April 20, 12 – 1 PM Live GoToWebinar presented by Melanie Griffin, Of Counsel attorney at Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP, Tampa, and Senior Advisor, Business-to-Business Relationships of Shumaker Advisors Florida. Time Management Strategies & Life Hacks for the Productive, Professional Lawyer. Moderator:  Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin. Live InReach webinar. Course number 4278. 1.0 General; 1.0 General CLE, all of which may be applied toward Professionalism. REGISTER

Time. It is something we all want more of. Yet, no matter how hard we wish, there are only 24 hours in each day. During this virtual webinar, Melanie S. Griffin will help you stretch these 24 hours as far as possible. Together, we will develop a personal strategy that incorporates time management skills and other productive habits to become more effective, efficient, professional and happy lawyers who best serve ourselves, our clients and employers/employees, and the legal profession and justice system as a whole.

Melanie S. Griffin, Esq. is a triple-graduate of The Florida State University (Business Finance, 2003; MBA, 2006; JD, 2006). Her entrepreneurial skills were honed for thirteen years at a prominent Florida corporate law firm where she served as a law clerk and then attorney from 2006-19, the last five years of which she was an Equity Shareholder and the Tampa Office Managing Partner. In 2019, Melanie joined Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP, an Am Law 200 firm that is the largest law firm in Tampa Bay, Of Counsel and Shumaker Advisors as Senior Advisor, Business-to-Business Relationships.

During her legal career, Melanie has served as the 2011-12 President of the Central Florida Association for Women Lawyers and 2013-14 President of The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division. In 2021-22, she will serve as President of the Hillsborough Association for Women Lawyers.

Melanie has been recognized as Florida’s Most Productive Young Lawyer (2009), FAWL Leader in the Law (2010), OBJ 40 Under 40 (2011), Super Lawyers Rising Star (Business Litigation 2010-20), Florida Trend Legal Elite (Up & Comer 2010-14, Commercial Litigation 2014-18), TBBJ BusinessWoman of the Year Legal Services Finalist (2016), FSU Notable Nole (2016), Tampa Bay Metro Inspiring Woman in Business (2016-17), FSU College of Business Recent Alumni Achievement Award (2017), and Best Lawyers in America (Commercial Litigation 2017-20). In 2019, Melanie assisted with the launch of Nora Riva Bergman’s book 50 Lessons for Women Lawyers from Women Lawyers at the New York City Bar Association. Her Lesson, Dream Beyond Perfection!, is published as Lesson #20.

Beyond her legal career, in 2017, Melanie created Spread Your Sunshine, her then passion project committed to empowering others with the confidence to break the glass ceiling and achieve their dreams. After two years of experiencing the excitement over and need for the #ShineItForward™ movement, Melanie is dedicated to intentionally focusing on the inspiration of joy in and encouragement of others.

Melanie’s success shining others through the glass ceiling to their most audacious dreams was celebrated through her receipt of the TBBJ BusinessWoman of the Year Angie Joseph Excellence in Mentorship Award (2016), GSWCF Woman of Promise Award (2017), FSU Inspire Award (2017), Florida Bar YLD Outstanding Woman Lawyer of Achievement Award (2018), KNOW Tampa Feature (2018), The Best of KNOW Feature (2019), Florida Bar SSFS Mentor of the Year Award (2019), Florida State University College of Law Alumni Association Service Award (2020), and KNOW Tampa Contributor Feature (2020).

Melanie is happiest when she is building up all those around her, including her husband Mike, son Maverick, and Golden Lab Molly.

April 28, 12 – 1 PM Wednesday Wisdom Zoom webinar (free for Solo & Small Firm Section members)* presented by Rebecca Bandy, Director, The Henry Latimer Center for Professionalism at The Florida Bar. This interactive experience will explore mental health, wellness, and substance abuse issues facing legal professionals, particularly focused on solo and small firms; it will look at ways to minimize distractions and improve self-care; it will define emotional intelligence and its benefits; and it will give examples of mindfulness-based emotional intelligence practices that can be used personally and professionally to improve quality of life.” 1.0 General; 1.0 Professionalism; 1.0 Mental Illness CLE credit and course number pending. REGISTER

Rebecca J. Bandy serves as the Director of The Florida Bar’s Henry Latimer Center for Professionalism. She joined the Center as Assistant Director in March 2017.

