Harter Secrest & Emery is pleased to present its 2026 Specialty CLE Summit, an event designed to provide you, our in-house counsel clients and friends, with continuing legal education credits that can often be more challenging to obtain—Ethics and Cybersecurity.
Please join us on Thursday, May 7, 2026 from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm for presentations approved for New York State CLE credit and that are appropriate for both newly admitted and experienced attorneys. Registration is available for in-person and virtual attendance. We hope you can join us for one, two or all three CLE presentations. For those who can participate in-person, lunch will be provided “to go” or to enjoy onsite while networking with peers and your HSE friends. See the complete schedule below, and please register to join us!
Summit Schedule:
8:30 am to 9:00 am
Breakfast and Registration
9:00 am to 10:00 am
The Attorney-Client Privilege in the Digital Era: Ethical Duties, Modern Challenges, and Best Practices
The attorney‑client privilege remains a cornerstone of legal practice, but it faces new pressures in an increasingly digital world. In this session, HSE attorneys Peter H. Abdella and Laura Higgins explore how privilege is evolving in today’s technology‑driven environment, with a focus on the unique ethical duties facing both outside and in‑house counsel.
Peter and Laura will review the fundamentals of the attorney‑client privilege and examine how emerging technologies, including AI tools, create new challenges and potential pitfalls. They will also cover best practices for preventing and responding to inadvertent disclosures, equipping attorneys with practical guidance for safeguarding confidential information in a more complex landscape.
NYS CLE Eligibility: 1.0 – Ethics. This course is appropriate for both newly admitted and experienced attorneys.
10:00 am to 10:15 am
Networking Break
10:15 am to 11:15 am
Cyber Threats in the Age of AI
The cyber threat landscape has always been dynamic, but that dynamism has only increased with the unprecedented technological acceleration triggered by the development and implementation or robust AI toolsets and solutions. In this session, HSE partner F. Paul Greene will explore the new threat landscapes in the age of AI, some of which remain familiar and some of which are inherently tied to the AI technologies our organizations are adopting.
From good old-fashioned fraud to “click fix” attacks, from real-time deepfakes to AI agent risks, this discussion will address specific threats and how to deal with them, from a legal and risk management perspective. The discussion will also address insights from law enforcement and national security agencies, as well as how best to liaise with these resources during an incident. Participants will leave with a better understanding of the current threat landscape, and actionable steps their organization can take to prepare for an AI-enabled incident.
NYS CLE Eligibility: 1.0 Cybersecurity, Privacy and Data Protection- General. This course is appropriate for both newly admitted and experienced attorneys.
Speaker
F. Paul Greene,
CIPP/US, CIPP/E, CIPM, FIP
Chair, Privacy and Data Security
11:15 am to 11:30 am
Networking Break
11:30 am to 12:30 pm
Civility and Ethical Lawyering—a Strength Not a Weakness
Civility and ethical lawyering are often misunderstood as constraints on effective advocacy, but in practice they are powerful tools for achieving better outcomes. In this presentation, HSE partner Trini E. Ross discusses how practicing civility with opposing counsel leads to clearer communication and more satisfactory resolutions, benefiting both clients and attorneys.
Trini will examine how civility and ethical conduct strengthen communication with the court, because judges value professionalism and rely on attorneys they trust. Civility and ethics are signs of strength and competency, and this session reinforces how attorneys can be civil and ethical while still zealously representing their clients’ interests.
NYS CLE Eligibility: 1.0 – Ethics. This course is appropriate for both newly admitted and experienced attorneys.
Speaker
Trini E. Ross
Partner, Government and Internal Investigations
12:30 pm
Closing remarks and Lunch