Understanding Voluntary Standards in Legal Practice
In this introductory program, Zach McGee discusses the California Attorney Guidelines of Civility and Professionalism, which reflect how the California State Bar thinks that lawyers should practice law. But the Guidelines are voluntary, do not create standards of conduct or care, do not supplant any rules or laws that govern attorney conduct and cannot be an independent basis for imposition of discipline or a finding of malpractice.
In light of these limitations, how should attorneys think about the Guidelines and should we commit to following them?
Rules covered include: ABA Model Rules 1.4, 4.1 & 8.4; California Bus. and Prof. Code § 6068 (d); and California Attorney Guidelines of Civility and Professionalism (2007).
Legal Technology & Education
New Media Legal Publishing, Inc. is a legal publishing company based in Los Angeles, California, that develops, produces, markets, and distributes innovative legal education content for law firms and companies. For more information about NMLP and its products, please visit http://www.newmedialegal.com .
Senior Vice President, Business Affairs, Sony Pictures Entertainment
Zach McGee is a Senior Vice President of Business Affairs for Sony Pictures Entertainment in Los Angeles, where he negotiates distribution deals for feature films and television series. Before joining Sony Pictures, Zach held senior legal positions in-house at NBCUniversal and Miramax. Zach began his career as a law clerk for the Honorable Michael B. Mukasey, Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. He also worked as an associate at Davis Polk in New York, New York, and Menlo Park, California. He graduated magna cum laude from Harvard College and Harvard Law School, and he earned his Master's in Business Administration from the UCLA Anderson School of Management. Zach is also a successful entrepreneur and the founder of educational content companies within the legal field.
