Confronting the Bullying Lawyer: Harassment Rules, Professional Boundaries, and Psychological Strategies
3.75 hour CLE
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Program Summary
Session I – Just How It Is? Civility in the Legal Profession 2025 – Jim Doppke
In this presentation, we will discuss the concept of civility as it exists in the legal profession now. We will examine a recent study of bullying in the profession, as well as a new rule of professional conduct addressing harassment in the practice of law. We will review cases that illustrate litigators’ aggressive tactics and their consequences, and we will review how lawyers’ behavior in settings other than litigation
Key topics to be discussed:
- How we define civility, and how different views of it can be reconciled
- Bullying in the profession and the regulation of harassment
- Aggressive behavior in litigation
- Questionable conduct in other practice settings
Session II – Discovering and Defining Your Professional Persona – Toni Jaeger-Fine
This session will explore the legal professional persona, a set of attitudes and behaviors that define us as professionals and determine our success and happiness. We will explore the foundations of a strong and sustainable professional persona, self-management (professionalism from the inside), and relationships (professionalism with the outside). This session will also consider the interplay between the professional persona and the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct.
Key topics to be discussed:
- Understanding the legal professional persona
- Foundations of a strong professional persona
- Self-management and inner professionalism
- Relationship management and external professionalism
- Ethics and the ABA model rules of professional conduct
- Sustaining your professional persona over time
Session III – Workplace Bullying in the Legal Profession: Recognizing, Addressing, and Mitigating Its Impact – Karen E. Ross
Workplace bullying is an entrenched issue in the legal profession—often rationalized as a byproduct of high-stakes advocacy, but in reality, it degrades morale, drives talent loss, and erodes profitability. This session explores the full spectrum of bullying behavior in legal environments, from overt intimidation to subtle sabotage, and examines how these behaviors diminish team performance, organizational culture, and client service. Drawing on empirical research and professional experience, the presentation highlights bullying’s disproportionate effects on women and underrepresented attorneys, and how law firms can reframe civility and professionalism as essential tools for talent development and retention. Participants will learn how to identify bullying early, respond effectively within ethical and procedural frameworks, and implement strategies to foster a healthy legal workplace.
Key topics to be discussed:
- Defining workplace bullying in legal contexts
- The cost of toxic culture: Organizational and financial impact
- A woman attorney’s perspective: Navigating gendered bullying in legal practice
- Bullying’s effect on teamwork, mentorship, and inclusion
- Ethical and legal risks of ignoring bullying behavior
Session IV – Professionalism and Civility: Psychological Strategies for Managing Emotions Amid Aggressive Legal Tactics – Kendra Brodin
In today’s increasingly adversarial legal landscape, attorneys often face aggressive and confrontational tactics from opposing counsel. These encounters can trigger strong emotional responses, challenging even the most experienced practitioners to maintain professionalism and civility. This CLE session delves into the psychological underpinnings of emotional control with an emphasis on how self-awareness and emotional regulation can be cultivated to defuse conflict, enhance advocacy, and uphold ethical standards. Attorneys will gain insights into managing their internal reactions, responding strategically rather than reflexively, and preserving credibility before judges, juries, and clients. The session will also explore how unchecked emotional responses can impair judgment, exacerbate disputes, and derail legal proceedings such as settlement negotiations or case valuation efforts. Participants will leave with practical tools drawn from cognitive-behavioral psychology, mindfulness strategies, and professionalism codes to handle high-pressure legal confrontations with composure and integrity.
Key topics to be discussed:
- Why professionalism and civility matter in the face of provocation
- The psychology of emotional triggers in legal practice
- Applying the thought-emotion-action cycle to professional conduct
- Strategic emotional regulation tools for high-stakes advocacy
- How to create a personal emotional regulation plan
This course is co-sponsored with myLawCLE.
Date / Time: July 25, 2025
- 1:00 pm – 5:15 pm Eastern
- 12:00 pm – 4:15 pm Central
- 11:00 am – 3:15 pm Mountain
- 10:00 am – 2:15 pm Pacific
Closed-captioning available
Speakers
Kendra Brodin | EsquireWell
Kendra Brodin is the Founder & CEO of EsquireWell, a leading lawyer well-being and performance consulting firm, providing education, strategic guidance, coaching, and online learning tools to help lawyers be happier, healthier, and more successful. Prior to founding her company, Kendra was Chief Attorney Development Officer at a large national law firm where she managed firm-wide lawyer training and development as well as well-being initiatives. Kendra is a frequent presenter, coach, and consultant for small, mid-sized, and large law firms, legal departments, and law schools, and she teaches a course called “Well-being and Professional Formation” at the University of St. Thomas School of Law in Minneapolis. With a master’s degree in social work, a law degree, and over 20 years of professional experience in legal professional development and well-being, Kendra brings together the “people” side and the “business” side of the law as she guides legal organizations and their team members to thrive now and in the future.
