BIFF for Lawyers: Quick and Ethical Written Communication

As any legal professional in family law can attest, the environment is rife with high-conflict people and situations — and the hostile communications that inevitably result. Whether it’s responding to your clients or opposing counsel, or coaching others in your office to do the same, it’s critical to both reduce the escalation of unnecessary conflict and safeguard your own professional integrity.

In this session, Bill Eddy, LCSW, CFLS, and co-founder of the High Conflict Institute, will empower legal professionals with his proven approach to ethically address challenging interactions in the legal profession. He’ll share:

• The most common characterisics of high-conflict personalities
• An overview of BIFF, a four-step method of writing careful and ethical communications that defuse hostility
• Several real-world examples of how to assess and improve your own written communications
• A proven method of coaching your clients and staff to respond in a way that mitigates conflict

Presenter: Bill Eddy, LCSW, Esq.

Perhaps best known as the author of “BIFF™,” Bill Eddy is the co-founder and Chief Innovation Officer of the High Conflict Institute in San Diego. He pioneered the High Conflict Personality (HCP) Theory and has become an expert on managing disputes involving people with high-conflict personalities. He was the Senior Family Mediator at the National Conflict Resolution Center for 15 years, a Certified Family Law Specialist lawyer representing clients in family court for 15 years, and a licensed clinical social worker therapist with over 12 years of experience.

Bill serves on the faculty of the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at the Pepperdine University School of Law in California and is a Conjoint Associate Professor with the University of Newcastle Law School in Australia. He has been a speaker and trainer in over 35 U.S. states and 13 countries. He is the author or co-author of over 20 books, manuals, and workbooks. He is co-host of the podcast “It's All Your Fault” that he co-hosts with Megan Hunter, MBA, and has a popular blog on the Psychology Today website with over 6 million views. His most recent book, BIFF for Lawyers and Legal Offices,” is co-authored by Rehana Jamal, JD, LCSW, and was published in January 2024.