Teaching Professionalism

Quick Tips

• Professionalism content in CPD programs includes professionalism responsibility, ethics, and practice management topics
• Use scenarios, case studies, and hypotheticals to initiate discussion and highlight key issues
• Encourage participants to ask the right questions rather than come up with the "right answer" to a problem
• Model professionalism when you teach — promote respect and openness for different points of view
• When dealing with an ethical problem, ask participants to consider the competing values at stake
• Create practical and concise program materials, including checklists, outlines, and summaries, rather than lengthy papers
• Refer to a variety of resources on the topic of professionalism, including case law, the Rules of Professional Conduct or Paralegal Rules of Conduct, legal commentary, and academic papers