Prior to joining The Florida Bar, Ms. Bandy was an associate attorney at the Law Offices of Thomas L. Powell, PA in Tallahassee, where she litigated in the areas of family and criminal law. She most recently taught college-level courses at Lawton Chiles High School, where she helped establish the school’s award-winning mock trial team along with The Honorable Mark Walker, The Honorable David Frank, and attorney David Grimes.

Ms. Bandy previously served as the Director of Alumni Relations at the Florida State University College of Business and as the Assistant Director of Alumni and Development at the Florida State University College of Law.

She earned her Juris Doctor from the Florida State University College of Law. A native of the tiny town of Hilliard in Nassau County, Florida, she earned her Bachelor’s in Communications with Honors from Jacksonville University and her teaching credentials at Georgia Southern University.

Since becoming director, Ms. Bandy has attended the National Legal Mentoring Symposium in Columbia, South Carolina; the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute at Georgetown University; the National Mindfulness Summit in Washington, DC; and has received a Mental Health First Aid certificate. She currently serves on the American Bar Association’s Standing Committee on Professionalism. She regularly speaks to legal professionals, law school students, and Florida Bar staff on general professionalism, mindfulness-based emotional intelligence, the impacts of loneliness, mentoring, networking, gratitude, resilience, interpersonal communications skills, active listening, implicit bias, and team building.

Ms. Bandy is active in her church, is a community volunteer at an area elementary school, and she has supported causes including the March of Dimes, Epilepsy Association of the Big Bend, the Holocaust Education Resource Council (HERC), The Kearney Center, and Honor Flight Tallahassee.

May 11, 12 – 1 PM Live GotoWebinar presented by Frank Ramos, Managing Partner, Clarke Silverglate, P.A. of Miami. In “Virtual Business Development – Developing Relationships, On and Offline,” Frank will discuss how attorneys can maximize online platforms for business development and use relationships created online into in person professional relationships. Moderator:  Scott Merl. Course number 4502. Approved for 1.0 General; 1.0 Technology CLE credit. REGISTER

Frank is the Managing Partner of Clarke Silverglate, where he practices in the areas of commercial litigation, drug and medical device, products liability and catastrophic personal injury.  He is AV rated by Martindale-Hubbell and is listed in Best Lawyers in America for his defense work in product liability matters.  Frank has been with Clarke Silverglate for virtually his entire career.  He has tried to verdict personal injury, medical malpractice, product liability, and inverse condemnation cases.  As a certified mediator, Frank has resolved numerous matters through alternative dispute resolution.

Frank is an ambassador for the Firm’s mission of leadership and service.  He has been President of the Florida Defense Lawyers Association and the 11^th Judicial Historical Society and has served on the boards of the Defense Research Institute, Florida International University’s Alumni Association, Florida International University’s Honors College, Parent to Parent of Miami, Miami-Dade Defense Bar Association, Legal Services of Greater Miami, and Florida Christian School.  He serves as a mentor to countless young lawyers and law students through his publications, social media posts, presentations, webinars, and his “coffee chats.”  Frank has written 15 books for lawyers, edited five books for lawyers,  and has written over 400 articles for lawyers and business professionals.

Franks’s dedication to young lawyers is exemplified through his development of a Deposition Boot Camp and Art of Marketing Program for the Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel, an invitation-only defense organization that handpicked Frank for membership just eight years into his practice.  Frank’s daily practice pointers and business tips on LinkedIn has almost 35,000 followers.

In his spare time, Frank enjoys writing, reading science fiction, and listening to his two sons, David and Michael, perform classical and jazz music.

May 19, 12 – 1 PM, free Wednesday Wisdom Zoom webinar by Christine Phipps, Registered Professional Reporter, President of Phipps Reporting, Inc. of West Palm Beach. Free CLE for Solo & Small Firm Section members only. Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed.

