Professional development seminars. Networking opportunities. Emails from the Bar Association of San Francisco (BASF) about upcoming events. These things are usually geared to attorneys rather than the paralegals who keep their firms humming. But why should attorneys get to have all the fun? Paralegals who want to enrich their understanding of the legal field and engage with their professional community should mark their calendars for the Annual Paralegal Conference on August 15! The Executive Committee of BASF’s Paralegal Section has organized this online event (via Zoom) around the ever-important topic of legal ethics. The conference will also feature presentations on wellness, inspired by BASF’s yearlong spotlight on the topic. Continuing Legal Education seminars include:
California Rules of Professional Conduct with Carol Langford. Professor Langford teaches professional responsibility at the University of San Francisco’s School of Law and has published numerous works on legal ethics, including a nationally adopted case book, Legal Ethics in the Practice of Law (Lexis, 4th ed., 2014). She has served as Chair of the California State Bar’s Committee on Professional Responsibility and has spoken at over 125 continuing education programs. Professor Langford will explore ethics-related topics in the legal field as they relate to paralegals and other legal professionals.
Ethical and Legal Duties for Court Reporters with host Ana Fatima Costa and her panel of experts: San Francisco Rent Board Administrative Law Judge Dorothy Chou Proudfoot and professional court reporters Kelly Bryce-Shainline, CSR, RPR, CRR, Liz Harvey, CCR, RPR, and Lori Cummings Judd, CCR, FAPR, RMR. Panelists will discuss the need for impartial certified court reporters to maintain the integrity of the record, the ethics rules and statutes governing court reporters, how contracting and gifting impact impartiality and ethics, and how digital recording may compromise the integrity of a case.
Ethical and Efficient Record Retrieval with Wendy Stephens, Regional Manager of Marketing and Training at Macro-Pro Inc. Wendy has extensive experience in the document retrieval industry and works closely with civil and workers compensation law firms. She will share her insight into ethical considerations in the retrieval of records for legal purposes.
Ethics in Everyday Practice by Paul DeAngelis of the Law Office of Paul DeAngelis. Paul has practiced law in San Francisco for over twenty years and is an instructor at San Francisco State University’s Paralegal Studies Program where he teaches courses on legal research and writing, pleading and motion practice, real estate law, and legal ethics. Paul will speak about important ethical issues faced by paralegals in their day-to-day work.
From Frazzled to Focused with legal productivity consultant Sarah Tetlow of Firm Focus. In this wellness seminar, Sarah will share some simple, practical strategies that overwhelmed paralegals can use to structure a productive and efficient day. Further on the topic of wellness, we will be treated to short videos in between sessions featuring Joshua Hathaway who will provide tips on staying present and communicating effectively in stressful situations.
Last year’s Annual Paralegal Conference—the first of its kind at BASF—was a resounding success with attendance reaching capacity. We plan to keep that momentum rolling this year and hope to see you and the rest of the San Francisco paralegal community on August 15.
About the Author:
Kate Morin is a paralegal at Ad Astra Law Group, a civil litigation firm that focuses on real estate, employment, and cannabis-related business disputes.
