“Malpractice & Ethical Perils for Law Firms to Avoid,” will be presented by Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company’s Cathy M. Sargent, Esq., Executive Vice President & COO, and Margaret “Peggy” Hewitt, Esq., Resources and Services Manager, and moderated by Renée E. Thompson, Upchurch Watson White & Max. Live GoToWebinar. Course number 5406. Approved for 1.0 General; 1.0 Ethics CLE credit. Section members register for only $50. REGISTER

Even the best lawyers can be sued for malpractice, and in our litigious environment, lawyers can face a number of risks from clients due to real or perceived errors.  No one single error accounts for the majority of claims against attorneys from a myriad of possibilities: substantive law error, administrative mistakes, client relations faux pas, and intentional wrongs are at the top.  Join Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company’s Executive Vice President & COO Cathy M. Sargent and Resources and Services Manager Peggy Hewitt to understand from where and why claims happen to help you take proactive steps to reduce the likelihood a claim will be successfully made against you.

Cathy M. Sargent is Executive Vice President & COO of Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company, responsible for overseeing the Company’s day-to-day operations.

Prior to joining FLMIC, Ms. Sargent led for 34 years at Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company of California, serving as Vice President of Development and Outreach, Vice President of Underwriting & Marketing, and General Counsel for Claims. She was a founding member of the California Lawyers Association Lawyer Well-Being Committee, reflecting a personal passion for lawyer well-being and personal and professional happiness — a passion she brings to FLMIC in furtherance of our commitment to serving our member lawyers.

Additionally, Ms. Sargent served as a guest speaker at the international 2019 NABRICO conference. She is currently a nominee for the ABA Standing Committee on professional liability insurance.

Ms. Sargent is a graduate of the Loyola Law School, where she worked in the Domestic Violence Clinic and served as Certified Student District Attorney, a trial advocate, and as a 9th Circuit Court of Appeals extern. After graduating with a Juris Doctorate, she served as defense counsel in a California law firm handling legal malpractice claims and coverage disputes. Prior to entering law school, Ms. Sargent graduated Magna Cum Laude from Loyola Marymount, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and was recognized as part of the University Honors Program during each of her four years. While enrolled at Loyola Marymount, she served as Vice President of Tri Sigma and was a member of distinguished scholarship society Alpha Sigma Nu.

Before coming to Florida Lawyers Mutual Insurance Company, Margaret “Peggy” Hewitt, Esq. was a 20-year partner of Jones, Hurley & Hand, P.A.  Before joining a law firm, Ms. Hewitt was in-house counsel for the Walt Disney Company; before Disney, she was Counsel to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and an Assistant State Attorney.  Her practice experience included over 120 jury trials, and countless administrative hearings and appeals in the areas of Insurance Defense, Employment and Labor Law, and Workers’ Compensation.  She has been designated an “AV” Peer Review Rated Lawyer by Martindale Hubbell.

Ms. Hewitt has an extensive library of articles and advisories for legal and risk management publications, including the National Retail and Restaurant Defense Association News and LinkedIn.  Her Florida Bar CLE manuals and presentations include “Trying a Difficult Liability Case in Florida.”  She has been an accredited CEU presenter for the Florida Department of Finance since 2002, has created and presented dozens of Power Point assisted seminars both for the CEU Institute and for her self-insured and self-administering clients, and has presented at the ABA Annual Conference and the NRRDA National Conference.

Ms. Hewitt was raised in Florida.   She received her BA in History and Music from the University of Florida in 1980, while working full time and participating in the UF Band.  She also earned her Juris Doctorate from the University of Florida in 1983.  She was recently nominated by the City of Winter Park Chamber of Commerce for Volunteer of the Year, for her years on the Winter Park Autumn Art Festival Committee as their Entertainment Committee Director.

321-663-9017
peggyh@FLMIC.com

Live GoToWebinar presented by General Magistrate Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin and moderated by Theresa Jean-Pierre Coy. Course number 5673 is approved for 1 General; 1 Technology CLE credit. Section members register for only $50. REGISTER

Learn pro tips that let you skip trial-and-error tutorials and find out how to fully integrate Microsoft Word into your law practice. Magistrate Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin will teach you exactly what you need to make your practice more efficient and will walk you through, step-by-step, how to set up and use Microsoft Word effectively. Practice with your PC or laptop while you listen. Learn Word features that can make formatting nightmares go away—and master shortcuts that will take your efficiency in Word to new levels.

Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin has presided over more than 20,000 hearings and trials since 2010. First as the Third Judicial Circuit Child Support Enforcement Hearing Officer and now as the General Magistrate. Jennifer currently presides over domestic relations, probate, guardianship and foreclosure cases.

Jennifer obtained her J.D. from the University of Florida, where she graduated Cum Laude. Jennifer received her B.S. from the University of South Florida, where she graduated Summa Cum Laude.

Jennifer’s extensive service within The Florida Bar includes: Past Chair of the Solo and Small Firm Section; Executive Council member of the Solo and Small Firm Section (past secretary, treasurer); Chair of the Solo and Small Firm Technology Conference 2015, 2016, 2017; Family Law Section of The Florida Bar – Magistrate and Hearing Officer Committee Chair 2014-15, 2015-16; Third Judicial Circuit Young Lawyer’s Division Board of Governor’s Representative 2009-2015; Vision 2016; Statewide Advertising Grievance Committee; and The Florida Bar Ad Hoc Committee to Study SCOPE Program.

Jennifer has served her local bar as the President of the Third Judicial Bar Association, as the Vice Chair of the Third Circuit Grievance Committee and as the President and founder of the Young Lawyer’s Section.

Jennifer holds the maximum rating, AV Preeminent® by the Martindale-Hubbell® Law Directory. Jennifer’s pride and joy is her four-year-old daughter, Kendall.

Live GoToWebinar presented by Debra J. Davis, CPA, Esq. and moderated by Bill Curphey. Course number 5705 is approved by The Florida Bar for 1.0 General CLE credit, all of which may be applied toward Ethics. REGISTER

Debra Davis, a CPA and former Florida Bar Auditor and Lawyer Regulation Department Assistant Staff Counsel before joining Smith, Tozian, Daniel & Davis, P.A., will discuss the ethics of lawyer trust accounts and provide practical tips to establish, manage and maintain a compliant trust account to avoid fearing a Bar Audit.

Debra J. Davis (“Debbie”), a Florida attorney and Certified Public Accountant, graduated from the University of Tampa with honors and then studied at the Australian Graduate School of Management in Sydney, Australia.  After working years in public accounting and as accounting manager for a large OEM company, Debbie earned her law degree with honors from the University of Florida College of Law.  From 1996 to 2005, Debbie worked in the Tampa Office of The Florida Bar’s Lawyer Regulation Department, first as Branch Auditor conducting compliance examinations of attorney trust accounts, then as Bar Counsel on several high-profile cases.  Debbie has taught Ethics School and Practicing with Professionalism programs for The Florida Bar and lectured on a variety of ethics topics, including trust accounts and advertising, at local bar associations and law schools.  Debbie is a member of the American Bar Association, Center for Professional Responsibility, the Hillsborough County Bar Association, and the Association of Professional Responsibility Lawyers.  In 2005, Debbie became associated with the law firm now known as Smith, Tozian, Daniel and Davis, P.A. where she practices with her partners in the areas of legal ethics, Bar defense and Bar admissions.

Contact Information

109 N. Brush Street, Suite 200
Tampa, Florida 33602
813-273-0063
813-221-8832 (fax)
DDavis@smithtozian.com

“Pivoting Your Practice” was presented as a live GoToWebinar on Friday, February 11, 2022. Course number 5622 is available through The Florida Bar InReach catalog as an Online Seminar (on-demand) and Downloadable Audio (podcast) and will soon be available in CD and DVD formats.  It is approved for 1.0 Technology, 1.0 Mental Illness Awareness and 5.0 General CLE credits, 2.0 of which may be applied toward Ethics and 1.0 of which may be applied toward Professionalism. Visit the conference web page.

“Pivoting Your Law Practice: The Resilience & Grit You Need to Survive” is designed to meet the needs of lawyers who understand the importance of transforming their law practices to address the new demands of virtual and hybrid business models. Our diverse roster of experienced presenters will address topics such as technology transformations, working as outside counsel, managing stress with recovery, ethics of online payment systems and fee-sharing with nonlawyers and managing the ethics of law with second income streams.

