This program is eligible for 3 hours of CLE credit in 60-minute states. In 50-minute states, this program is eligible for 3.6 hours of CLE credit. Credit hours are estimated and are subject to each state’s approval and credit rounding rules.
Overview
Master the Art of Handling Difficult Opposing Counsel
Navigating legal battles is challenging enough, but dealing with difficult opposing counsel can escalate tensions and derail your case. That’s why our course, "Dealing with Difficult Opposing Counsel", is designed to equip legal professionals with the skills and strategies needed to stay calm, confident, and in control, while complying with the Rules of Professional Conduct.
In this course, you will:
- Learn effective communication techniques to defuse confrontational situations.
- Gain insights into psychological tactics that some attorneys use and how to counter them.
- Understand how to maintain your professionalism and composure under pressure.
- Enhance your negotiation and litigation strategy by turning difficult interactions to your advantage.
With real-life examples, expert advice, and practical tools, this course empowers you to handle even the most challenging attorneys with poise, ensuring that your case remains on track and your reputation stays intact.
Don’t let difficult opposing counsel undermine your success. Sign up today and transform challenges into opportunities!
All attendees will receive the course book as a digital download.
Recorded in January 2025.
Faculty
Laurie J. Besden, Esq.
Laurie Besden is the Executive Director of Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers of Pennsylvania, Inc. (LCL PA). She served as its Deputy Executive Director, overseeing its Helpline operations, serving as primary contact for intervention requests, expanding its law school outreach, and increasing LCL PA’s presence within the organized bench and bar, from 2011-2015. After becoming LCL PA’s Executive Director in 2015, Laurie continued to serve in most of these capacities and assumed responsibility for the organization’s administrative and financial operations, as well as its judges’ assistance program (Judges Concerned for Judges). Laurie is a licensed attorney in Pennsylvania (1999) and New Jersey (1999). She practiced law from 1999 through 2001 and 2009-2011 in several capacities including: Attorney-at-law (general civil and criminal practice), East Norriton, PA, Law Clerk (Pennsylvania Superior Court), Philadelphia, PA, Law Clerk (Philadelphia Municipal Court), Philadelphia, PA. She received her B.A. in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Maryland, College Park, MD (1995) and her J.D. from The Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University (1999). Laurie was the 2015 recipient of the Montgomery Bar Association’s Henry Stuckert Miller Award for her dedication to public service in the legal profession and the 2019 recipient of Caron’s Legal Professional/Uniformed Public Service Award for the Greater Philadelphia Region. Laurie has presented for the JAG CORPS (Germany & Europe), Harvard Law School, American University Washington School of Law, Pennsylvania Bar Association, Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges, Duane Morris LLP, Lawyer Assistance Programs (New Jersey, New Hampshire, Virginia, West Virginia, Texas, Missouri, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island), Commission on Lawyer Assistance Programs and in many other legal arenas. Laurie has been a guest on several podcasts, including the American Bar Association’s ‘Voices of Recovery,’ ‘BE CONVINCED: Sharing Stories of Hope,’ Lawline’s ‘Leading with Redemption’ and ‘The Clip-Out.’ Laurie’s story was filmed by the Pennsylvania Bar Institute “Don’t Give Up Five Minutes Before the Miracle” and by the American Bar Association (in conjunction with the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law) titled ‘The Besden Redemption.’ Laurie’s story has appeared in print in the New York Times, MSNBC, American Bar Association, The Philadelphia Lawyer, The Pennsylvania Lawyer Magazine and law.com. Laurie has served as a volunteer in the animal rescue world since 2013 (Harrisburg Area Humane Society 2013-2020 & Canine Rescue of Central Pennsylvania 2020 – present). Laurie also serves as a volunteer firefighter with Hampden Township Volunteer Fire Company since 2023.
Jay N. Silberblatt, Esq.
Mr. Silberblatt is a partner with the Pittsburgh law firm of Silberblatt Mermelstein, P.C. He received his B.A., cum laude, from Allegheny College in 1977 and his J.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1980 where he served on the Law Review. He is Board Certified by the National Board of Trial Advocacy as a Civil Trial Advocate. Mr. Silberblatt concentrates his practice in civil litigation with a particular emphasis on lawyers’ professional liability matters. He served as the 128th President of the Pennsylvania Bar Association from 2022-2023. He has served two terms on the Board of Governors of the Allegheny County Bar Association, and he is a Fellow of the Academy of Trial Lawyers of Allegheny County, having also served on its Board of Governors. Mr. Silberblatt has served as Chair of both the Civil Litigation Section of the Allegheny County Bar Association and the Civil Litigation Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, and as a Director of the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation. He was the PBA Zone 12 Governor from 2015 to 2018 and is a member of the PBA House of Delegates and represents the PBA on the American Bar Association House of Delegates. He is the Immediate Past Chair of the PBA Lawyers Professional Liability Committee, an appointed member of the PBA Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee, and a current member of council of the PBA Minority Bar Committee. He served a six-year term as a member of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education Board, and he is a Hearing Committee Member for the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. He was appointed by the Supreme Court and currently serves on the Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Fairness. Most recently, he was appointed by the President of the ABA to its Taskforce to Combat Antisemitism. He received PBA Special Achievement Awards in 2000 for his work in planning the PBA Civil Litigation Section’s Retreat and in 2004 for his work in planning and presenting malpractice avoidance programs for the Professional Liability Committee. Jay was awarded the PBA President’s Award in 2002 for his efforts with Senate Bill 406 and Rule 1023.1 of the Pennsylvania Rules of Civil Procedure, in 2020 for his work on the PBA Covid-19 Task Force, and in 2023 for his work on the PBA’s Search and Transition Committee. A third generation Pennsylvania lawyer, he is the author of numerous legal articles that have appeared in The Barrister, The Pennsylvania Bar Association Quarterly, The Pennsylvania Law Weekly, The Pennsylvania Lawyer, The Pittsburgh Legal Journal, The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, The Pennsylvania Family Lawyer, The Advocate, and Trial. Mr. Silberblatt has lectured for the Allegheny County Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, the Pennsylvania Trial Lawyers Association, and Minnesota Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company
Anne N. John, Esq.
