Understanding and Protecting Communications with the Joint Defense-Common Interest Privilege

Michael P. Downey

Downey Law Group LLC

• Legal ethics lawyer and founder of Downey Law Group LLC, a law firm devoted to legal ethics, law firm risk management, and the law of lawyering
• Regularly represents lawyers, their clients, judges, and other professionals in high stakes and complex civil litigation and disciplinary proceedings; also serves as outside general counsel to numerous law firms
• Expert witness providing testimony on legal ethics and law firm practice issues in Missouri, Kansas, and the District of Columbia
• Adjunct professor teaching legal ethics at Washington University School of Law and St. Louis University School of Law
• Immediate past chair, ABA Law Practice Division
• Past Member of ABA Commission on Ethics 20/20’s Ethics & Technology Task Force
• Has written more than 100 articles and presented 250 times on legal ethics, including in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada; also wrote the book Introduction to Law Firm Practice (ABA LPM 2010)
• J.D. degree, Washington University School of Law, graduated first in his class; B.A. degree in classics (humanities), cum laude, Georgetown University