By in-house counsel, for in-house counsel ®

Online Learning Center

No Sugar Added: The Ethics of Straight Talk (Dec. 17, 2025)

Includes a Live Web Event on 12/17/2025 at 2:00 PM (EST)

  • Register
    • Non-member - $80
    • Member - Free!
    • *Further discounts may apply once you log in.

No Sugar Added: The Ethics of Straight Talk

Some lawyers dance around the truth, hiding behind carefully crafted language and diplomatic double-speak. Others cut straight to the point—direct, honest, and refreshingly clear. This program explores how attorneys can communicate with candor while staying firmly within ethical boundaries. Professional legal educator Stuart Teicher, Esq. (the CLE Performer) examines the fine line between beneficial bluntness and harmful rudeness, showing how direct communication can actually strengthen client relationships and professional credibility.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify situations where direct communication serves clients' interests while complying with RPC 1.4's requirements for clear and prompt client communication
  • Navigate the tension between candid speech and RPC 8.4's prohibition on conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit, or conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice
  • Distinguish between productive frankness and harmful incivility under RPC 8.4(d), recognizing when bluntness enhances rather than undermines professional relationships

 

Key:

Complete
Failed
Available
Locked
No Sugar Added: The Ethics of Straight Talk
12/17/2025 at 2:00 PM (EST)  |  60 minutes
12/17/2025 at 2:00 PM (EST)  |  60 minutes
Program Feedback Form
7 Questions
First CLE Verification Code
Enter code to continue.
Enter code to continue.
Second CLE Verification Code
Enter code to continue.
Enter code to continue.
Certificate Claim Area
US States: CA, GA, IL, MN, MO, OH, PA, SC, TN, TX, and WA
Up to 1.20 CLE credits available  |  Certificate available
Up to 1.20 CLE credits available  |  Certificate available ACC has filed directly with the following states: California, Georgia, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington. Please select you state and enter your bar number to have your certificate generate fully.
US States: AK, AZ, CT, HI, MT, NH, NJ, NY, ND
Up to 1.20 CLE credits available  |  Certificate available
Up to 1.20 CLE credits available  |  Certificate available ACC uses interstate reciprocity rules to grant credit in the following states: Alaska, Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota. Please select you state and enter your bar number to have your certificate generate fully.
US States: AL, CO, FL, ID, IA, IN, KY, MS, NE, NV, NC, OK, OR, PR, RI, UT, WV, WI, and WY.
Up to 1.20 CLE credits available  |  Certificate available
Up to 1.20 CLE credits available  |  Certificate available ACC has not made an application for credit in the following states: Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Idaho, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. The certificate provided here is to aid your personal application for credit to your state regulator.

Stuart Teicher, Esq

Professional Legal Educator

Georgetown University Law Center