Get to know MOSOLO speaker, legal humorist Sean Carter

Sean Carter describes himself as the “Chief Humor Officer” with Mesa CLE in Mesa, Arizona.

He’ll speak at The Missouri Bar’s MOSOLO Small Firm Conference June 5-7 in Osage Beach. MOSOLO is an annual, nationally recognized conference for solo and small firm lawyers.

Carter will present one of the plenaries, “Nice lawyers finish first,” along with a breakout session about the importance of client communication.

As a legal humorist, Carter travels the country presenting CLE seminars that blend substantive legal principles with humor and storytelling.

“My goal is to help lawyers remember the values that brought us to the profession — justice, service, and humanity — and to do so in a manner that is both informative and entertaining,” Carter said.

Since 2002, Carter has presented more than 1,000 seminars for more than 400 bar associations, law firms, and legal departments throughout the U.S. and Canada. He speaks on diverse topics including legal ethics, professionalism, substance abuse, and the incorporation of AI into legal practice.

His plenary “Nice lawyers finish first” will explore the “radical” idea that kindness, courtesy, and professionalism are not liabilities in the legal practice, but competitive advantages. The session will examine the “seven virtues of good lawyering,” Carter said.

“As it turns out, being a zealous advocate does not require being a zealot,” Carter added. “In fact, the most effective representation requires just the opposite. Nice lawyers finish first ... and so do their clients!”

Carter said he enjoys traveling to conferences and helping educate lawyers in a humorous and memorable way.

“[W]hen all goes well, I get to bask in the roar of laughter,” Carter said. “Sometimes, the attendees even learn something. This is the greatest job ever; provided that you don’t need employer-sponsored health insurance, retirement benefits, or the approval of parents who mortgaged their home twice to pay for a Harvard Law degree that you’re not really using.”

Other plenary speakers include Catherine Sanders Reach from the North Carolina Bar Association and Barron Henley, of Affinity Consulting Group, who will cover 2025’s best legal tech tips, tricks, services, gadgets, and websites.

Learn more about MOSOLO and register to attend in-person or virtually here.