CHICAGO, April 17, 2012—Former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo and legal commentator Jonathan Turley will be among the speakers at an American Bar Association conference April 19-20 in New York that will cover topics including digital news coverage of the legal profession, legal outsourcing and the effect of lawyer aging on legal malpractice.

Cuomo, the April 19 luncheon speaker (12:30 – 1:30 p.m.), will offer his views on re-thinking the adversarial process and whether alternative dispute mechanisms are preferable.

Additional information about the ABA Legal Malpractice Conference, to take place at the Waldorf-Astoria, can be found online. Program highlights include:

Digital News Coverage of the Legal Profession: Evolution or Revolution?

Thursday, April 19, 9 – 10 a.m.

Legal news and information is now instantly online 24/7. Along with the increased volume of information, there is a lot more noise and less editorial control. What does all this mean for the delivery and consumption of legal news and information? This and other questions will be explored by a panel representing the broad spectrum of legal news reporting.

• Allen Pusey, editor and publisher, ABA Journal, Chicago;
• Mathew Ingram, senior writer, GigaOm, Toronto, Ontario;
• David Lat, founder and managing editor, Above the Law, New York;
• Jonathan Turley, professor, George Washington University Law School, Washington, D.C.; and
• Noeleen Walder, editor and correspondent, Legal News, Thomson Reuters, New York.

Trends, Benefits, and Risks in Legal Outsourcing

Thursday, April 19, 2:45 – 4:15 p.m.

Panelists will explore the world of contract attorneys, legal outsourcing services, professional document reviewers and e-discovery experts. The use of these resources raises issues such as the duty to supervise, confidentiality, competence, conflicts and billing. The panel includes an in-house attorney, a partner in a large law firm, an ethicist and an executive in the outsourcing industry who previously founded one of the pioneer legal process outsourcing companies.

• William J. Campbell Jr., partner and general counsel, DLA Piper LLP (U.S.), Chicago;
• Vincent M. Catanzaro, senior counsel, global discovery manager, DuPont Legal;
• Kunoor Chopra, senior vice president – Global Legal Services, UnitedLex, Los Angeles; and
• Jamie Gorelick, co-chair, ABA Ethics 20/20 Commission; partner, WilmerHale, Washington, D.C.

The Effect of the Aging, Impaired Attorney on Malpractice Claims and Grievances

Thursday, April 19, 10:15 – 11:15 a.m.

As Baby Boomers enter retirement age, the rising tide of age-related issues affecting lawyers will become a matter of increasing concern for law firms and their liability insurance carriers. Topics include how law firms should prepare for these issues, including a look at firm retirement policies, and how to deal with age-related disciplinary issues.

• Mark C. Zauderer, partner, Flemming Zulack Williamson Zauderer, New York;
• Christopher J. Carey, shareholder, Graham Curtin, Morristown, N.J.
• Dr. John H. Morrison, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York; and
• Patricia Spataro, director, Lawyer Assistance Program, New York State Bar Association.

Firm General Counsel Issues

Thursday, April 19, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Failing to identify and resolve ethical issues within a law firm can result in claims, disciplinary action and lost business. Experienced general counsel will discuss the difficulties in navigating matters such as cross-border conflicts, workplace e-mail usage, social media policies and attorney-client privilege for the firm when continuing to represent the client.

• Antonia B. Ianniello, partner, Steptoe & Johnson LLP, Washington, D.C.;
• Charlotte Moses Fischman, partner and general counsel, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, New York;
• Gerard E. Harper, partner, Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison, New York; and
• Martin I. Kaminsky, general counsel, Greenberg Traurig, New York

News reporters may attend the conference at no charge. For media credentials or other information, please contact Ira Pilchen, ira.pilchen@americanbar.org, 312-988-5743.

With nearly 400,000 members, the American Bar Association is the world’s largest voluntary professional membership organization. As the national voice of the legal profession, the ABA works to improve the administration of justice, promotes programs that assist lawyers and judges in their work, accredits law schools, provides continuing legal education, and works to build public understanding around the world of the importance of the rule of law.

The ABA Standing Committee on Lawyers’ Professional Liability, which produces the National Legal Malpractice Conference, is the ABA’s source for information on legal malpractice claim statistics, insurance for lawyers, and malpractice prevention information and help.

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