Communicating During Conflict: Understanding Your Role

Incivility in the legal profession continues to be a challenge. According to the Commission’s 2021 Survey on Professionalism, 54% of Illinois attorneys have experienced uncivil or unprofessional behavior from another lawyer in the past 6 months.  

A significant amount of the incivility reported comes in the form of communication: sarcastic comments or a condescending attitude, inflammatory writing, inappropriate language, and interrupting others (e.g., clients, colleagues, counsel, judges, witness).  

“Communicating During Conflict: Understanding Your Role,” is a 30-minute eLearning that uses role-playing and problem-solving to help attorneys manage their emotions in high-stress situations that could undermine civil communication.

Two attorneys talking

Attorneys will develop strategies for identifying competing interests, avoiding adversarial positions, and building mutually beneficial outcomes. They will also learn how to gain buy-in from others and deter further conflict.

As a result of taking this course, participants can expect to learn how to: 

  • Understand the impacts of engaging in uncivil discourse in the legal profession. 
  • Manage your reaction to uncivil communication in your legal practice. 
  • Reframe your response to incivility at work. 

This course is approved for 0.5 hours of professionalism professional responsibility CLE credit in Illinois 

Before Launching the Course

  1. To receive CLE credit, complete the CLE Feedback & Attestation Survey at the end of the course. You will automatically be prompted to take the survey upon finishing the course.
    You must list your correct ARDC number in the survey. Please take a moment to locate it. You will not receive CLE credit if you do not complete the survey or use an incorrect ARDC number.
  2. For the most reliable experience, launch this course in the latest version of one of the recommended web browsers below.

    Windows: Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Firefox (*Internet Explorer [IE] Mode isn’t supported in Microsoft Edge)
    Mac: Safari, Google Chrome, Firefox
    Mobile: Safari, Google Chrome

Launch Course

Written Materials