All the World's a Courtroom: Ethical Lessons from the Stage

Includes a Live Web Event on 08/13/2026 at 2:00 PM (EDT)

A lot of lawyering is, at its heart, performance. Whether deposing a witness, negotiating a settlement, or arguing before a jury, a lawyer's ability to effectively advocate relies on communication, preparation, and empathy (in other words, the very skills actors spend years developing and honing). In this webinar, you will hear a first-hand account of one attorney's journey from stage to courtroom, from professional theater to the profession of law.
Please note that attendees of this webinar are eligible to receive one ethics CLE.

What You Will Learn
• How to identify and implement theatrical skills that can strengthen a lawyer's advocacy.
• How to apply performance-based techniques to communicate persuasively and authentically, while also fulfilling the lawyer's ethical duties under the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct.
• How to recognize ethical pitfalls that can arise when persuasive advocacy crosses the line into misrepresentation.

Kira Patterson

Kira Patterson’s professional life thus far has been rich and varied. She has acted in professional theater, worked for a company specializing in public health, managed employees at a nonprofit theater company, and edited and researched as a paralegal – and that was all before law school! Kira realized that becoming a lawyer would be a perfect way to combine these experiences: her strong public speaking, management, editorial skills, and degree in Psychology from Tufts University made her uniquely prepared for her time at USC Gould School of Law. Her law school experience culminated in an opportunity for Kira to combine her interests of law and theater, and her piece “Affirmative Acting: A Note in Five Acts” was published in the Southern California Law Review. Based on her background in theater, Kira is passionate about centering her work as an attorney on empathy. She aims to not only represent her clients, but to truly hear them; and she is thrilled to now be using her skills to advocate on behalf of consumers.