The court reporting profession, like the legal profession, has ethical issues and considerations to manage. This is especially relevant with the increase in use of technology, virtual depositions and hearings, and online notarization and swearing-in for the record. This CLE additionally will cover issues including gifting, confidentially, professionalism, methodologies and ethical challenges and how court reporters and office staff can maintain a professional and ethical setting. Course number 4441. Approved for 1.0 General; 1.0 Ethics; 1.0 Technology CLE credit. *Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed. REGISTER

Christine Phipps is a Registered Professional Reporter, President of Phipps Reporting, Inc., and current President of the National Court Reporters Association.  She received her degree in court reporting from Broward State College.  She started out as an official court reporter for the first two years of her career and then spent the next 15 years working all over the world as a freelance court reporter. After building relationships all over the country, Christine opened her own court reporting and litigation support agency, Phipps Reporting.  In addition to reporting, Christine is also an Eclipse Trainer and has served as Chair of NCRA’s Technology and Freelance Committees and served on many other committees. Christine was awarded the 2014 Most Enterprising Woman of the Year, Gamechanger of the Year, and Small Business Woman-Owned Person of the Year.  Christine’s company, Phipps Reporting, made the Inc. 5000 list every year since 2014, making her the first Honorary member of the Inc. 5000 in our industry.  She currently resides in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida and has three children; Brandon, Jarrod and Skylar and her grandson, Forrest.

In addition to reporting, Christine is also an Eclipse Trainer and has served as Chair of NCRA’s Technology Freelance Committee, as well as other Committees within the NCRA.

June 10, 7:55 AM – 4:25 PM. Statutory updates in eight key areas of Florida law:  Business; Employment; Bankruptcy; Elder; Estate Planning; Criminal; Family and Construction. Approved for 8.0 General CLE credits and the following board certification credits:  1.0 Juvenile Law; 2.0 Business Litigation; 1.0 Civil Trial; 1 Construction Law; 1.0 Criminal Appellate; 1.0 Criminal Trial; 1.0 Elder Law; 1.0 Labor and Employment; 1.0 Wills,Trusts, & Estates; 0.5 Workers Compensation. Course number 4380. REGISTER

7:55 AM – 8:00 AM
Opening Remarks
Peggy Hoyt, Program Chair

8:00 AM – 8:50 AM
Business Law Update
Clay Roesch, Orlando

8:50 AM – 9:40 AM
Employment Law Update
Kevin Johnson, Tampa

9:40 AM – 10:30 AM
Bankruptcy
Kristina Feher, St. Petersburg

10:30 AM – 10:45 AM
Break

10:45 AM – 11:35 AM
Elder Law
Peggy Hoyt, Oviedo
Alex Douglas, Orlando

11:35 AM – 12:20 PM
Estate Planning
Peggy Hoyt, Oviedo
Alex Douglas, Orlando

12:20 PM – 1:45 PM
Lunch

1:45 PM – 2:35 PM
Criminal Law
Brice Aikens, Orlando

2:35 PM – 3:25 PM
Personal Injury Law Update
James Gordon, Oviedo

3:25 PM – 3:35 PM
Break

3:35 PM – 4:25 PM
Construction Law
Patrick Neale, Naples

Free CLE for all members of The Florida Bar. Wednesday Wisdom Zoom webinar. Course number 4671. Approved for 1.0 General CLE credit. REGISTER

“Managing Up: A Primer on Interfacing with Young Attorneys” is a research-based discussion for legal leaders seeking to enhance and engage young attorneys.  Hear from new practitioners in a variety of industries and legal educators on cultivating, retaining, and maximizing the potential of the young attorneys in your workforce.  After several major shifts in the law practice landscape in light of COVID-19, join this insightful panel discussion as the Solo & Small Firm Section re-examines traditional best practices on how to on-board and enhance new attorneys, and hear candid advice on how to innovate your law model.

Moderator:  Diriki Geuka, Associate, Townsend & Lockett, LLC (Atlanta)

Panelists:
1) Professor Alicia Jackson, Stetson University College of Law, Gulfport, will discuss her research on how law entities can better engage new attorneys.
2) Brijesh Patel, Seminole County Attorney’s Office, Sanford, former in-house attorney, transactional attorney, government practice.
3) Zoila Lahera, Associate, Macfarlane Ferguson & McMullen, Tampa, second-year litigation and appellate attorney, private practice.
4) Ian Dankelman, Associate, Freeborn & Peters LLP, Tampa, former federal judicial law clerk.

Diriki T. Geuka, Moderator

Diriki Geuka is an Associate in Townsend & Lockett, LLC’s transactional practice group, where he works on a team focusing on mergers and acquisitions, private equity, and venture capital agreements.  Diriki was previously a Pinellas Assistant County Attorney where he represented County agencies and elected and appointed officials. Diriki began his career as a federal staff attorney for the United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, where he served for a year and was an intern for the Honorable Julie S. Sneed in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida while in law school. Diriki was president of Stetson University College of Law’s Student Bar Association before graduating in 2017 with the Dean Richard Dillon Excellence in Real Property and Marc L. Levine Awards.  Diriki is a frequent mentor, community volunteer, and currently serves as a member of Morris Brown’s President’s Advisory Board.