Thank you to conference co-chairs Jacina Parson and Camara Williams.

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

8:00 AM – 8:10 AM
Welcome by Solo & Small Firm Section Chair & Conference Co-Chair Jacina Parson and Conference Co-Chair Camara Williams with a welcome by Florida Bar President Michael Tanner.

8:10 AM – 9:00 AM
“The Transformation of Technology Usage, Adoption, and Expectations” by Ari Kaplan, Ari Kaplan Advisors of New York

9:00 AM – 9:50 AM “Bidding on Billions: Pro Tips for Working as Outside Counsel on Corporate Client Files”
Panel discussion moderated by Diriki T. Geuka, Associate, Townsend Lockett, LLC, of Atlanta
Panelists: Jennifer Branham, Director & Corporate Counsel, L3Harris Technologies, Inc. of Melbourne, FL, Shannon Finucane, Director of Legal Business Affairs, Hornets Sports and Entertainment of Charlotte, NC, D. Tennell Lockett, Managing Partner, Townsend & Lockett, LLC, of Atlanta

9:50 AM – 10:40 AM “How to Be Your Best Professional Self by Managing Stress With Recovery” by Rebecca Bandy, Director of the Henry Latimer Center for Professionalism The Florida Bar, Tallahassee

10:40 AM – 10:55 AM Break

10:55 AM – 11:45 AM “Ethically Accepting Payments via Online Apps and Fee-Sharing with Nonlawyers” by D. Culver (Skip) Smith, III, Culver Smith, III, PA, of West Palm Beach

11:45 AM – 12:35 PM “Ethical Aspects of Combining Lawyering by Day with Second Streams of Income”
Panel discussion moderated by Camara Williams, Smith and Williams Trial Group, PLLC, of Orlando
Panelists: Jordan Ostroff, President of LegalEase Marketing, & Managing Partner of Jordan Law of Orlando, Fl, Shannon A. Ligon, Attorney, Ligon Law Group, LLC d.b.a. PrettySMART Law | PrettySMART, LLC | Legacy Entertainment & Arts Foundation Inc. (L.E.A.F. Inc.) of Miami, Jacina Parson, Chair Solo & Small Firm Section, Senior Assistant County Attorney, Pinellas County Attorney’s Office, and Realtor, Coldwell Banker of Clearwater

Live GoToWebinar presented by Stephanie Cagnet Myron of Cagnet Myron Law in Wellington, Florida, and moderated by Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin.

This CLE will provide lawyers with detailed information regarding Florida laws protecting victims of Stalking and Sexual Cyberharassment. We will also discuss important factors to consider when representing victims of trauma. Attendees will also be provided with information regarding the use of technology to harass victims and what evidence is helpful to support a case. Course number 5713 is approved for 1.0 General; 1.0 Technology CLE credit. REGISTER

Stephanie Cagnet Myron is a victim’s rights lawyer with her firm Cagnet Myron Law, where she represents victims of stalking, cyberstalking, revenge porn and sexual violence throughout Florida.

She has served for several years as an elected representative from Palm Beach County on the Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Board of Governors. She served several times as a Florida Delegate for the ABA-YLD, where she helped draft and spoke in support of the Parental Leave Rule, which passed without opposition. She currently serves on the executive board of the Florida Bar Solo and Small Firm Section. She served on the board for FAWL-Florida Association for Women Lawyers, and has even served as the FAWL representative to NAWL – the National Association of Women Lawyers.

Live GoToWebinar presented by F. Scott Westheimer of Syprett Meshad, Sarasota, and moderated by Cristina Alonso. Course number 5723 is approved by The Florida Bar for 1 General CLE credit, all of which may be applied toward Professionalism. Section members register for only $50. REGISTER

The need to improve the level of attorney professionalism continues to be expressed by members of the bench and bar.  Join Scott Westheimer, Past Chair of The Florida Bar Board of Governors Disciplinary Review Committee (2020-2021) to hear about more recent professionalism initiatives, to look at how professionalism is regulated and to discuss ways to avoid the disciplinary system.