Karen E. Ross | Tucker Ellis LLP
Karen serves as national and local counsel in asbestos, talc, silica, coal mine dust, and other exposure-related litigation in Ohio and throughout the United States. She has extensive experience defending product liability matters with a heightened expertise in industrial and consumer machinery and equipment. Karen works closely with client design and engineering teams and orchestrates and executes national defense strategies, including motion and discovery practice, as well as expert and fact witness development. Karen is well known for her deep knowledge of the product liability laws and evidentiary rules in several states and her ability to apply those standards to the facts presented. She also utilizes her discovery and litigation skills to defend health care facilities.
In her national practice, Karen leads teams of lawyers, which coalesce into a virtual law firm, providing clients with exemplary service and management. Karen’s patience, persistence, and problem-solving aptitude provide a strong foundation for every case she tackles. Before joining Tucker Ellis, Karen gained trial experience and honed her litigation and writing abilities as an assistant Cuyahoga County prosecutor and Ninth District Court of Appeals staff attorney – skills that serve her well in representing clients in court, at deposition, and in motion practice. Community service has been a part of Karen’s life since childhood. In addition to her work as a mock trial coach for John Hay High School students in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, she is an executive board member of St. Vincent-St. Mary High School.
James A. Doppke, Jr. | Robinson, Stewart, Montgomery & Doppke, LLC
James A. Doppke, Jr. has concentrated his practice on professional responsibility issues for more than 25 years. He is currently a partner in the Chicago firm of Robinson, Stewart, Montgomery & Doppke, LLC, representing clients in disciplinary cases, bar admissions matters, and legal ethics consultations.
Previously, Jim was Senior Counsel for the Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission, handling the investigation and prosecution of numerous attorney misconduct matters. He has also created and presented programs on legal ethics issues for local and national organizations.
Toni Jaeger Fine | Fordham Law School
Toni is Senior Counselor at Fordham Law School, where she served as assistant dean for nearly two decades. She is also principal of Jaeger-Fine consulting, which provides services to individuals, law firms, and other organizations. She speaks widely on various topics in the U.S. and abroad.
Toni is the author of many articles and several books, including Becoming a lawyer: Discovering and Defining Your Professional Persona; The U.S. Legal System: The Basics; and American Legal Systems: A Resource and Reference Guide. Her current work in progress is Law Firm Management for Next Gen Lawyers (with Amadeu Ribeiro).
Agenda
Session I – Just How It Is? Civility in the Legal Profession 2025 | 1:00pm – 2:00pm
- How we define civility, and how different views of it can be reconciled
- Bullying in the profession and the regulation of harassment
- Aggressive behavior in litigation
- Questionable conduct in other practice settings
Break | 2:00pm – 2:10pm
Session II – Discovering and Defining Your Professional Persona | 2:10pm – 3:10pm
- Understanding the legal professional persona
- Foundations of a strong professional persona
- Self-management and inner professionalism
- Relationship management and external professionalism
- Ethics and the ABA model rules of professional conduct
- Sustaining your professional persona over time
Break | 3:10pm – 3:20pm
Session III – Workplace Bullying in the Legal Profession: Recognizing, Addressing, and Mitigating Its Impact | 3:20pm – 4:05pm
- Defining workplace bullying in legal contexts
- The cost of toxic culture: Organizational and financial impact
- A woman attorney’s perspective: Navigating gendered bullying in legal practice
- Bullying’s effect on teamwork, mentorship, and inclusion
- Ethical and legal risks of ignoring bullying behavior
Break | 4:05pm – 4:15pm
Session IV – Professionalism and Civility: Psychological Strategies for Managing Emotions Amid Aggressive Legal Tactics | 4:15pm – 5:15pm
- Why professionalism and civility matter in the face of provocation
- The psychology of emotional triggers in legal practice
- Applying the thought-emotion-action cycle to professional conduct
- Strategic emotional regulation tools for high-stakes advocacy
- How to create a personal emotional regulation plan
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