Whether you’re learning a new practice area or keeping your practice on the cutting edge, Florida Law Update 2020 is an incredible CLE opportunity. 8.0 hours of credit. Solo & Small Firm Section members register at a discount.

Florida Law Update will provide statutory updates for the following areas: Business and Litigation Law, Labor and Employment Law, Animal Law, Elder Law, Estate Planning, Family Law, Criminal Law, and Real Property Law. Approved for 8.0 hours of CLE credit, 1.0 each in Business Litigation, Criminal Appellate, Criminal Trial, Elder Law, Labor and Employment, Marital & Family Law, Real Estate, and Wills, Trusts & Estates. Course number 3353.  REGISTER NOW

Special thanks to Program Chair Peggy Hoyt for her hard work in recruiting an excellent group of presenters and producing another outstanding CLE event.

Tuesday, Aug. 18 live InReach webinar by Nora Riva Bergman of Real Life Practice. Join Nora as she shares lessons from her upcoming book, 50 Lessons for Happy Lawyers: Boost wellness. Build resilience. Yes, you can. The statistics are clear. Lawyers are challenged with depression, stress, anxiety, and alcohol abuse at levels much higher than the general public. But there are things we can do to increase our happiness quotient and avoid burnout. In this interactive webinar, you’ll learn why happiness, wellness, and resilience are essential to your health, your wellbeing, and your effectiveness as a lawyer. And you’ll learn things you can do right now to get happy and stay happy. Course number 4013. Approved for 1.0 General, 1.0 Mental Illness Awareness CLE. Section members register for only $50. REGISTER NOW

Nora Riva Bergman is a law firm coach and author. She is the founder of Real Life Practice and a certified Atticus Practice Advisor. A licensed attorney since 1992, Nora brings a deep understanding of the practice and business of law to her work with lawyers and law firms across the country. She has practiced as an employment law attorney and certified mediator and has served as an adjunct professor at both Stetson University College of Law and the University of South Florida. Nora is a graduate of Villanova University’s Lean Six Sigma Program. She is the author of 50 Lessons for Lawyers: Earn More – Stress Less – Be Awesome and 50 Lessons for Women Lawyers – From Women Lawyers.

Contact:

• 866-662-0993
• nora@atticusadvantage.com
• nora@reallifepractice.com

Tuesday, Sept. 15, 12 – 1 PM live InReach webinar by Chelsie M. Lamie. Are you working too much? Answering the same questions from staff day after day? Do you get frustrated that in the time it takes you to explain something for the umpteenth time, you could have just done it yourself? You can’t run (or scale) a law firm without Processes & Procedures.  Join attorney Chelsie M. Lamie, who has built a seven-figure virtual law firm in under four years, by creating and implementing processes and procedures to maximize the production of her team while minimizing redundancy and maintaining an incredible work/life balance. Course number 4061. Approved for 1.0 General CLE. Section members register for only $50. REGISTER NOW

Chelsie Lamie is a former claims adjuster and insurance defense attorney turned personal injury attorney. For the past twelve years she has exclusively represented the injured.     In 2016, Chelsie opened her own brick and mortar PI firm.  Just two years later, she closed her brick and mortar office, moved her family to Mexico and took her law firm virtual.  One week each month she returns to Florida to attend her in person litigation appointments.  The remainder of the month she runs her practice from Mexico.   In its first year of going virtual, Chelsie’s firm’s revenue grew from six figures to seven figures.  She is passionate about law firm culture and processes & procedures that allows her to live her best life.  Her hobbies include scuba diving, hang gliding and international travel.  Chelsie has recently returned from visiting her 62nd country with her husband of 19 years, David, and their two sons, Michael (6) and Henry (4).

Live GoToWebinar. Registrants have 90-day access. The Solo Small Firm Section of the Florida Bar is pleased to announce its 2020 Annual Ethics Program – Legal Ethics in a Changing World. This virtual conference will explore the impact of working from home and the virtual practice of law has on our ethical obligations and legal community. Join us for a look into ethical leadership and innovation, video conferencing risk management, ethics and the new normal and maintaining legal decorum in the courtroom. We will also reflect on how COVID -19 has impacted both the physical and mental health of our legal community. Section members register for only $185. 5.0 CLE credits, all of which may be applied toward Ethics. Course number 4115.  REGISTER NOW

8:00 AM – 8:10 AM
Welcome
Peggy Hoyt, Program Chair

8:10 AM – 9:00 AM
Leadership, Innovation and the “New Normal”
Teresa Schmid, Chicago, IL

9:00 AM – 9:50 AM
Video Conferencing Risk Management Considerations
Joanna L. Storey, San Francisco, CA

