MTLA Spring Seminar
Professionalism and Ethics
Seminar Co-Chairs: Alexander (Zander) Blewett III and J. David Slovak, Great Falls
March 26, 2010
Hilton Garden Inn, Great Falls, MT
6.5 Ethics Credits
including 2 SAMI hours
(Substance Abuse/Mental Impairment)
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| Seminar Chairs | Alexander (Zander) Blewett III & J. David Slovak, Great Falls | |
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7:30-8:25 |
Registration & Breakfast |
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8:25-8:30 |
Introduction & Welcome – J. David Slovak, Great Falls |
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8:30-9:15 |
But Wait, There's More! - What States Do When Lawyers Telemarket |
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Christian D. Tweeten, Helena |
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9:15-10:00 |
Ethical Considerations from the Commission on Practice |
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John S. Warren, Dillon |
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10:00-10:15 |
BREAK |
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10:15-10:45 |
Abuse of Process | |
| Gary M. Zadick, Great Falls | ||
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10:45-11:45 |
R - E - S - P - E - C - T |
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| Randall L. Kinnard, Nashville, TN | ||
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11:45-1:15 |
LUNCH (on your own) |
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| 1:15-1:45 | Should All Forms of Formal Discipline Of Attorneys be Subject to Public Disclosure? |
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Hon. Justice Patricia O'Brien Cotter, Montana Supreme Court, Helena |
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| 1:45-2:45 | Winning Without "I" | |
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Hon. Keith Strong, U.S. Magistrate, District of Montana, Great Falls |
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2:45-3:00 |
BREAK |
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| 3:00-4:00 | Addiction and Practice of the Law: The Medical View (SAMI) | |
| J. Thomas Bulger, MD, Missoula | ||
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4:00-5:00 |
Mental Wellness and Practie of the Law (SAMI) |
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| Mike Larson, Dillon | ||
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5:00 |
Adjourn |
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| Speakers |
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J. Thomas Bulger, MD, is an emergency physician at St. Patrick Hospital and also works in the HIV clinic at Partnership Health Care in Missoula. He earned his medical degree at McGill University in Quebec and completed residency at Virginia Mason in Seattle. Dr. Bulger is board certified in emergency and internal medicine and is certified by the American Society of Addiction Medicine. He teaches a Global Health course at UM and has volunteered in Kenya and Honduras.
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Hon. Justice Patricia O’Brien Cotter has served on the Montana Supreme Court since 2001. She earned her law degree from Notre Dame Law School in 1977 and practiced in South Bend for six years before moving to Great Falls. After practicing law with John Hoyt, she and her husband, Michael, established the firm of Cotter & Cotter in 1985. Justice Cotter is a two-time recipient of MTLA’s Public Service Award and a recipient of Cascade County Bar Association’s Edward C. Alexander Award. She served as a lawyer representative and executive committee member to the Ninth Circuit Judicial Conference. She served as chair of MTLA’s amicus committee for seven years.
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Randall L. Kinnard earned his law degree in 1976 from Memphis State University School of Law. Before attending law school he graduated from the US Military Academy at West Point and served in Vietnam. He is certified as a Civil Trial Specialist and as a Medical Malpractice Specialist. He has tried over 250 jury trials in 33 years of trial practice. Randy is past president of the Tennessee Association for Justice and is currently Chairman of its Ethics Committee. He is a member of the Ethics Committee of the Tennessee Bar Association and a member of the Ethics Committee of the American Association for Justice.
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Mike Larson received his Associate Degree in Chemical Dependency Counseling from the College of Great Falls in 1989. After working for several years in the counseling field, he completed a Bachelor Degree in Secondary Education from Western Montana College in 1997. In 2000, Mike earned his Juris Doctorate from Michigan State University-Detroit College of Law. Mike and his family returned to Dillon in 2000, where he practiced with Max Hansen until accepting the position of Director of the Lawyer Assistance Program in December 2006. Mike has also been in recovery from alcoholism for the last 23 years.
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Hon. Keith Strong was sworn in as U.S. Magistrate Judge for the District of Montana, Great Falls, in January 2007. Judge Strong earned his law degree from UM School of Law in 1974 and previously practiced with Dorsey & Whitney and Church, Harris, Johnson & Williams. He has been honored as a fellow to American College of Trial Lawyers, American Academy of Appellate Lawyers and American Law Institute. Judge Strong is a past president of ABOTA and was listed in Best Lawyers in America, 1995 - 2006.
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Christian D. Tweeten earned his law degree from UM School of Law in 1977 and served as law clerk for Senior United States District Judge William J. Jameson. Mr. Tweeten has worked in the Montana Attorney General’s Office since 1993 and is currently Chief Civil Counsel. Prior to that he was associated with the firm of Hughes, Kellner, Sullivan & Alke and in general civil trial practice in Helena. He has appeared frequently before the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and has argued more than 100 cases in the Montana Supreme Court. He has served as a trustee of the State Bar of Montana since 1995 and is a past president.
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John S. Warren earned his law degree from the UM School of Law in 1973 and his undergraduate degree from UC Berkeley. Mr. Warren is the current chair of the Montana Supreme Court Commission on Practice. He has participated as a faculty member of UM School of Law’s Trial Advocacy School since 1995. John has also served as a Western Montana College Executive Board member, Dillon City Attorney, Montana Law Review member and on the State Bar’s Board of Trustees. He is a partner in the Dillion firm of Davis, Warren & Hritsco and a member of the American Association for Justice.
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Gary M. Zadick earned his law degree from the University of Montana School of Law in 1978. He is a member of the Great Falls firm of Ugrin, Alexander, Zadick & Higgins specializing in negligence, insurance and products liability law. In April 2000, Mr. Zadick, along with his partners Neil Ugrin, Robert James and Bert Fairclough, prevailed in The Matter of Insurance Imposed Billing Rules and Procedures. The decision is the first in the country from a court of last resort addressing the role of defense counsel. Since that time his practice has changed and is now primarily representing plaintiffs. In addition to representing insureds and injured persons, Gary also has an active mediation/arbitration practice.
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