Effective communication is the key to any successful client-lawyer relationship, and it is an ethical imperative. Legal Aid lawyers face unique challenges in this regard. Clients may be transient, lack access to mobile phones or computers, or may disappear for periods or time or permanently during the course of the representation.

Ethics experts will guide attendees through scenarios designed to help them navigate these ethical and practical challenges and meet their obligations under the Model Rules of Professional Conduct. In addition to Model Rule 1.4, which governs communications with clients, attendees will learn more about how address their obligations under Model Rule 1.1 (Competence),  1.6 (Confidentiality), 1.14 (Client With Diminished Capacity), and 1.16 (Declining or Terminating Representation).