Events

Statutory Causes of Action — Consumer Protection Statutes

The Westin Chicago River North Hotel 320 North Dearborn Street Chicago, IL 60654

Hinshaw & Culbertson LLP attorney, David M. Schultz, will be a featured moderator at the 2008 Legal Malpractice & Risk Management Conference (LMRM). The conference will take place March 3-5, 2009, in Chicago, Illinois, at the Westin River North Hotel. Mr. Schultz will be moderating a panel speaking on the topic "Statutory Causes of Action — Consumer Protection Statutes," from 2:45 to 3:45 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4, 2009.

Claimants continue to pursue remedies against attorneys under a variety of consumer protection statutes because of provisions for multiplied damages, penalties or an entitlement to attorneys' fees. In the past year, there have been important decisions under Pennsylvania's Consumer Protection Act, Florida's Drive Privacy Protection Act and the Federal Telephone consumer Protection Act. The panel will review these decisions as well as the significant legal deevlopments under the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, including whether the statute's bona fide error defense applies to "mistakes of law" committed by attorneys. Finally, the panel will talk about the trends under these and other statutory causes of action.

This year's LMRM Conference includes one day of legal malpractice sessions, one day of risk management sessions and one-half day of crossover sessions. Each conference panel, consisting of speakers who are leaders in their respective fields, from professional liability practitioners to law firm general counsel and insurance industry professionals, will examine recent case law and significant developments throughout the past year in the areas of legal malpractice and risk management. To view the complete conference schedule, please visit the LMRM website.

To register for the 2009 LMRM Conference, please visit the LMRM website at www.LMRM.com.

Who Should Attend?

For additional conference information, please visit: www.LMRM.com.

Legal Malpractice Sessions

• The Year in Review — Introduction
• Guess Where You Are Being Sued — Bankruptcy Court
• What You Need to Know About Development in Litigating Legal Malpractice Claims
• Beyond the Basics — Selecting and Using Expert Witnesses
• Insurance Law — Prior Knowledge and Additional Negligence Claims
• Statutory Causes of Action — Consumer Protection Statutes
• Can I Say What Really Happened?
• Stump the Panel

Legal Malpractice/Risk Management Cross-Over Topics

• In the Spotlight — The Exposure of Patent Lawyers
• The Insurance Marketplace
• How to Mitigate Your Damage Exposure as a Defendant
• The Debate Over the Billable Hour: A Rigorous Look at Competing Law Firm Profitability Models

Risk Management Sessions

• The General Counsel Forum
• Plantiff's Perspective — Red Flags and Selection Criteria
• Risk Management and Electronic Advertising — Websites and E-mail
• Going, Going, Gone: Lawyers Who Leave and the Firms Left Behind
• On the Horizon — MJP, Alternative Business Structures, and Alternative Billing

Earn up to 13.75 hours of CLE credit, including up to 5.50 hours of Ethics credit. CLE accreditation forms for all states will be available at the conference registration desk. To help ensure that you receive credit, please have your state bar association number with you to complete your accreditation form. Earn up to 13.75 hours of CLE credit, including 5.50 hours of Ethics credit, by attending the entire conference. 

Special Conference Highlights
In addition to the conference panels, the following special events will also take place:

• Welcome Reception, Tuesday, March 3, 2009 in the Ember Grille Room of the Westin Chicago River North Hotel from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.
• Cocktail Reception and Conference Dinner, Wednesday, March 4, 2009 at Brasserie Jo, Chicago's only authentic French brasserie and winner of the 1996 James Beard Award for "best new restaurant in the U.S.," beginning with cocktails at 6:30 p.m.
• Keynote Luncheon, Thursday, March 5, 2009, from 12:30 to 1:45 p.m. John H. Johnson, IV, Vice President of National Economic Research Associates, Inc, will talk about competing law firm profitability models.

For additional Conference information or to register, please visit the 2009 Legal Malpractice & Risk Management Conference website.