Event Calendar
Live Seminar: The Media & Your Law Practice: Obligations, Ethics and Opportunities
Date: November 19, 2009
Time: 3:00p.m. - 5:00p.m.
For more information and to register for the live seminar, please click here Seminar Agenda About the Seminar Mandatory MCLE Credit Hours and Legal Ethics & Professional Responsibility (LEPR) Credit Hours
For more information and to register for the live webcast, please click here
3:00 p.m. Registration
3:25 p.m. Welcome and Opening Remarks
3:30 p.m. Does the Media Really Matter in Litigation?
The program starts by examining specific examples where the news media played a significant role in the outcome of a case. Questions are permitted and encouraged throughout the program
3:40 p.m. Are There any Rules Governing When a Lawyer Can Talk to Reporters and What They Can Say?
The program examines the state bar rules, the Gentile case, and other key legal/ethic questions on this. Do you need client approval? Do you need a firm policy? What about issue or client conflicts? Then there is the issue of libel and slander. When you should talk to the media and when should your client?
4:00 p.m. Off-the-Record and Background
What does it mean and are there any rules? Most “off-the-record” conversations are designed to help reporters better understand the law or legal procedures, but they can also be used to leak information about your case to the press. Are you protected?
4:15 p.m. What is News and Why?
Identifying cases, issues or clients that are likely to gain media attention and how to prepare for it. Understanding what news is, how the news media operates and the information that journalists have access to publicly through the clerk’s office, the SEC, Freedom of Information Act and the state Public Records Act. Do press releases work or are they spam?
4:30 p.m. Developing Professional Relationships with Journalists
How is it done and why is it so important? Our courts are public institutions, and we as lawyers have a responsibility to inform the public about how the law works. The best way to do that is through the news media.
4:40 p.m. When to Bring in Media Relations/PR in a Case? How Can They Help or Hurt? Do They Fall Under Work Product/Client Attorney Privilege?
4:50 p.m. The Final Do’s and Don’ts
Never say “no comment.” Never do a cold call interview. Never multitask, such as reading email, while giving an interview. And never, ever lie.
5:00 p.m. Adjourn
In today’s media crazed culture, knowing when, what and how to communicate with the press is more important than ever. Join attorney and Vinson & Elkins Director of Communications, Mark Curriden, for a practical and powerful look at how you can improve your media relations skills. The program will examine the law and legal ethics regarding when a lawyer can and cannot make public statements regarding clients and matters, and what they should and should not say. The program will also educate lawyers on the practical elements of dealing with journalists and how to use the news media to more effectively represent clients and promote their legal practice.
This seminar qualifies for 1.5 MCLE credit hours, including up to .5 LEPR credit hour.
Event Type: Seminars