Professor Alicia R. Jackson, Panelist

Professor Alicia Jackson is a member of the law faculty and the Director of Academic Success and Bar Preparation Services at Stetson University College of Law. Before joining Stetson, she was the Associate Dean for Student Learning and Assessment at her previous institution. Professor Jackson’s presentations, publications, and scholarship interests include racial equity and bias in education, cultural competency, generational learning, and educational psychology. Professor Jackson also served on the research team that published, in 2020, Building a Better Bar: The Twelve Building Blocks of Minimum Competence, sponsored by the Institute for the Advancement of the American Legal System.  She also co-authored Contemporary Teaching Strategies: Effectively Engaging Millennials Across the Curriculum.

Brijesh Patel, Panelist

Brijesh Patel is a Seminole Assistant County Attorney and graduated from Florida A&M University College of Law in 2012. He is a transactional attorney in city, county, and local government law providing counsel to multiple departments in Seminole County. He has prior experience in the private sector in the legal departments of Universal Orlando and Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy and in the public sector with the Office of Regional Conflict Counsel and the Pinellas County Attorney’s Office. Mr. Patel also currently serves as Chair of the Student Education/Admissions to the Bar Committee of the Florida Bar and is actively involved in the Diversity and Inclusion Committee and the Social Media Committee of the city, county, and local government section of the Florida Bar.

Zoila Lahera, Panelist

Zoila Lahera is a third-year associate in MacFarlane Ferguson & McMullen’s litigation group, where she represents clients in a variety of complex civil, professional, insurance, and business matters in state and federal courts.  Additionally, Zoila’s litigation practice emphasizes issues of fraud and malfeasance, in which Zoila provides representation to clients in whistleblower actions from detection, through fact-gathering, drafting complaints, litigation and appeals, all of which allow her to work cooperatively with governmental agencies to protect whistleblowers.  Zoila graduated from Stetson University College of Law in 2018, cum laude, in the top 15% of her class.  Born in Cuba, Zoila and her family were granted political asylum in the United States, for opposing the Castro regime, in 1996, and she speaks fluent English and Spanish.

Ian J. Dankelman, Panelist

Ian Dankelman is an Associate in the Litigation Practice Group at Freeborn & Peters, LLP.  Ian focuses his practice on complex commercial litigation. Ian graduated from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2014.  Before joining Freeborn, Ian counseled large commercial clients at a nationwide law firm that specialized in first-party property cases.  For nearly two years, Ian served as a judicial law clerk for the Honorable Elizabeth Kovachevich in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida. He began his legal career as an Assistant State Attorney in Florida’s Fourth Judicial Circuit, where he tried over a dozen jury trials to verdict.

Live GoToWebinar presented by Kristin Tyler of LAWCLERK™. Course number 5104. Approved for 1.0 General CLE credit, all of which may be applied toward Ethics. Section members register for only $50. REGISTER

Want to grow your firm? Historically, you could charge more or hire. But what if there was a third way? Technology facilitates access to high-quality legal expertise at a surprisingly reasonable cost. Using freelance and contract legal help, you can do more work, grow your firm, and help more clients. But, as is the case with everything for a lawyer, it’s important to be mindful of the business and, of course, the ethical implications of working with freelance attorneys.

This session is about getting out of your head long enough to stop thinking and start embracing what technology and new billing models have to offer before you show up as a T-Rex in the years ahead.

This course offers an informative, frank, and even fun discussion about how to apply the freelance legal ecosystem to up-level your legal practice.  It will explore the business and ethical groundwork to help growth-driven attorneys understand how they can use freelance legal help to achieve their law firm business goals.

Kristin Tyler is Co-Founder of LAWCLERK, where attorneys go to hire freelance lawyers.  She is also a trusts and estates lawyer, busy mom and firm believer that the practice of law can be rewarding despite its daily demands.

