In-Person CLE – How Theatre Skills Can Impact Your Legal Practice

Theatre trains people to understand human action under pressure, like how objectives shape behavior, how choices are made in given circumstances, and how meaning emerges for an audience in real time. Lawyers do this work every day. Legal professionals can use a theatrical framework to rehearse judgment, clarify strategy and communicate with greater credibility and responsibility, and develop practical tools for managing nerves and maintaining focus in high-stake situations.

By learning to think like theatre artists, lawyers can prepare more intentionally and perform with greater clarity when the stakes are real. This program will teach attendees theatre skills that can be valuable in the courtroom, during depositions, in client meetings and even when interacting with other lawyers.

The program blends the perspectives of ACBA member attorneys who are also actors, with the expertise of one of Pittsburgh’s most prominent theater companies: City Theatre. City Theatre’s “Creative Company” is a corporate workshop initiative, offering theatre based professional development focused on leadership presence and data storytelling. Led by professional performers and educators, participants engage in active learning experiences that strengthen communication, presence, and clarity in real workplace contexts. Creative Company brings the discipline and structure of professional rehearsal into organizational learning for lawyers, leaders, managers, client-facing teams and more.

This program is designed as a hands-on opportunity to practice and refine theater-based professional skills through guided exercise. It is not an improvisation class.

A pizza lunch will be served.

Speakers:

• Joseph A. Macerelli
  Burns White LLC
• Jeffrey L. Pollock
  Law & Mediation Office of Jeffrey Lawrence Pollock
• Katie Trupiano
  City Theatre Company
• Shane D. Valenzi
  Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott, LLC

*This program is only being offered live in-person at the Koppers Building.

*This program has been approved for 1 hour of Substantive CLE credit and also qualifies for 1.2 hours of credit under the West Virginia Rules for Mandatory Continuing Legal Education.

**Most CLE programs may be submitted for Ohio CLE credit upon request for an additional $25 fee. For more information or to request Ohio credit, please email hbedford@acba.org.

Last day to Pre-register: Monday, Sept. 21, 2026, 11:59 p.m.

Register by mail: Print and return the hard copy registration form available here.

*Please note: The Pa. CLE Board can take up to 45 days to post credits.

CLE and Events Registration Policy: Members and Non-members can register for ACBA programs online or by paper mail-in registration, up to two days prior to a program start date. Seating is limited, so pre-registration is strongly encouraged. Walk-ins will be accommodated as space permits. To secure your spot, payment must be made in advance due to limited registration capacity. You can do so online via credit card or by mailing in a check. If this ACBA CLE cannot be held in-person, it will be converted into a webinar and held on the same date and time. You will be notified via email if that change is made.

Printed materials are available for an additional fee upon request.

Interested in this program but have a conflict and can’t attend? The vast majority of our webinar CLEs programs are recorded and available for CLE credit online within 72 hours. Click here to see all available ACBA online CLEs.