9:50 AM – 10:05 AM
Break

10:05 AM – 10:55 AM
Ethics and Risk Management: What will the “New Normal” Look Like?
Karen Rubin, Cleveland, OH

10:55 AM – 11:45 AM
Maintaining Professional Decorum in the “New Normal”
Eugene Pettis, Ft. Lauderdale

11:45 AM – 12:35 PM
How the COVID-19 Pandemic has Impacted the Physical and Mental Health Florida’s Legal Community
Dr. Scott Weinstein, Pompano Beach

Oct. 20 Live GoToWebinar by Danielle Babcock of Thomson Reuters. Building law firm awareness is the key to increasing your business and profits. Your law firm can be promoted in everything you do from websites and social media, to blogging efforts, client communications, branding, managing Google, and law firm public relations.  Join Danielle Babcock of FindLaw to explore ways to increase your bottom line by learning about the tools you can use to reach your best clients. Course number 4062. Approved for 1.0 General CLE credit. REGISTER NOW

Danielle Babcock is a digital marketing strategist for FindLaw, a division of Thomson Reuters. For the past thirteen years, she has exclusively worked with small business owners in helping them protect, grow and market themselves. Since 2007, she has assisted over 800 businesses, including law firms, in protecting or growing their brands.  When working with clients, she finds the greatest importance lies in focusing on how the firm differentiates itself.  By creating a unique strategy to market strengths, it ideally drives retaining the ideal client on a more consistent basis. Her hobbies include weight training, running, personal training, friends and international travel. Danielle and her husband of two years, Ben, had their first child named Braxton, on May 9, 2020.  Her favorite pastime now is spending time with her baby boy and two dogs Titan and Sophie.

Tuesday, Nov. 17 live GoToWebinar by Tim Chinaris. Even the most ethical lawyer faces challenges presented by today’s technology.  Former Bar Ethics Director, Dean Tim Chinaris, will outline several areas in this presentation in which an otherwise ethical lawyer could unknowingly cross the line and find himself or herself in ethical problems.  Ways to avoid these “technology traps” will be addressed. Course 4079. Approved for 1.0 General CLE credit, all of which may be applied to Ethics, and 1.0 Technology CLE credit. Section members register for only $50. REGISTER

Tim Chinaris is Associate Dean for Information Services and Professor of Law at Belmont University College of Law in Nashville, Tennessee, where he teaches courses in legal ethics, torts, insurance law, and other subjects.  Professor Chinaris was Ethics Director of The Florida Bar from 1989-1997, where he ran the popular “ethics hotline” service that answers more than 25,000 calls annually from bar members.

Tuesday, Dec. 8 live InReach webinar presented by Bill Curphey. This seminar will provide examples of unprofessional behavior and suggest how to deal with it.  Also discussed will be the Professionalism Expectations included in key Florida Bar documents; the Rules Regulating The Florida Bar upon which disciplinary action is usually based for unprofessionalism; informative cases; local professionalism panels; the Attorney Consumer Assistance Program; the Henry Latimer Center for Professionalism; and the 17th Judicial Circuit Pilot program on professionalism and civility. Course number 4252. 1.0 General, 1.0 Professionalism credits. Section members register for only $50.  REGISTER

Bill Curphey has been practicing for over 45 years, beginning as a trial attorney for the U.S. Dept. of Labor prosecuting companies for violations of federal labor and employment laws and then associate counsel for a Fortune 200 company where he coordinated litigation nationwide.  He has been with Big Law firms before starting his own practice 20 years ago, mainly as a commercial litigator representing businesses large and small nationwide mostly in federal court. He has built a national practice while maintaining a small-town lifestyle in Bradenton, Florida.

Tuesday, January 19, 2020. Live GoToWebinar presented by Luca Hickman, Registered Patent Attorney, Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A. of Fort Myers. Moderator: Chris Johnson. Course 4276. approved for 1.0 General; 1.0 Technology CLE credit. REGISTER

“Digital IP: Helping Clients Protect, Defend & Recover Intellectual Property Rights Online, In Social Media & E-Commerce Platforms” will discuss strategies to protect increasingly important digital IP by registering domain names and social media handles, and by using Trademark and Copyright Laws. Luca L. Hickman, Esq., Registered Patent Attorney, will highlight proactive defense strategies to defend and attack against third party infringement of digital IP rights, including social media takedowns, and using the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”).  Recovering converted social media accounts and fighting cybersquatting via the Uniform Domain-Name Dispute Resolution will also be covered.

