Continuing Legal Education

The 31st annual Clifford Tort Symposium, “Social Science and Civil Justice,” will be held at DePaul University College of Law on May 22-23. The program will examine how social scientists’ insights and procedures have influenced the civil justice system. With two dozen academics from around the country, the symposium will consider five key issues raised by social scientists, including what social science research teaches about decision maker prejudice and bias, as well as how judges…

Charles R. Haskins, partner at Clifford Law Offices, spoke at the Illinois Trial Lawyers Association (ITLA) Ethics and Professionalism Seminar on March 28. Haskins spoke on “Social Media” during the morning-long conference, which featured several speakers, including Melissa Smart, Illinois Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission Director of Education, who spoke on “ARDC’s Strategic Plan for 2025 and New Trends and Relevant Cases for Trial Lawyers.” The program offered 4.75 hours of professional responsibility continuing legal…

Kevin P. Durkin, partner at Clifford Law Offices, will be speaking at the Pan-European Organisation of Personal Injuries Lawyers and McGill University Institute of Air and Space Law in Madrid, Spain. The Conference on International Aviation: Liability, Insurance & Finance will be held June 5-6 at Madrid’s Comillas University. Durkin, who has handled numerous aviation crash cases in his 45 years of practice, will be speaking on a panel entitled “Recent Developments in Liability of…

Shannon M. McNulty, partner at Clifford Law Offices, spoke at the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA) conference on artificial intelligence in Champaign, Illinois. “Generative Artificial Intelligence—Fact or Fiction: Transforming the Legal Practice” was held April 2-4, 2025, at the I Hotel and Conference Center. It explored hot topics impacting civil practice and procedure and the issues AI is creating for lawyers and judges. Shannon McNulty spoke on a panel entitled “Artificial Intelligence Evidence in Litigation…

DePaul University College of Law has announced that Andrew Hammond, an associate professor at Indiana University Maurer School of Law, has been named the 2025 Clifford Scholar-in-Residence. A committee of leading civil justice faculty examined the work of professors nationwide who have contributed to the field of tort law and chose Hammond as the national “rising star” in civil justice and this year’s Scholar. Professor Hammond writes and teaches in the areas of administrative law,…

Sarah F. King, partner at Clifford Law Offices, spoke on Trial Trends: Clips & Questionnaires at the Municipal District Advisory Committee Monthly Meeting on Wednesday, March 5, 2025, in Room 1307 of the Daley Center. King is President of the Women’s Bar Association of Illinois (WBAI). She is also very active in several women-related legal and community activities, including Women Everywhere: Partners in Service Project, which is a collaborative effort coordinating volunteer activities to help…

Robert A. Clifford, founder and senior partner of Clifford Law Offices, and Irwin Chemerinsky, Professor of Berkeley School of Law, spoke on March 7 in a program entitled “Plaintiff-Side Litigation: Scholars and Practitioners in Dialogue.” The day-long symposium was co-sponsored by the American Bar Foundation, UC Berkeley School of Law Civil Justice Research Initiative, with additional support from the American Association for Justice. The program brought together scholars’ and practitioners’ perspectives on the plaintiff-side practice…

Erin Clifford, Managing Director at Clifford Law Offices and Corporate Wellness Consultant at Erin Clifford Wellness, will be speaking at an American Bar Association webinar entitled “Practical Tips for Improving Mental Health and Well-Being in the Practice of Law.” An advocate for improving wellness in the legal profession, Erin Clifford is part of a roundtable discussion that will explore practical strategies to enhance mental health, build resilience, and improve well-being in one’s professional practice. Joining…

Clifford Law Offices is committed to supporting the legal profession and growing the reach of legal education through active involvement in organizations. Our attorneys regularly share thought leadership in their respective practice areas at dozens of continuing legal education events each year. Throughout 2024, several of the firm’s attorneys participated in multiple educational events sponsored by the Illinois State Bar Association (ISBA), the largest legal association in Illinois and a leading education resource for Illinois…