Ethical Law Firm Leadership CLE: Navigating High-Stakes Communications on Politically Sensitive Topics with Gina Rubel
Join Gina Rubel at the Philadelphia Bar Association Bench-Bar Conference as she moderates a dynamic group of industry leaders who will discuss ethical law firm leadership in 2026, including:
- Nina Spizer, Partner, Dilworth Paxson
- Reginald Streater, Feldman Shepherd
- Marc Tepper, Buchanan Ingersoll
- Judge Stella Tsai, Commonwealth Court of Pennsylvania
Date: September 18, 2026
Time: 1-2:30 p.m. ET
Location: Philadelphia Bar Association 2026 Bench-Bar & Annual Conference, W Hotel, Philadelphia, PA
CLE: 0.5 SUB/1.0 ETH CLE credits – 90-minute session
Register: https://philadelphiabar.org/?pg=events&evAction=showDetail&eid=349341
Topic: At the Crossroads of Law, Leadership, and Public Pressure: Ethical Leadership when Silence, Pressure, and the Risk Test Our Values
Description: Silence is a decision. So is speaking. Lawyers, judges and firm leaders are increasingly asked to make that call in public, under pressure, with facts that are often in motion and a political climate that can undermine the rule of law.
This session looks at what happens when professional obligations, institutional loyalty, political pressure, client demands and personal conviction point in different directions. Using recent matters involving law firms, the judiciary and public institutions, participants will examine the moment a communications decision becomes an ethics decision, and who inside an organization is equipped to make it.
Discussion will cover:
- Where Rules 1.6, 3.6 and 8.2 constrain what leaders can say, and where they leave room for judgment
- How to assess whether silence will be read as restraint or as consent
- What a defensible decision-making record looks like when the outcome is second-guessed later
- How to prepare partners, staff and others before a matter draws public attention
Attendees will leave with a framework for pressure-tested decisions and language they can adapt when the next situation arrives without warning.