Luca is a registered U.S. patent attorney and a Canadian foreign Trademark Agent at Henderson, Franklin, Starnes & Holt, P.A. in Fort Myers. After graduating with degrees in electrical engineering from universities in both the U.S. and Germany, he earned his Juris Doctorate from the Ave Maria School of Law – graduating first in his class. With his scientific background, Luca understands the unique technical and legal challenges his clients face, and uses that knowledge to represent engineers, architects and other design professionals against design defect and professional liability claims. He also works with inventors, artists and musicians in high profile matters, including multi-million dollar mergers and acquisitions involving publicly traded companies and celebrities, oversees the creation and management of global intellectual property portfolios, brand licensing and anti-counterfeiting work, and was called upon to assist in a complex U.S. Supreme Court case. Luca and his wife, Erica, live in Estero, Florida.

Friday, February 12 live GoToWebinar. “Virtually Irresistible:  Tech Tools and Strategies for Solo and Small Firms.” 8 A.M. – 12:55 P.M. $185 Section Members, $230 Non-Section Members, 5.0 General; 3.0 Technology CLE credits. Course number 4253. Registrants will have 90-day, on-demand access. REGISTER NOW

Don’t miss the all-new Solo & Small Firm Conference, featuring prestigious speakers and timely, engaging topics to benefit YOUR practice.

8–8:10 AM Welcome and introductions.

8:10–9 AM  Let’s Talk. Improving Team Building and Communication Skills in A Virtual World.   One of the challenges of the virtual world is learning how to work effectively as a team. In addition, working remotely adds new wrinkles to how we communicate – not only with the team but with clients. This session will provide strategies that will help you more fully engage your team and tips to improve your communication with both your team and with clients. Presented by Nora Bergman of Real Life Practice.

9–9:55 AM  Systems Thinking and Technology for Running The Lean Law Firm. While nearly every industry has jumped with both feet into the future, law firms have mostly failed to capitalize on the “science of industrial management.” No more. Learn how to transform your law firm using Lean methods and technologies pioneered by Toyota and relied upon by the world’s most profitable and highest performing companies from Dave Maxfield, lawyer and co-author of the ABA’s bestselling book,  “The Lean Law Firm.”

9:55–10:10 AM  Break

10:10–11:05 AM  Virtual Law Clerks and Contract Lawyers: Hiring, Training and Firing; Outsourcing. How do you find contract lawyers, integrate them into your practice, and provide sufficient oversight? What are the employment law considerations when hiring, training and firing law clerks and contract attorneys, particularly when working virtually?  How do you determine the appropriate rates? Presented by Kristin Tyler of LawClerk.

11:05 AM–12 PM  Law Firm Autopilot. Effectively leveraging technology and automating aspects of your practice will free you up to focus on meaningful work. Presented by “Ernie the Attorney” Ernie Svenson.

12–12:55 PM  How to Sustain and Grow a Solo and Small Firm Practice With the Use of Technology. A panel discussion with practitioners who have established successful solo and small firms will discuss their practice models and use of technology. Moderator: Cristina Alonso of Alonso Appeals. Panelists: April Martindale of Martindale Law, Camara Williams of Smith & Williams Trial Group, and Liz McCausland of Liz McCausland, P.A.

Tuesday, February 16, 2021, live GoTo Webinar. Presented by Nicole (Niki) Black, Attorney with MyCase, Rochester, NY. Moderator, Larry Stein. Course number 4277. Approved for 1.0 General; 1.0 Technology CLE credits. Section members register for only $50. REGISTER

Artificial intelligence (AI) for law firms is a hot topic these days, and for good reason: AI has the potential to save lawyers time and money, as does using automation and technology tools. Nicole (Niki) Black, “Legal Technology Evangelist” from My Case will explain how AI technologies hold the promise of automating the mundane aspects of practicing law, allowing lawyers to focus on more interesting, high-level analytical tasks. However, AI software is still in its infancy and has a way to go before it becomes both useful and affordable for solo and small firm attorneys. The good news is that you don’t need AI software to get started with automating your solo or smaller firm law practice. There are a host of tools already in existence that will automate your law firm’s processes. In this talk, you’ll learn about technologies that will help you streamline your law firm, whether you’re looking to automate document assembly, billing and invoicing processes, or case to-dos and deadlines.

Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York attorney, author, journalist, and the Legal Technology Evangelist at MyCase, legal practice management software. She is the nationally-recognized author of “Cloud Computing for Lawyers” (2012) and co-authors “Social Media for Lawyers: The Next Frontier” (2010), both published by the American Bar Association. She also co-authors “Criminal Law in New York,” a Thomson Reuters treatise. She writes regular columns for Above the Law, ABA Journal, and The Daily Record, has authored hundreds of articles for other publications, and regularly speaks at conferences regarding the intersection of law and emerging technologies. She is an ABA Legal Rebel, and is listed on the Fastcase 50 and ABA LTRC Women in Legal Tech. She can be contacted at niki.black@mycase.com.