Ms. John is a private practitioner in Uniontown, Fayette County. Ms. John served as President of the Pennsylvania Bar Association from May 2019 – May 2020, as secretary from 2013-2016, and Zone 6 Governor from 2009-2012. During her tenure as President, Ms. John’s initiatives included creation of the Committee on Civility in the Profession, the Legal Academics Committee, and the COVID-19 Task Force. She continues her service with numerous PBA committees, and has served as past co-chair of the Shale Energy Law Committee, past chair of the Leadership Recruitment and Development Committee, past chair of the Review and Certifying Board (2017-2018), and chair of the House of Delegates Draft Committee. She has served as a member of the PBA Diversity Team, as well as its predecessor, the Diversity Task Force. A Life Fellow of the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation, she currently serves on its Board of Directors, having previously served from May 2019 to May 2020, and served on the Foundation’s Special Events Committee. Ms. John is currently a member of Advisory Council on Elder Justice in the Courts, which was established by the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in 2015 to advise the Office of Elder Justice in the Courts regarding the implementation of the Elder Law Task Force’s Report and Recommendations, which include best practices, judicial rules and legislation to benefit elder citizens of the Commonwealth. Ms. John previously served the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania as a Hearing Committee member from 2016-2020. She has served as course planner and speaker for the Pennsylvania Bar Institute, the continuing legal education arm of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, on numerous issues, including civility, oil and gas lease interpretation, groundwater contamination, and litigation. An active Bar member at the local level, Ms. John is a past president of the Fayette County Bar Association, where she has also served as secretary. She is active in the community, serving as a past member of the Board of Directors of the Mt. Lebanon Aqua Club, where she was awarded the 2019 Service Award, Advantage Credit Counseling Services, Inc. and the Better Business Bureau of Western Pennsylvania, Inc. Ms. John earned her B.A. from Dickinson College and her J.D. from the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, PA, where she studied at the Law School’s first summer abroad program in Florence, Italy.
Obinna I. Abara, Esq.
Obi specializes in employment discrimination litigation. He has represented individuals in various employment matters. He has also represented corporations and municipalities against numerous charges of discrimination, retaliation, harassment, etc., filed with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission, the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, and federal courts. He has led employee training seminars to assist clients in avoiding/limiting employer liability. In addition to representing private sector employees, Obi currently maintians a robust practice of representing federal employees in the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s federal sector administrative hearing process. Prior to starting Abara Law Firm, Obi assisted in handling a variety of defense related matters including automobile claims, premises liability, trucking accidents, workers compensation, first party benefits claims and subrogation. Obi is also very heavily involved in the Pennsylvania Bar Association and currenlty maintains leadership positions as Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) Labor and Employment Section’s Immediate Past Chair, PBA Labor and Employment Section’s Delegate; Council Member in the PBA’s Civil Litigation Section and Trustee of the PBA Insurance Fund and Trust Fund. Obi enjoys giving back to the community by participating in various volunteer and service projects sponsored by his fraternal organization, Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. Obi also has a strong interest in developing and shaping the minds of Philadelphia youth, and has worked in conjunction with the College Access Program and Philadelphia Cares through various speaking engagements and community efforts. Obi is a Director Emeriti of the Seybert Foundation- independent charitable foundation dedicated to providing support to nonprofit organizations serving disadvantaged children and youth in the City of Philadelphia.
Josh J. T. Byrne, Esq.
Mr. Byrne is a member of the Professional Liability Department at Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin, P.C. and Chair of the Disciplinary Board Practice where he concentrates his practice on representing and defending professionals in a variety of professional liability matters. Mr. Byrne regularly represents attorneys in legal malpractice, wrongful use of civil proceedings and disciplinary matters. He also represents many other types of professionals in the federal and state courts in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and before disciplinary boards. Mr. Byrne has devoted his legal career to the protection of professionals and is highly regarded in this arena throughout the state. He is the Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Professional Liability Committee, Co-Chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Professional Responsibility Committee, former Co-Chair of the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Professional Guidance Committee, and is an active member of Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Ethics Committee. He is also a Co-Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s Amicus Brief Committee. Mr. Byrne is a former Hearing Committee Member serving the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania. He serves as a Zone One delegate to the Pennsylvania Bar Association’s House of Delegates and as a Judge Pro Temp for the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas. A prolific writer, Mr. Byrne publishes extensively on malpractice avoidance and authors a recurring column in The Legal Intelligencer on professional liability topics. He frequently presents to legal and business organizations throughout Pennsylvania on professional liability themes. Mr. Byrne graduated with a dual major in Political Science and Japanese Studies From Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana. After college, he worked for two years as a coordinator for international relations in Chiba, Japan. He then obtained his juris doctor from Rutgers University School of Law. He is rated AV-Preeminent by Martindale-Hubbell, the highest rating for professional competence

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