More than sixty San Antonio judges, attorneys, doctors, managers, actors and other professionals rehearsed for months to prepare for Ethics Follies 2009. The "Follies" is a city-wide musical ethics conference held at the Charline McCombs Empire Theatre last week on Oct. 14th at 2 p.m. and Oct. 15th at 7 p.m. The conference is in it's twelfth year, and is organized by the award-winning local chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel. The goal is to raise ethics awareness of San Antonians in hopes of preserving the trusting and honest nature of business and legal transactions in our city. It is also a major funding source for The Community Justice Program, which provides free legal services to those who can't afford them. Formerly attended by only in-house attorneys, the original musical parodies are now enjoyed by judges, corporate management, lawyers in private practice and the general public. What makes the show fun from a theatrical perspective is the "cream of the crop" cast and crew. Talented performers like Rick Cavender, Heloise, Anna Gangai, Sherry Houston, Steven Bull, Valarie Miller and Jillian Cox make the show fun to see even if you have never heard of theTexas Ethics Rules or Sarbanes Oxley.Mayor Julian Castro awarded USAA The Ethical Life Award for it's commitment to ethical business and legal practices. San Antonio Bar Association President, Robin Teague and Bar Foundation Chair, Jenny Durbin, presented The Ethical Life Award to attorney George Kampmann.
Attorneys, accountants, and HR professionals received three hours of continuing education credit for attending.
San Antonio is a great place to live and work. The cast and crew of the Follies believe that keeping the courtrooms and boardrooms honest and accountable is a worthy investing of time and talents. USAA, Valero, and Cox Smith are the Community Leader sponsors of the event this year, providing $10,000 each towards the production. Many companies use the Follies to help train their executives since awareness of risk is key to avoiding corporate fraud or theft. Attorneys can also attend the annual event with their clients to get on the same page regarding ethics issues in business and why a code of ethics for an organization can actually be good for profitability due to the reduced risk of litigation and regulatory enforcement actions.
If you'd like to attend and be part of this city-wide ethics conference in 2010, you can register online at www.ethicsfollies.com. Everyone is welcome to attend.
