Avoid Miscommunication: PREP Students Expound at Bankruptcy Bar

Effective communication was the theme of a recent presentation by Professional Responsibility and Ethics Program students Shayla Waldon and Patrick Poole before members of the Bankruptcy Bar Association of the Southern District of Florida. The students told the group that clarity was a key component of ethics and professionalism in the field.

By UM News 06-06-2012

Joining the students on the CLE ethics panel was Jan Jacobowitz, Director of Miami Law's Professional Responsibility and Ethics Program, and Miami-Dade County's federal bankruptcy judges, A. Jay Cristol, Robert A. Mark and Laurel M. Isicoff.

They heard Waldon discourse on several matters related to ethics, including the competence of practitioners transitioning to bankruptcy practice and lawyers' obligations to third parties. "I was amazed at the wealth of best-practice tips available on the Bankruptcy Court's website," Waldon remarked. "And many of the tips are tailored to each judge, so that practitioners can be aware of the nuanced rules before entering the courtroom."

Poole's portion of the presentation raised a number of other issues, ranging from imminent changes in advertising rules to the dual representation of a corporate debtor and its principal during a Chapter 11 case. "The courtroom was filled with an engaging audience, which fully analyzed the communication hypotheticals," Poole said. "Having the judges offer their input added tremendously to the experience."