F. Scott Westheimer is is a trial lawyer and commercial litigator in Sarasota. He graduated from the University of Florida with high honors in 1993 and from the UF College of Law with high honors and as a member of the Order of Coif in 1996. He has been practicing law for 25 years at Syprett Meshad, PA, where he is a managing partner. He is an AV-rated attorney, has been named as a Florida Super Lawyer and among Florida’s “Legal Elite” by Florida magazine.

He served his local Bar, the Sarasota County Bar Association, as co-founder and chair of its Diversity Committee, President of its Young Lawyers Division, and ultimately as President of the Sarasota County Bar Association. He was then elected to The Florida Bar Board of Governors as the Twelfth Circuit Representative in 2013. He served on the Executive Committee for five consecutive years from 2016 to 2021 and served as Chair of the Program Evaluation Committee, Communications Committee for two consecutive years, and just finished his term as Chair of the Disciplinary Review Committee. He received the President’s Award of Merit in 2017 and 2019; and received another President’s Award this year.

During his time on the Board of Governors, Scott has pioneered and developed many of the Bar’s tangible tools and resources that lawyers use in their daily practice, including the complete rebuild of The Florida Bar website, spearheading and leading the team that created LegalFuel.com, and the Tech Support Helpline.

Scott is also an Adjunct Professor at the University of Florida College of Law where he taught a Lawyer Regulation & Discipline Course (Spring 2021).

Live GoToWebinar presented by Shannon Miller of The Miller Elder Law Firm, Gainesville, and moderated by General Magistrate Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin. Course number 5812 is approved for 1.0 General CLE and 1.0 Elder Law certification credit. Section members register for only $50. REGISTER

Shannon Miller, a Florida Bar Board Certified Specialist in Elder law, will provide a basic overview of how to prevent vulnerable adult exploitation in Florida and how to pursue the recovery of exploited assets. She also will provide an update on the current statutory changes in pursuing cases involving the exploitation and undue influence of vulnerable adults in Florida.  The latest statutory changes have created new ways to recover assets from exploiters through criminal and civil means, perhaps creating a new niche area of practice to add to your tool kit.  Shannon will also educate you on how to identify the exploitable brain and what the current clinical research tells us.

May 17, 2022, Live GoToWebinar presented by Tim Chinaris and moderated by Chris Johnson. Course number 5714 is approved for 1.0 General CLE credit, all of which may be applied toward Ethics. Section members register for only $50. REGISTER

Change seems to be the only constant in the legal profession.  How have recent changes in the legal landscape affected lawyers’ ethical obligations?  This session highlights recent rule changes, cases, and ethics opinions that may affect how Florida Bar members ethically practice law, both now and going forward.

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.

Professor Chinaris holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Florida State University and received his J.D. With Honors from the University of Texas School of Law.  He is admitted to practice law in Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, and Texas.

Professor Chinaris has chaired or served on state bar ethics and UPL committees in four states, including chairing both the Professional Ethics Committee and the Committee on Professionalism for The Florida Bar.  His legal ethics website is “sunEthics.com.”  He co-authored the authoritative treatise Florida Legal Malpractice and Attorney Ethics (American Legal Media, 2017) (with Warren Trazenfeld and Robert Jarvis).  His new book, Florida Legal Ethics, will be published by West Academic Publishing in 2021.

Professor Chinaris consults with and represents lawyers and others on professional responsibility issues, including lawyer advertising and bar admission matters.  He has served as an expert witness in various legal ethics matters, including in the first case decided under the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Professor Chinaris is the immediate past Chair of the Solo & Small Firm Section of the Tennessee Bar and is the Florida Bar Out of State Liaison to the Florida Solo & Small Firm Section as well.

Annual “Out-of-Country” CLE Trip

This year we are staying in the U.S. and visiting the big island of Hawaii and Oahu. Instead of going through a travel agent, you will make your own reservations directly with the hotels, airlines, and group tours (excursion details will be provided as they become available).

This page provides the trip schedule, activities, and hotel reservation links. When making your flight arrangements, don’t forget to include the flight from Hawaii to Oahu on June 1. Flight destinations are Kona International Airport and Honolulu International Airport.

Online reservation information for the group tours and airport transfers will be available soon. View the event brochure.