The Ethics, Management, and Prevention of Bullying & Other Bad Behavior in the Legal Profession

On October 1, 2024, the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism released a first-of-its-kind study and report on the prevalence and effects of bullying in the legal profession.  More than 6,000 Illinois attorneys participated in the study, reporting on their experiences with bullying, the types of bullying they have witnessed, and the mental, physical, and other harms caused by such behavior.  This continuing legal education program, presented by Trisha Rich, will examine the study, and its methodology, and discuss the effects of bullying behavior on lawyers and others in the legal profession. 

Learning Objectives:

1. Review how the Rules of Professional Conduct, court rules, ethics opinions, and other sources of law govern bullying and destructive behavior
2. Identify key findings from the study
3. Discuss how to identify and prevent bullying behavior in the workplace
4. Examine how bullying behavior causes mental, physical, and other harm in lawyers and others in the legal profession
5. Analyze techniques for managing the stress caused by negative behavior in the legal profession