Jacina Parson

August 4 Wednesday Wisdom Zoom webinar open to all members of The Florida Bar. Course number 5404. Approved for 1.0 General; 1.0 Professionalism CLE credit. REGISTER

Moderator: 2021-22 Solo & Small Firm Section Chair Jacina Parson, Senior Assistant County Attorney, Pinellas County Attorney’s Office; former director of The Florida Bar Henry Latimer Center for Professionalism

Panelists:
General Magistrate Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin, Third Judicial Circuit, Live Oak
County Judge Daryl Manning, Thirteenth Judicial Circuit, Hillsborough County, Tampa
Circuit Judge Barbara Leach, Ninth Judicial Circuit Court, Orlando

Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin is the General Magistrate for the Third Judicial Circuit in North Central Florida and presides over probate, guardianship, domestic relations and foreclosure matters. She is a former chair of The Florida Bar Solo & Small Firm Section. Jennifer’s past Bar experience includes service as President of the Third Judicial Circuit Bar Association and on various committees of The Florida Bar Family Law Section. As the Third Judicial Circuit Young Lawyer’s Board of Governor’s Representative, she oversaw the development and launch of the YLD’s  “Mentoring With the Masters” video program. Jennifer also is the author of “Deadly Escape,” a crime thriller novel that has been used as a course textbook for Stetson Law School’s Criminal Procedure class.

Daryl Manning

Daryl Manning, originally from Queens, NY, has been a Hillsborough County Judge in Tampa, Florida since 2015. He presides over a drug court division and a unified family court division. He was a practicing and supervising attorney in the Tampa Office of the Florida Attorney General for sixteen years, where he appeared in state and federal trial and appellate courts.

Judge Manning obtained his Master of Laws (LL.M.) from the Army Judge Advocate Legal Center and School at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA, his Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from St. John’s University School of Law in Queens, N.Y. and his Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) from the University of South Carolina, in Columbia, S.C.

Judge Manning was a Judge Advocate (JAG) in the United States Army and served several tours in support of the Global War on Terrorism in Iraq, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel in 2015 after 30 years on active duty and in the reserves. Among his numerous positions, he served as a prosecutor, a criminal defense attorney and led a counter terrorism team consisting of law enforcement, SWAT and Intelligence agencies. Prior to becoming a JAG, Judge Manning was an Artillery Officer and fought in Operation Desert Storm. Before attending college, he was an enlisted soldier working as a mechanic. He was awarded two Bronze Star Medals for his meritorious service.

Judge Manning was a member of both the National Conference of Bar Examiners and the Florida Board of Bar Examiners, where he served as chair from 2013 – 2015. He was a member of a Florida Bar Grievance Committee in Hillsborough and is a certified Guardian ad Litem. Judge Manning has been a mentor in the Big Brother Big Sister program for many years to a now teenager and serves on several boards in Tampa. As an adjunct law professor, he teaches Criminal Procedure, Alternate Dispute Resolution and Military Law.

Barbara Leach

Circuit Judge Barbara Leach serves in the Orange County Domestic Violence division.

Education

• Juris Doctor: Florida State University
• Bachelor of Arts: Rollins College

Professional Activities

• Member, The Florida Bar 2007-Present
  • Grievance Committee 2015-2017
  • Ninth Circuit Professionalism Panel 2015-2018
  • Leadership Academy Committee 2014-2018
  • Annual Planning Convention Committee 2014-2018
• The Florida Bar Solo & Small Firm Sections
  • Executive Council 2015-2018
  • Chair, Solo & Small Firm Technology Conference 2017
• Member, Central Florida Association for Women Lawyers 2008-present
  • President 2013-2014
• Member, Orange County Bar Association 2007-present
  • Coordinator, New Lawyer Training Program 2018-2019
  • Chair, Technology Committee 2017-2018
  • Co-Chair, Technology Committee 2018-2020
  • Planning Committee, Bench Bar Conference 2018 & 2020
• American Bar Association, TECHSHOW Planning Board 2016-2017
• Member, Central Florida Family Law Inns of Court 2016-present

Joint CLE program by The Florida Bar Alternative Dispute Resolution and Solo & Small Firm sections.

Live GoToWebinar presented by Christina Magee and Glenn Waldman, ADR Section members. Moderated by Jake Schickel, ADR and SSF Section member. Course number 5227. Approved for 1.0 General CLE credit, 0.5 of which may be applied toward Ethics. Section members register for only $45. Available for purchase through Florida Bar InReach.

Looking for a way to speed up your case even as post-COVID court dockets present obstacles to resolution?  Is your case bogged down as court dockets are too big to advance?  Are your motions and litigation strategies delayed or ineffective due to competition for the court’s time with unprecedented and unresolved civil matters and hearings in only virtual formats?  The Alternative Dispute Resolution and Solo & Small Firm Sections invite you to spend an hour to learn from an expert-moderated panel including a mediator and arbitrator about inventive ways arbitration and mediation are being used to move cases forward even in post-pandemic times.

