Creating Conflicts of Interest Procedures for Protecting You and Your Firm from Malpractice helps prevent and reduce the risk of conflicts of interest procedural errors, which can result in a malpractice suit, as well as embarrassment to the firm. It will also help reduce the firm's staff and overhead expenses.
The book provides a complete overview of how to create a cost-effective and efficient conflicts of interest department for any size law firm, from the sole practitioner to the partner/shareholder of an international firm with multiple offices. It streamlines in detail the procedures associated with the conflicts department. Topics included are:
- How to choose the right conflicts software customized for the lawyer's practice (this also includes other means than a conflicts program for capturing conflicts data for smaller firms such as sole practitioners or boutique firms)
- Creating conflicts forms and reports with examples
- Developing relevant protective conflicts procedures, including waivers, ethics walls, declined representations, and more
- Protecting against conflicts issues with lobbyists, witnesses and expert witnesses
In addition, it provides guidelines for screening lateral hires both lawyers and staff (what the lawyer needs to know), skills to consider when hiring conflicts staff with recommendations for training, and staying current with conflicts technology. It's also an excellent tool for using to audit a firm's current conflicts of interest procedures.