Disability and Professionalism: Inclusive Legal Practice in Action
A live 90-minute CLE video webinar with interactive Q&A
This CLE professionalism course gives first-hand insight to working with disabled participants in the legal process as counsel, colleague, and advocate.
This webinar will qualify for a professionalism credit in some states.
Outline
- Welcome and introduction
- Understanding disability in context
- What is a disability? Legal definition vs. social model
- Statistics and representation
- Systemic barriers and ableism
- Legal and ethical foundations of professionalism
- ABA Model Rules
- Rule 1.1: Competence (includes understanding client's needs)
- Rule 1.4: Communication (including accessible formats)
- Rule 1.14: Diminished Capacity
- Rule 8.4(g): Prohibiting discrimination
- Georgia Preamble
- Respect for the dignity of all persons
- Lawyers as guardians of fairness, justice, and integrity
- ABA Model Rules
- Professional cultural challenges
- Law firm pressures (billable hours, visibility bias)
- Workplace inclusion - design for everyone
- Examples: bar exam access, virtual CLE captioning, courthouse/incarceration navigation
- Five approaches: real world tools for ethical and inclusive behavior
- Normalize asking about access: don't assume; respectfully ask what's needed
- Use inclusive language: be person-centered and respectful
- Design for everyone: caption meetings, use readable materials, avoid jargon
- Challenge assumptions: confront unconscious bias and redefine "professionalism"
- Hire and promote inclusively: prioritize accessibility in recruitment and leadership
- Practical accessibility a closing reflections
- Final takeaway: inclusion is a professional competency, not an optional courtesy
Benefits
The course will review these and other key issues:
- Understand the definition and scope of disability in both social and legal contexts
- Recognize systemic and attitudinal barriers
- Increase familiarity with ABA Model Rules and Aspirational Statements on Professionalism and how it applies to disability inclusion and the lawyer's duties
- Gain actionable strategies for accessible practice in compliance to ADA requirements and professional obligations
- Prioritize effective communication to enable professional interactions with people who have disabilities
Faculty
Ann E. Motl
Senior Counsel
Bowman and Brooke
Ms. Motl concentrates her practice defending medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers in individual product... | Read More
Ms. Motl concentrates her practice defending medical device and pharmaceutical manufacturers in individual product liability lawsuits, mass torts, multidistrict litigation and class actions, leveraging her mechanical engineering background to practice in the intersection of technology and law. She has experience serving as national coordinating counsel for medical device companies and always strives to preserve company resources while reducing risk. Ms. Motl has appeared in state and federal courts across the country conducting witness interviews, depositions and drafting and arguing motions. She devises and provides technology strategy to her clients in a variety of areas, including discovery, witness interviews, corporate deposition preparation and expert witness work. Ms. Motl is well-versed in eDiscovery and handles almost all aspects of the discovery process for her medical device clients including identification, collection, protective orders, ESI protocols, document review and production of documents.
CloseEarly Discount (through 08/01/25)