Topics covered will include:

1. When is the best time to invoke mediation or arbitration in a case that is not progressing?
2. Should you arbitrate or mediate discovery disputes – what are the strategic advantages to each approach?
3. Are there ethical issues with the order of the selection of processes?
4. Are ethical issues involved if you mediate to a predetermined set of outcomes based on a court’s dispositive ruling on a pending motion?
5. Can you utilize “Baseball” arbitration – where the parties provide the arbitrator with a limited number of outcomes?

Christina Magee, Esq. of Satellite Beach is a mediator and arbitrator with a 100% neutral-oriented practice.  She is a public arbitrator on the FINRA panel.  She is a former Chair of The Florida Bar ADR Section, former Chair of The Florida Bar Small Claims Rules Committee, a Florida Supreme Court Certified Mediator for Circuit Civil, Appellate and County, and is a designated Primary Trainer for Circuit Civil.  She has been practicing law for more than 30 years.

Photo by Chris Salata/CAPEHART
Taken on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.
Copyright Capehart Photography 2020

Glenn J. Waldman, Esq. of Fort Lauderdale has been practicing law primarily in Florida’s state and federal courts (including appellate courts) for nearly four decades.

Glenn holds the maximum rating “AV” (pre-eminent) by the Martindale-Hubbell® Law Directory and is similarly rated the maximum 10.0 (“Superb”) by the AVVO ratings guide.

In addition to his complex commercial litigation practice, Glenn is a long-standing certified mediator (state and federal court) and arbitrator (certified by the American Arbitration Association, American Health Lawyers Association, AIDA Reinsurance and Insurance Arbitration Society, International Institute for Conflict Prevention & Resolution, and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority).

He is a Member of the Executive Council of The Alternative Dispute Resolution Section of The Florida Bar.

He devotes a substantial amount of his practice to serve as a Mediator and Arbitrator in a broad range of commercial disputes, including general contract and business matters, large payer/provider health care disputes, intellectual property claims, shareholder and employment disputes (including restrictive covenants), real estate and construction, and probate and estate disputes.

Glenn also serves as an expert witness on issues concerning the standard of care for attorneys in Florida in matters of professional liability.

Jake Schickel’s decorated career could be considered the benchmark for success in the legal community. In addition to multiple professional leadership positions, he has been highly active in supporting legal professionalism and the cause of justice. He has been named a Florida Super Lawyer every year since the program’s inception and was honored by The Florida Bar in 2006 with the Justice Harry Lee Anstead Board-Certified Lawyer of the Year. In 2017, the E. Robert Williams American Inn of Court even named their chapter’s professionalism award in his honor.

Mr. Jake Schickel’s passion for justice is matched only by his long-term commitment to his community. He has served the Jacksonville community on several executive, strategic, economic and planning committees, including leadership positions with nonprofit and civic organizations. Prior to becoming a founding partner of Coker Law, Mr. Jake Schickel worked as an Assistant State Attorney and Chief Assistant Attorney for the 4^th Judicial Circuit.

Jake can be reached at his email address: jjs@cokerlaw.com.

August 25, 12 – 1 PM, free Wednesday Wisdom Zoom webinar for Solo & Small Firm Section members.* Presented by Karen Lapekas, Principal, Lapekas Law. Course number 5386. Approved for1.0 General; 1.0 Mental Health CLE credit. *Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed. REGISTER

The practice of law can be stressful, especially when balancing life, family and the events of this past year. Join Karen Lapekas to hear about strategies for fighting depression and how using these techniques helps her to find happiness as a busy tax lawyer.

Karen J. Lapekas, Esq. is board-certified in tax law by the Florida Bar. She grew up in Kalamazoo, Michigan and attended Michigan Technological University (coursework: Civil Engineering), Western Michigan University (Bachelor’s: Psychology, Minor: Mathematics), and Thomas M. Cooley Law School (Juris Doctor: Litigation), before earning a Master’s in Tax Law (LLM) from the University of Florida

Levin College of Law.  As a former senior attorney with the IRS Office of Chief Counsel, she was the lead attorney on over 170 cases in U.S. Tax Court.  She also teaches Federal Tax Practice & Procedure at the University of Miami School of Law as an Adjunct Professor.