COURSE DESCRIPTION
Master the professional responsibility obligations that govern attorney conduct when client relationships deteriorate into disputes over fees, representation quality, or professional judgments. This program addresses the complex ethical landscape surrounding client conflicts while providing practical guidance for resolution strategies. Learn to protect professional interests while maintaining ethical compliance in challenging client relationship scenarios.
- Understand professional conduct rules affecting fee disputes and collection procedures with clients
- Navigate conflict of interest issues when attorney-client disputes arise during or after representation
- Address confidentiality and privilege protection obligations in disputes with former clients
- Implement dispute resolution and client relationship management strategies that prevent ethical violations
Speaker:
Thomas E. Spahn practices as a commercial litigator with McGuireWoods in Tysons Corner, Virginia. Tom was selected as the 2013 and the 2020 metro-Washington DC "Lawyer of the Year" for "Bet the Company Litigation" by The Best Lawyers in America (Woodward/White, Inc.). In 2018, Virginia Lawyers Weekly selected him for inclusion in the inaugural Virginia Lawyers Hall of Fame. Tom has served on the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility, and is a Member of the American Law Institute and a Fellow of the American Bar Foundation. He has spoken at over 2,300 CLE programs throughout the U.S. and in several foreign countries. Through links on McGuireWoods's home page (Client Resource Center), Tom has made available to the public over 13,000 pages of his ethics and privilege materials. Tom graduated magna cum laude from Yale University and received his J.D. from Yale Law School.