Lawyers gain valuable insight during hybrid DWI Law & Science Seminar
On July 25 and 26, The MiIssouri Bar held its highly anticipated Bernard Edelman DWI Law & Science Seminar at the Lodge of Four Seasons in Lake Ozark, as well as online. Nearly 200 lawyers, paralegals, speakers, and exhibitors traveled from across the state to the in-person portion of the seminar, where they enjoyed targeted CLE and got the chance to meet and connect with other DWI law professionals.
On top of structured breakout sessions and social opportunities, lawyers and paralegals also benefitted from asking questions and receiving guidance from others who have experience in similar casework.
Jessie Greathouse, a legal assistant and a speaker for the seminar’s “Bootcamp for Lawyers and Paralegals” series, said it’s a benefit to come to the DWI Law & Science Seminar.
“I would say for anybody that is wanting to know more about DWIs and how to fight them, how to help your clients, things to provide for your staff in a DWI firm, this is probably the place that you want to go to learn those things,” Greathouse said. “They provide a lot of useful information both for attorneys and for their paralegals.”
This year’s seminar offered a wide variety of session topics, including the luncheon presentation, “Drafting representations agreements for ethical and effective representation,” and plenary session, “Creatively negotiating for your clients: A prosecutor’s perspective.”. Other topics included trial techniques, trust compliance issues, and rising BAC and fermentation issues in DWI alcohol cases.
Seminar programs qualified for up to 16.7 MCLE credits, including three ethics and one elimination of bias hours.
Erin Kiersch, a criminal defense practitioner in Jefferson City, said she and her partner enjoy coming to the DWI Law & Science Seminar and think it is one of the highest regarded conferences in Missouri.
“This is the conference we choose to attend every year. I think it has the best speakers, the best information, and it’s very helpful,” Kiersch said, adding she also enjoys interacting with young and new lawyers. “I used to be the young attorney, and now seeing the nice young attorneys and getting to mingle with them at different events is always something I think we enjoy.”
Whether they were reconnecting with those they know or meeting lawyers for the first time, attendees of the conference had the opportunity to expand their network and improve their practice based on highly relevant CLE.
“I think anybody who practices and has to deal with DWIs would benefit greatly from something like this. It’s amazing,” attendee Chad Moen said. “As a prosecutor, I generally don’t get to see this side of it as much, so, for me, it was especially revealing in that respect.”
View photos from this year’s seminar here.