Nelson G. Page, J.D.

 Nelson G. Page graduated from Georgetown University Law Center cum laude in 1978, where he was on the Board of Editors of the Georgetown Law Journal. He clerked for the Honorable Warren Mathews of the Alaska Supreme Court and then joined the firm of Burr, Pease and Kurtz, where he practiced in Anchorage for 38 years. Nelson’s practice included regular representation of professionals in malpractice litigation.

He also served on the Alaska Bar Association Ethics Committee from 1994 to 2012, including 6 years as chair. From 2013 to 2016 he served on the Bar Association’s Board of Governors, and was its president in 2015 and 2016. In 2017 he became Bar Counsel for the State of Alaska, a position he held until 2019. In that capacity he handled over 2,000 ethics inquiries from Alaska lawyers and others. He has also served as adjunct faculty at the University of Alaska in Anchorage

• Progress was all right. It just went on too long – James Thurber

  
  

  Nelson Page, J.D. will discuss the future of the practice of law. Artificial Intelligence, legal apps, limited licensed paralegals, alternative service providers, and other dangerous animals inhabiting the legal jungle are examples of the coming changes that will transform the practice of law. The presentation will be a survey of how the practice of law has evolved in the last decade and where it is likely to go in the near future. Subjects covered will include the end of the legal profession’s monopoly, alternative ways of delivering legal services, and the impact of upcoming technology on lawyers and their clients.

• Gone with the Wind, Or the Virtual Law Practice

  
  

  Using the miracles of the modern age a lawyer can practice from almost anywhere, at almost any time. But the advent of the virtual law practice has raised new ethical issues and made some of the old ethical issues even more difficult to resolve. Nelson Page, J.D. introduces the ethics of remote or long-distance practice. Topics include the different types of remote law practice, the basic rules of ethics for the virtual lawyer, ways to keep your clients happy in the virtual world, and handling client funds when you don’t have a physical presence

• The Duty of Technological Competence or “Never trust a computer you can’t throw out a window.” – Steve Wozniak

  
  

  It isn’t possible to practice law today without technology. The Model Rules of Professional Conduct now require that a lawyer must “keep abreast of changes in the law and its practice, including the benefits and risks associated with relevant technology.” So how do you acquire technological competence and what do you do with it once you have it? Nelson Page J.D. discusses the ethics of technological competence, including recent issues in cybersecurity, the duty to maintain confidential information, discovery in the computer age, conflicts of interest in a world without borders, and the use of technology to run your law practice.

• The Buck Stops Where?

  
  

  Several states have changed their bar rules to allow non-lawyers to be involved in owning and managing law firms. Other jurisdictions are considering doing the same. At the same time, technology has blurred the lines between what lawyers can do, what non-lawyers can do, and what clients can do for themselves. What happens when lawyers lose their monopoly on providing legal services? You need to know about the changes that are coming and the ethical implications of these changes to your practice. This course will discuss these and other
  topics including:

• Using Experts in Litigation

  
  

  This presentation will cover the most important things a lawyer must know to ejectively use experts in litigation. Topics covered in the presentation will include:
  

  • The Basics: The rules governing the use of experts.
  

  • Who is an expert and how do you decide what kind of expert you need? Where do you find your expert? The hybrid fact and expert witness.
  

  • How do you use your expert? The difference between a consultant and a testifying expert.

  • Discovery. How the rules regarding confidentiality and work product apply. When to depose an expert and alternatives to deposition.
  

  • The testifying expert: Direct examination. Creating a compelling story.
  

  • The testifying expert: Cross examination. Five approaches to impeachment of an expert witness.