Moderator:

Dean R. Dietrich is a shareholder with Weld Riley, S.C., and has represented clients in the areas of lawyer ethics and professional responsibility for more than 45 years. Mr. Dietrich has served as Chair of the State Bar Committee on Professional Ethics in addition to past service on the Committee appointed by the Wisconsin Supreme Court to review changes to the Wisconsin Rules of Professional Conduct for Attorneys. He is a Past President of the State Bar of Wisconsin.  

Panelists:

Kathryn M. Grigg is a partner in the Madison law office of Axley Brynelson, LLP. She received her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Ms. Grigg is the Secretary of the Collaborative Family Law Council of Wisconsin. She recently completed two consecutive three-year terms on the Wisconsin State Bar Professional Ethics Committee and is the past Chair of the Dane County Bar Association Case Mediation Program. Ms. Grigg has been recognized as a Super Lawyer - Family Law and was named the 2025 Lawyer of the Year - Family Law (Madison) by Best Lawyers in America.

Todd G. Smith is a shareholder at Godfrey & Kahn, S.C. in Madison, where his practice includes employee benefits litigation, insurance litigation, and contract and commercial litigation. Mr. Smith serves on the State Bar of Wisconsin Committee on Professional Ethics and is a former chair of the Appellate Practice Section of the State Bar of Wisconsin. He has argued cases before the Wisconsin Supreme Court, Wisconsin Court of Appeals, and Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, in a wide variety of cases. Mr. Smith is a cum laude graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School and received his undergraduate degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He has worked as a legislative aide in the United States Senate and Wisconsin State Senate and is a member of the Defense Research Institute as well as the Wisconsin Defense Counsel.

• Effectively guide attorneys in your firm through conflict-of-interest decisions
• Clarify confidentiality obligations when multiple attorneys have access to client information
• Respond appropriately to concerns about client conduct
• Address conflicts involving clients brought in by incoming attorneys
• Understand how to balance your ethical obligations with the firm’s reputation
• Develop strategies for handling attorney departures
• Offer practical advice in consent-based conflict of interest settings

• In-house counsel
• Solo and small firm owners
• Counsel at large firms
• Business lawyers
• Tax lawyers
• Lawyers transferring firms