Page 6 - July August CBA Report

2027
CONTRIBUTORS
NEEDED!
ODC will continue its goal of
making every PMBR course
relevant, useful, and informative for
solo and small firm practitioners. If
you would like to be involved in the
creation of the next PMBR course
or know an attorney who would
be a valuable contributor, please
contact PMBR@odc.ohio.gov.
Solo and Small Firm
Practitioner Involvement
The objective for the 2025 PMBR
curriculum was to cater to this audience
by providing information in a way that
would be useful even after the course is
completed. The 2025 PMBR program
offers templates and forms to help attor-
neys in their day-to-day practice. To that
end, the 2025 PMBR curriculum includes
real-life examples and advice from several
Ohio solo and small firm practitioners.
These practitioners offer tools and infor-
mation they use in practice to assist their
peers in the legal community. One practi-
tioner you may recognize is the CBA’s own
Gregory Napolitano, who contributed
content throughout the Attorney-Client
Relationship and Law Practice Manage-
ment modules and supplied templates and
forms.
Ohio’s First PMBR Course
Ohio’s first PMBR course consists of
three modules: The Attorney-Client Rela-
tionship, Law Practice Management, and
Attorney Health and Well-Being. The
course went live on April 1, 2025. To date,
888 attorneys have registered to take the
PMBR course, and 597 have completed
the course. Attorneys required to take the
PMBR course must do so by the September
1, 2025 registration deadline.
To learn more about how to register to
take the PMBR course, email PMBR@odc.
ohio.gov, and ODC staff will email you
step-by-step instructions on how to create
an account, login, and complete the PMBR
course.
Elisabeth Duesler is the PMBR Program Manager for
the Office of Disciplinary Counsel. She oversees the
PMBR program and provides information to Ohio
attorneys on topics related to Ohio’s PMBR program.
In addition to his role as an Assistant Disciplinary
Counsel, Benjamin Nelson is a frequent contributor
to Raising the Bar, the Office of Disciplinary Counsel's
quarterly newsletter.
law as well as within law practice manage-
ment policies, procedures, and strategies.
You might be asking, why go to all
this trouble? We know that approximately
70% of disciplinary cases in Ohio involve
solo practitioners. Historically, most of
the attorneys disciplined are solo practi-
tioners. The PMBR course is designed to
reduce solo and small firm practitioners’
exposure to claims of malpractice and
unethical conduct while providing added
protection to the public by attempting to
prevent mistakes and misconduct before
they happen. In other words, it is a proac-
tive, not reactive, approach. The course
will also assist attorneys and law firms
in developing ethical infrastructures to
improve the delivery of legal services and
client relations. Our goal is to create an
interactive, informative, and useful curric-
ulum. We want the learner to walk away
armed with improved ethical knowledge
and tools to help attorneys avoid ethical
pitfalls. The curriculum serves attorneys
but will also benefit staff and clients.
All licensed Ohio attorneys can take
the PMBR course. It is free, and you will
receive 3.5 hours of professional responsi-
bility credit. However, if you are in private
practice, do not fall within one of the
enumerated exceptions, and do not wish
to take the course, you will need to secure
professional liability insurance by the
September 1, 2025 registration deadline.
6 THE REPORT | July/August 2025 | CincyBar.org