jim Reynolds, 1st Judicial District Moderator: John Amsden, Bozeman
3:15		BREAK
3:30		Potential Changes in Rules of Professional Conduct (.25 ethics credit)
		Betsy Brandborg, Helena
3:45		Ethical Standards and Litigation Involving Political Campaigns (.75 ethics credit)
		Jonathan R. Motl, Helena
4:30		SEMINAR ADJOURNS

Speaker Bios

John Amsden is a native of eastern Montana and a 1988 honors graduate of Georgetown University Law School, where he served as Administrative Editor of the Law Journal. In 2001, John moved to Bozeman and joined the law firm of Monte D. Beck. John’s current practice is limited to pension fraud, hospital liability, medical malpractice, automobile crashworthiness, product liability and general personal injury matters. He serves as MTLA’s Vice President and Education Committee Chair.

Elizabeth A. Best graduated in 1981 from UM School of Law and practices in Great Falls, Montana. She represents only people who have been harmed as the result of the conduct or omissions of corporations or other people. After law school, she served in the U.S. Army JAGC and, she clerked for U.S. District Judge Paul Hatfield. Beth is a past president of the MTLA and served on the MTLA Board of Directors from 1995 until late 2011. In 2008, she was named MTLA Trial Lawyer of the Year.

Betsy Bradborg became the State Bar of Montana’s first bar counsel in 1995. In this part-time position she works with the ethics committee, drafting opinions and offering counsel on the Rules of Professional Conduct to those who inquire. Betsy came to this position by way of a two-and-a-half-year stint as a U.S. Senate staff assistant in Washington, D.C., a clerkship with the Montana Supreme Court and eight years’ employment as an assistant attorney general in Montana.

Hon. Holly B. Brown has served on the bench in the 18th Judicial District Court since March 2004. Judge Brown earned her law degree from Vanderbilt University and practiced in Wyoming before moving to Bozeman in 1986. Judge Brown is a Trustee for the Montana Judges’ Association and has served on the State Bar Fee Arbitration Committee. She currently serves on the Judicial Relations Committee. Prior to her judicial appointment, Judge Brown was in private practice in Bozeman.

James P. Carey obtained his undergraduate degree in history from Loyola University of Chicago, and his law degree from UM School of Law. Following a clerkship with Montana Supreme Court Justice William E. Hunt, Mr. Carey joined the Helena law firm of Thueson & Lamb as an associate in 1997. He currently practices with Mike Lamb in the law firm of Lamb & Carey. Mr. Carey is a member of MTLA’s Board of Directors and currently serves as President.

Hon. Ingrid G. Gustafson graduated from UM School of Law in 1988 and then worked as staff attorney with the Social Security Administration for three years. Following that, Judge Gustafson maintained a private practice in Billings until appointment as Thirteenth Judicial District Court Judge in January 2004. Her private practice was broad based and included criminal defense, personal injury and medical malpractice, and domestic relations cases.

Michael E. Larson has served as Director of the State Bar of Montana’s Lawyer Assistance Program since December 2006. He earned his law degree, cum laude, from Michigan State University College of Law in 2000 and then practiced with Max Hansen in Dillon. He has served on numerous Commission on Lawyer Assistance Program Committees. Mr. Larson currently serves on the CoLAP Life Balance Committee. Mike has over 25 years of continuous sobriety.

Jonathan McDonald has practiced law in Helena since graduating UM School of Law in 2006. He is a partner at the firm of Dix, Hunt & McDonald, and his practice focuses on personal injury litigation, insurance law and medical malpractice. In 2010, he and Jim Hunt received MTLA’s Appellate Advocacy award. Jonathan serves on MTLA's Amicus Committee and Trial Trends Editorial Board. Jonathan worked as a newspaper reporter for five years before attending law school.

Jonathan R. Motl is a partner in the firm of Morrison, Motl and Sherwood of Helena. He graduated from the University of Minnesota and William Mitchell College of Law. Mr. Motl's primary practice venues are civil trial work at the state district court level and representation before administrative bodies. He has substantial legal experience in the areas of commercial/consumer and campaign related law. Jon is a member of MTLA, ABOTA and a director (emeritus) of the Montana Justice Foundation.

Hon. Justice James C. Nelson will retire in January after serving on the Montana Supreme Court since May 1993. He earned his law degree from George Washington University in 1974. Justice Nelson practiced law in Cut Bank for nearly 20 years and served as Glacier County Attorney. Justice Nelson served on a number of Court Commissions and on the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws. He will teach two courses as an adjunct professor at UM School of Law during the spring semester, 2013.

Jessica Polan has volunteered with the Lawyers Assistance Program since 2008. After eight years of seasonal work (skiing), she attended the National Park Service Law Enforcement Academy in Santa Rosa, CA, and while there decided to pursue an education in law. She earned an undergraduate degree in psychology from UM and a law degree from University of Washington School of Law. Jessica has worked for the Public Defenders Office, Flathead County - Region 1, in Kalispell since 2008.

Jim Ragain practices in Billings, where he represents plaintiffs in professional negligence, products liability, and commercial litigation matters. Mr. Ragain has been recognized by Best Lawyers in America, Super Lawyers, and U.S. News and World Reports Best Law Firms for his work in the area of plaintiff's litigation. Jim earned his J.D. from Washburn University in 1979 and his LL.M. from the University of Florida Law School in 1981. He is a sustaining member of MTLA.

Hon. Jim Reynolds has served as a First Judicial District Court Judge since January 2011. He earned his law degree in 1978 from UM School of Law and clerked for Hon. Justice Gene B. Daly. He practiced in Helena for 31 years focusing on constitutional litigation, employment disputes and family law. He is the recipient of numerous awards including MTLA’s Appellate Advocacy Award, Disability Rights Montana’s Courage Award, and the Montana Freedom of Information Hotline’s Montana Free Press Award.

Shaun R. Thompson was appointed Disciplinary Counsel by the Montana Supreme Court in 2005. The Office of Disciplinary Counsel is responsible for the intake, investigation and prosecution of ethics complaints against lawyers. After graduating from the UM School of Law in 1977, Mr. Thompson served as Deputy County Attorney of Lincoln County. In 1980, Mr. Thompson moved to Helena to practice law. He was a principal in the law firm of Harlen, Thompson & Parish for over 20 years.