With the 2021 reforms in Arizona, more than 100 nonlawyer law firms, or alternative business structures (ABSs), have been licensed by the Arizona Supreme Court. But since nonlawyer-owned firms debuted in D.C. in 1991, ABA ethics opinions (including ABA Formal Op. 91-360) and authorities from many jurisdictions have barred other jurisdictions’ lawyers from practicing with them and barred ABSs from having branch offices elsewhere. But innovative Arizona ABSs have devised several structures to deliver legal services in other jurisdictions and to stretch their economic activities all over the U.S. A panel of experts will describe these structures and how (and if) they work ethically and what business models are built on them, and discuss whether they are subject to attack as violating the rules and law of other jurisdictions’ traditional bans on nonlawyer ownership.

Register here: https://events.americanbar.org/event/02cb7dc8-c77c-4cfb-a1a7-9773580ea27c/regProcessStep1

April 10-11, 2025

San Francisco and Live Webcast, www.pli.edu

Patent attorneys face distinct ethical and substantive rules set forth by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), often diverging from those in traditional legal practice. Join us for an insightful CLE led by a registered patent attorney with experience in ethics matters who guides you through a practitioner’s unique responsibilities under the USPTO Rules of Professional Conduct, which are based on the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct. This session will clarify the distinct regulatory and ethical landscape for intellectual property law. After completing this session, participants will be able to:

• Learn about the background on USPTO regulatory structure
• Delve into intellectual property-specific conflicts of interest, including subject matter conflicts and issues arising in USPTO actions and searches
• Understand the duty of candor obligations at the USPTO and how they impact interactions and disclosures
• Learn best practices and strategies for representing clients ethically and effectively within the constraints of the USPTO’s guidelines
• Hear about the current focus of the USPTO’s Office of Enrollment and Discipline

Register Here: https://www.pli.edu/programs/patent-law-institute/412535

Learning Objectives:

• Duty to Supervise 11.501 and 11.503
• Preventing UPL 11.505
• Professional Independence 11.504
• Confidentiality 11.106

You can Register here: https://events.americanbar.org/event/169109E1-B944-44BF-8F4B-25E42C0BAD6A/welcome

Join us on Friday, January 24, 2025, from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM PST for a slate of insightful sessions including Ethical Considerations in Litigation and Government Investigations, where Bob Gans, David Reidy, and Emil Ali will cover the Litigation Risk Management, Ethical Rules and Privilege, and  Securities Regulation.