Personal Injury Ethics: Avoiding Malpractice on Tax, Government Benefits, and Other Specialized Issues
Addressing Non-Litigation Issues Under Model Rule 1.2 While Increasing Settlement Value
Note: CPE credit is not offered on this program
A live 90-minute CLE video webinar with interactive Q&A
This CLE course will discuss under what circumstances personal injury attorneys may be obligated to provide pre-settlement advice on non-litigation issues such as tax liability or government benefits, and how lawyers who wish to avoid giving these types of advice may ethically (1) limit the scope of their engagement to exclude those topics, and (2) make compliant referrals to other qualified professionals whose practice it is to address these specialized issues. The program provides 90 minutes of ethics credit. There is no CPE credit for this course.
Outline
- Introduction
- How non-litigation issues can reduce net settlement value
- Limiting representation under Model Rule 1.2
- Ensuring informed consent
- Making compliant client referrals to subject matter experts
Benefits
The panel will review these and other pivotal issues:
- What are the ethical duties of trial lawyers to help clients with non-litigation issues?
- When and how should clients involve advisers with specialized knowledge/experience?
- What are the most critical tax, finance, and benefits issues in personal injury cases?
- How can counsel ethically narrow their scope of representation?
- Most importantly, how can ethical compliance increase net settlement value?
Faculty
Jeremy Babener
Founder & Consultant
Structured Consulting
Mr. Babener is an expert in lawsuit settlement strategies and a seasoned tax attorney. As Tax Counsel at Structured... | Read More
Mr. Babener is an expert in lawsuit settlement strategies and a seasoned tax attorney. As Tax Counsel at Structured Legal and Founder of Structured Consulting, he specializes in guiding trial lawyers and settlement planners to solutions that maximize settlement value, using strategies based in tax, finance, and government benefits. Mr. Babener regularly writes for Forbes, Bloomberg, and the ABA, sharing insights on structured settlements, tax optimization, and legal ethics compliance. His expertise is recognized through his active involvement on the legal committees of the three national settlement planning associations, where he advocates for plaintiffs, plaintiff lawyers, and settlement planners. Mr. has focused on settlements for over a decade, including in his role as Special Tax Counsel at law firm Lane Powell, and as Fellow in the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Tax Policy.
CloseEarly Discount (through 07/25/25)