On June 22, PREP traveled to the Florida Bar Annual Convention at the Boca Raton Resort to present an innovative CLE ethics training at the Florida Bar Federal Court Practice Committee’s Annual Roundtable. Over 150 attorneys federal judges analyzed and discussed PREP’s hypotheticals that involved various aspects of technology and social media that lawyers and judges may encounter in the practice of law.
Under the guidance and moderation of PREP’s director Jan Jacobowitz, PREP Fellows Daniel Celaya and Haley Moss assisted with the presentation and shared their research and the latest case law that addresses jurisdiction, service via social media, spoliation of evidence and discovery, emerging technology, investigation of jurors on social media, and concerns about both lawyers and judges use of social media.
Celaya had high praise for the event. “The level of interactivity with such a knowledgeable crowd made the presentation as dynamic and informative as it could have been.”
Moss agreed. “The attendees at the roundtable were very engaged and had so much to contribute to our presentation! We definitely had a lively conversation. I especially enjoyed getting to speak to lawyers and judges about jury issues. It was also wonderful to meet so many wonderful lawyers and judges from throughout the state of Florida, and also, to connect with Miami Law alumni.”
PREP is an award-winning program, which develops continuing legal education ethics trainings for the legal community. The program combines the attributes of an ethics institute and an ethics clinic, and has dedicated hundreds of student hours to public service and has educated thousands of members of the Bench & Bar. During CLE trainings, students are often able to make a positive impact on attendees by prompting them to consider and reconsider their approaches to challenging ethical dilemmas arising in the practice of law.
In 2012, PREP was recognized by the American Bar Association with its E. Smythe Gambrell Professionalism Award—the leading national award recognizing programs and projects contributing to the understanding and development of professionalism among attorneys and judges. In addition to presenting ethics trainings, throughout the semester PREP students publish blog posts regarding the nation’s newest ethics opinions. The blog, Legal Ethics in Motion, can be found here.
