On Demand
Audio
Ethically Working With Contract Lawyers: Best Practices and Pitfalls to Avoid
Produced on October 13, 2020
Course Information
Course Description
The legal industry has evolved beyond traditional law firm practice to encompass a number of non-traditional models of providing legal services, including unbundled, project-based legal work provided by contract attorneys. These different arrangements present new ethical scenarios, both for the contract attorneys and the law firms that use them. This program, presented by Erin Giglia, co-owner, and founder of Montage Legal Group, will use hypothetical scenarios to explore best practices when using freelance and contract attorneys.
This program will benefit law firms contemplating working with contract attorneys.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify the most common ethical issues that arise when working with contract attorneys
- Explore different relationship options with lawyers outside the firm
- Discuss best practices and how to avoid ethical pitfalls
Credit Information
Faculty
Erin Giglia
Montage Legal Group
Erin Giglia is an owner and founder of Montage Legal Group.
She graduated cum laude from Wellesley College in 1998, with departmental honors in Political Science. She then attended University of San Diego School of Law, where she was a member of the San Diego Law Review. She obtained her Juris Doctor, cum laude, in 2001.
After law school, Erin practiced litigation at Brobeck, Phleger & Harrison until 2002. Erin then joined Snell & Wilmer, LLP where she defended companies in product liability, premises liability, environmental and commercial litigation.
Erin left Snell & Wilmer in 2009 to co-found Montage Legal Group, a freelance attorney company comprised of attorneys who opted out of the traditional law firm model in favor of career flexibility. Erin was also Of Counsel at Hewitt Wolensky LLP (now merged with Arent Fox) from 2010-2014.
Erin is a frequent writer and speaker on legal outsourcing, work-life balance, women in law, networking, legal ethics and contract attorneys. Erin’s speaking engagements include presentations for the ABA, OC Bar Association, Los Angeles Bar Association, Wellesley College Alumnae Association, Ms. JD, KLRA Talk Radio, and Southern California law schools. Erin and Montage have also been featured in numerous publications, including The ABA Journal, CNBC, Yahoo Finance, The Wall Street Journal, The Glass Hammer, The Atlantic, and Huffington Post. In 2014, Erin and Montage Legal Group were featured on Forbes.com in an article titled “How Two Stay-at-Home Moms Are Changing the Legal Industry.” In 2015, Erin and Montage were featured in “Disruptive Innovation: New Models of Legal Practice” by UC Hastings Work Life Law Center.
In her work for Montage, Erin served on the Board of Directors of the OCBA Charitable Fund from 2016-2019, and current serves on the University of San Diego School of Law Alumni Board of Directors.
Bar Admissions:
California
Reviews
I went into this presentation thinking "contract lawyers" was referring to those lawyers that draft contracts, not lawyers that are retained on a contract basi,s so I didn't get from this presentation what I was hopin. However, it was effective/useful none the less.
Erin is great. Two thumbs up!
Great to educate and provide examples on a growing work arrangement that doesn't have much in the way of examples. Thank you.
Great presentation. Thank you.
Good program on a timely topic.
The presenter was outstanding.
4+
Knowledgeable presenter raising important issues in a clear way.
Excellent presentation.
I really enjoyed the presenter's tone and style. Very good information too.
Very good, stayed on the subject of ethics, not wandering off into other unrelated issues.
Good course. Useful.
Signed up thinking it would be about lawyers who practiced contract law, as opposed to those doing contract work. Still informative.
Incisive analysis, and common sense approach.
Excellent Presentation
Great speaker.
Informative and practical information.
Excellent informative
One of the more articulate, well-paced, well-documented and thorugh presentations I've watched (without being a disguised infomercial). Excellent choice of presenter and well done.
Never thought about being a contract attorney until now. Will explore further.