Virginia Live CLE Bundle 2021

Lawyers, the legal profession, law firms, and even legal ethics scholars are facing rapidly developing events and meteoric developments that threaten to upend the assumptions of law practice, and possibly worse. Bedrock assumptions about what constitutes ethical practice are being challenged. Technology and the reactions to the pandemic have exposed deep anachronisms in what have been regarded as settled legal ethics principles. This makes it a frightening time to be a lawyer and a challenging time to be an ethical lawyer.

This program examines critical practice challenges that the Rules of Professional Conduct do not adequately address, and in some cases, not at all. From recent legal developments to the date of the seminar, and from festering legal ethics dilemmas that lie lurking in the shadows, “The Legal Ethics Curse” will challenge, engage, and even frighten attendees. This is an intense, multidisciplinary, hypothesis-based program. Attendees will leave with new tools to address legal ethics problems when they arise, and will be prepared to prevent them from arising in the first place.

This course is designed for attorneys across all disciplines, regardless of experience, who are interested in the evolving landscape of legal ethics.

Learning Objectives:

1. Review Model Rules of Professional Conduct.
2. Evaluate the context, application, and limitations of the ethics rules, with an emphasis on the varying rules across jurisdictions and the risks of non-compliance.
3. Identify when legal ethics issues arise and address them.
4. Gain legal ethics problem-solving skills by examining complex legal ethics problems.
5. Explore recent legal developments and legal ethics dilemmas.
6. Anticipate the legal ethics issues likely to arise in 2026.

Course Time Schedule:

Eastern Time: 2:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Central Time: 1:30 PM - 3:30 PM
Mountain Time: 12:30 PM - 2:30 PM
Pacific Time: 11:30 AM - 1:30 PM
Alaska Time: 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
Hawaii-Aleutian Time: 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM

This course is also being presented on the following dates:

Thursday, February 12, 2026
Thursday, February 26, 2026
Thursday, March 12, 2026
Thursday, March 26, 2026
Thursday, April 9, 2026

Gender bias in the workplace creates an environment of inequality, missed opportunities, and negative morale. Whether these biases are conscious or unconscious, they can affect hiring, promotions, and interactions among leadership and employees. Overcoming these biases can lead to more inclusive and productive working environments.

In this program, attendees will learn how to identify gender bias within themselves and others. Attendees will also study the ways gender bias impacts the profession both collectively and individually. Perhaps most importantly, participants in this session will learn how to overcome such biases and create more inclusive environments. Other topics include hiring, pay disparity, leadership, caregivers, and harassment.

Attorneys and legal professionals who are interested in learning how inclusive working environments can benefit their practice and the profession are encouraged to attend. This program is designed for all attorneys in all practice areas.

Learning Objectives:

• Classify and describe examples of gender bias in the legal field.
• Recognize and label the impact of gender bias. 
• Identify and recognize strategies for addressing gender bias. 
• Design and construct policies that promote inclusivity. 
• Explore and examine the ethical implications of gender bias and promoting inclusive environments. 
• Examine and analyze the advantages of inclusivity.

Course Time Schedule:

Eastern Time: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Central Time: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Mountain Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Pacific Time: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Alaska Time: 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM
Hawaii-Aleutian Time: 7:00 AM - 9:00 AM

This course is also being presented on the following dates:

Thursday, February 12, 2026
Thursday, February 26, 2026
Thursday, March 12, 2026
Thursday, March 26, 2026
Thursday, April 9, 2026

The rise of the internet, social media, and digital communication platforms has profoundly transformed the landscape of defamation law. This program offers attorneys a clear and in-depth introduction to the foundational principles of defamation as they apply to both private individuals and public figures, while also addressing the nuanced legal standards that distinguish the two.

This program will provide attendees with insight into the evolving challenges posed by modern forms of communication, including issues related to the credibility of online content, First Amendment protections, and the complexities of preserving digital evidence. The course also examines current trends and emerging developments in defamation litigation, providing practical guidance for navigating this dynamic area of law.

Designed for attorneys seeking a deeper understanding of defamation law, this program balances core legal principles with real-world considerations relevant to today’s digital environment.

Learning Objectives:

1. Explain the foundational principles of defamation law. 
2. Distinguish the unique challenges that come with litigating a defamation case involving electronic communications. 
3. Compare and contrast historical definitions and modern interpretations of public figures.
4. Recognize issues of credibility in electronic communications. 
5. Analyze the First Amendment Protections. 
6. Identify methodologies for preserving evidence in defamation cases.

Course Time Schedule:

Eastern Time: 10:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Central Time: 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
Mountain Time: 8:30 AM - 9:30 AM
Pacific Time: 7:30 AM - 8:30 AM
Alaska Time: 6:30 AM - 7:30 AM
Hawaii-Aleutian Time: 5:30 AM - 6:30 AM

This course is also being presented on the following dates:

Thursday, February 12, 2026
Thursday, February 26, 2026
Thursday, March 12, 2026
Thursday, March 26, 2026
Thursday, April 9, 2026

This program will equip attorneys with the skills needed to evaluate the ethical boundaries of judicial discretion and the utility of deterrence theory in criminal sentencing. Assessing different theories of justice in the criminal system is essential for determining how to fairly and effectively balance the rights of defendants with the needs of the general public.

Attorneys will learn about the tension between consistency and individualization in the criminal justice system, different jurisprudential perspectives on law and justice, and different criminological perspectives on deviance and deterrence. The course will also analyze how modern criminological paradigms on criminality and deterrence culminated in the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994.

Moreover, the course will explore current understandings of general deterrence factors under 18 U.S.C. §3553(a)(2): Imposition of a Sentence. Similarly, participants will also examine current caselaw regarding the ethical exercise of judicial discretion and different perspectives on the fairness of judicial discretion. Lastly, the course will compare judicial polymorphism and unitarianism to determine whether statutory phrases should have multiple meanings or if the sequence of litigation is most dispositive to outcomes.

Attorneys with all levels of experience will benefit from this course, especially attorneys seeking to learn more about the metes and bounds of discretionary authority vested in the judiciary and the ethical duty to avoid the abuse of that discretion in criminal sentencing.

Learning Objectives:

1. Evaluate the ethical tension in criminal sentencing between individualization and decisionism versus consistency and stare decisis about judicial discretion.
2. Review classical jurisprudential schools of thought on the purpose of criminal law.
3. Compare and contrast classical criminological deterrence schools of thought.
4. Assess modern criminological deterrence schools of thought.
5. Consider the emergence of deterrence theory during the 1990s “war on crime” to justify general deterrence theory and harsher penalties.
6. Evaluate deterrence theory as enacted in 18 U.S.C. 3553: Imposition of a Sentence.
7. Examine caselaw interpreting 18 U.S.C. 3553 to provide substantial discretion to courts in conducting a procedural and substantive review.
8. Review of judicial polymorphism vs. unitarianism in decision-making.

Course Time Schedule:

Eastern Time: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Central Time: 12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
Mountain Time: 11:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Pacific Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Alaska Time: 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM
Hawaii-Aleutian Time: 8:00 AM - 10:00 AM

This course is also being presented on the following dates:

Friday, February 20, 2026
Saturday, February 28, 2026
Friday, March 13, 2026
Friday, April 3, 2026
Friday, April 24, 2026