Toledo Law Review 2025-26 Legal Symposium
"Civility and Professionalism in a Changing Legal World"
Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 | 9 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Law Center, McQuade Law Auditorium and Virtual Option
The 2026 Toledo Law Review Symposium, Civility and Professionalism in a Changing Legal World, brought together leading scholars and distinguished jurists to explore how expectations of lawyer professionalism have evolved鈥攁nd where they are headed. The first panel, 鈥淭hen, Now, and Next: The Evolution of Lawyer Civility and Professionalism,鈥� featuring Professors David Grenardo, Laurel Rigertas, and Nicholas Seger, examined the historical roots of civility, the pressures shaping modern practice, and emerging challenges for the next generation of lawyers. The second panel, 鈥淔rom the Bench: Civility, Advocacy, and Expectations in Today鈥檚 Courtrooms,鈥� offered invaluable insight from Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy of the Ohio Supreme Court, Justice Elizabeth Welch of the Michigan Supreme Court, and U.S. District Court Judge James R. Knepp II for the northern district of Ohio who discussed how civility directly affects advocacy, decision-making, and public trust in the judicial system. The symposium promises a dynamic, forward-looking conversation on professionalism in an era of rapid legal and cultural change.
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- 8:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. -听Registration
- 9:00 a.m. to 9:10 a.m. -听Opening Remarks
- 9:10 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. - Panel 1: Then, Now, and Next: The Evolution of Lawyer Civility and Professionalism
- Professor David Grenardo, St. Thomas (MN) Law
- Professor Laurel Rigertas, NIU Law
- Professor Nicholas Seger, Dayton Law
- 10:40 a.m. to 10:50 a.m. -听Break
- 10:50 a.m. to 12:25 p.m. - Keynote Panel: From the Bench: Civility, Advocacy, and Expectations in Today鈥檚 Courtrooms
- Speakers:
- Chief Justice Sharon Kennedy, Ohio Supreme Court
- Justice Elizabeth Welch, Michigan Supreme Court
- Judge James R. Knepp II, United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
- 12:25 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. -听Closing Remarks
Speaker Bios听
Explore听speaker biographies.听
Watch the Symposium
About the Symposium
The annual Law Review Symposium educates the public on pressing legal issues that impact our government's functions and possibly our daily lives.
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Symposium Editor
Edward Maksimczak
A very big thank you to our Symposium Editor, Edward Maksimczak, for all his hard work and planning.听
An additional thank you to our Contributing Symposium Editors鈥� Blake Hornyak, and Morgan Miller鈥� and our Associate Members who all volunteered to assist on the day of the symposium.听
Questions?
Edward.Maksimczak@rockets.utoledo.edu听