"Dealing with the Media" Seminar Set for April 15

archive

	print this page

	SBM general information
	member directory
	admissions, ethics, and regulation
	justice initiatives
	opinions, research, and links
	practice management resource center
	programs and services
	public policy resource center
	publications and advertising
	sections

	for the public public resources media resources

"Dealing with the Media" Seminar Set for April 15

4/1/03

The State Bar of Michigan's Law and the Media Committee will present a seminar on "Dealing with the Media," for attorneys at the Oakland County Bar premises on Tuesday, April 15 from 4 to 6 p.m. The format will be an interactive panel discussion between prominent Michigan journalists and members of the legal profession. Hosted by the Oakland County Bar Association, the aim of the seminar is to enhance understanding about how the media covers the legal system and to help lawyers understand their role and the media's position better.

"We encourage everyone who attends to actively participate in this discussion. We will cover hypothetical scenarios as well as how and when to share information with the media and the ethical implications of doing so," said Thomas H. Howlett, chairperson of the State Bar's Law and the Media Committee and attorney at The Googasian Firm, P.C. in Bloomfield Hills. "We hope lawyers attending the seminar will feel more comfortable when a reporter next calls," Howlett added.

Topics that will be covered include the following:

What do "off the record" and "on background" mean?
When should I return a reporter's phone calls?
What may happen if I don't talk to the press?
What makes a lawsuit or legal dispute "newsworthy?"
What do the Rules of Professional Conduct permit me to say?

The panel discussion will include columnist Brian Dickerson of the Detroit Free Press; reporter Paul Egan, the Detroit News; columnist and reporter, Steve Huber, The Oakland Press; Thomas Byerley, director of professional standards, State Bar of Michigan and Judge Gene Schnelz of the Oakland County Circuit Court. The program will be moderated by James Mitzelfeld, assistant U.S. attorney, Eastern District of Michigan, and by Thomas Howlett.

Registration is $10 per person. For more information please contact Anne Campbell at (248) 334-3400 or email bookkeeping@ocba.org. Registration can also be done online at www.ocba.org by clicking on "Calendar of Events." The Oakland County Bar is located at 1760 South Telegraph in Bloomfield Hills.

###