Dec
7
Wed
December 7, FREE CLE Zoom webinar for Solo & Small Firm Section members.* Presented by Nefra-Ann MacDonald, Clio Cloud-Based Legal Technology, Senior Manager, Strategic Engagement. Joshua Hertz will serve as moderator. Course number 6488 is approved for 1 General; 1 Technology CLE credit. REGISTER
*Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed.
According to the 2020 Legal Trends Report, the average lawyer spends only 2.5 hours on billable work per day—which means nearly 70% of each workday is consumed by tasks like data entry, scheduling follow-ups, and timekeeping. Yet these tedious tasks also need to get done.
Luckily, there’s a way to get the non-billable work done faster and more efficiently. With the right technology, law firms can automate many time-consuming tasks—spending less time on administrative work and freeing up more time for billable hours and attention to clients.
Join Nefra MacDonald, Clio’s Senior Manager of Strategic Engagement, to learn how to leverage automation tools to increase productivity and profits at your firm.
In this session, you’ll learn:
- How to differentiate between busywork and billable work in your legal practice
- Three key areas in a law firm that are open to automation
- How to select legal technology that can save you time and money
Nefra-Ann MacDonald is a legal technology and wellness speaker who, as the Senior Manager of Strategic Engagement at Clio, works with bar associations and other legal organizations to help lawyers succeed in their practices. With over a decade of experience in the legal industry, Nefra understands the pain points that affect law firms, and she uses her expertise to help lawyers streamline processes and run a better business. A graduate of the University of Miami, Nefra is passionate about bringing a practical lens to each one of her presentations, so each attendee leaves with a takeaway that can improve their day-to-day. She has been a speaker at the Clio Cloud Conference, ABA TECHSHOW, and at many other legal conferences across North America.
Jan
25
Wed
12–1 PM live on Zoom. Course number 6917 is approved for 1.0 General CLE credit. Free CLE, open to all Florida Bar members. REGISTER
In “The Law is Local,” Florida government law attorney Chris Hand will discuss some of the legal challenges and opportunities that clients may encounter with Florida county and city governments. Hand, a former Chief of Staff for the City of Jacksonville, will highlight the stakeholders and processes available to help Floridians use their effective citizenship skills in making local government respond.
For all of the attention focused on the federal government in Washington and state government in Tallahassee, local government has the most significant and immediate impact on our lives—including our lives as attorneys.
Chris Hand has a long record of public, civic, and legal service. He currently leads Hand Law, a firm that helps clients throughout Florida seek opportunities and solve challenges with government.
From 2011 to 2015, Hand served as Chief of Staff at the City of Jacksonville — the largest city by area in the contiguous United States, 12th largest by population in the nation, and most populated city in Florida. Following his service at City Hall, Hand authored the 50th Anniversary update to the chronicle of Jacksonville’s historic city-county consolidation: A Quiet Revolution–the Consolidation of Jacksonville-Duval County and the Dynamics of Urban Political Reform.
From 1996 to 2000, Hand served as speechwriter, campaign press secretary, and Senate press secretary for U.S. Senator and former Governor Bob Graham. With Senator Graham, Hand is co-author of America, the Owner’s Manual: You Can Fight City Hall – and Win, a guide to helping Americans use their effective citizenship skills to make government respond.
In 2008, Hand served as one of 27 Florida electors in the U.S. Electoral College. Ten years later, Hand helped to lead the bipartisan Groveland Four Clemency Coalition, which worked to achieve justice for four Floridians unjustly accused of crimes. On January 11, 2019, the Florida Cabinet unanimously pardoned the Groveland Four. On November 22, 2021, the Fifth Circuit Court restored their legal innocence.
Hand graduated from the Princeton University School of Public and International Affairs. He was honored with the Daily Princetonian Award for efforts to reform the university’s then century-old Honor Code. Hand later graduated from the University of Florida’s Levin College of Law. The law school student body elected him as president of the student bar association.
In addition to his government law practice, Hand is an author, speaker, and commentator who provides political, legal, and governmental analysis for Northeast Florida media. An enthusiastic hiker who loves the outdoors, Hand lives in Jacksonville with his wife and two children.
Feb
22
Wed
Feb 22 @ 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
FREE Wednesday Wisdom webinar for Solo & Small Firm Section members* by Jordan Ostrow, a visionary entrepreneur, President of LegalEase Marketing, Managing Partner of Jordan Law FL, and host of multiple Facebook live shows. Course number and CLE credit pending approval.
Course Description: How to come up with the right idea for a law firm you love, and then make decisions toward that while following ethical rules, being profitable, etc.
*Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed.
Mar
29
Wed
Mar 29 @ 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
FREE Wednesday Wisdom webinar for Solo & Small Firm Section members* by Jordan Ostroff, a visionary entrepreneur, President of LegalEase Marketing, Managing Partner of Jordan Law FL, and host of multiple Facebook live shows. Course number and CLE credit pending approval. REGISTER
Course Description: Jordon Ostroff begins by helping law firm owners set the GPS coordinates for their firms. Next, he will explore ways to improve it. What do you want your firm to look like? What work does it do? Who do you serve? And then Jordan will try to empower you to make the decisions to get there. Who should you hire, who is no longer a good fit? What steps can you implement toward your goals while following the Florida Bar Ethics Rules to create the firm you love.
*Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed.
Jordan Ostroff grew up in South Florida and came to Orlando to attend the University of Central Florida. The son of a postal employee and a substitute teacher, for whatever reason he had always known he wanted to be a lawyer, even without knowing what that really meant. At UCF, he competed on the trial team and traveled around the country doing fake cases while learning real skills. He continued to Barry University’s School of Law and continued on this path to being a great trial attorney. After graduating from law school with high honors and a litigation certificate he went to work for the State as an Assistant State Attorney. There he handled thousands of cases and handled around 50 trials and hundreds of motions.
Eventually, he left the State with a dream, a dream to do things a different way. To leverage the latest legal technology and systems to create a client-focused practice. Jordan Law started in 2015 with just Jordan in a small office and has since grown to a multi attorney firm with its own building taking cases throughout Central Florida.
You see that Jordan Law difference from the very first minute you call the office. Our whole firm is cloud-based, so those first questions our staff asks about your contact information will be saved for every document instead of you having to fill out the same form 15 times. Little details like this streamline the entire legal process and allow us to give you facetime with your attorney, rather than having 1 lawyer and 15 staff members.
Jordan believes that high seas raise all boats and to this day we get over 90% of our cases from referrals from other lawyers, doctors, financial professionals, and especially current and former clients. That means that we’ve built those systems and processes to not only have to do an amazing job on your case legally but that we have to make it as smooth of a process for you the whole way through. We aren’t looking to just be your lawyer on this one case, we are looking to be a trusted partner in your life for the next 20-30 years.
When he’s not managing the office and building better and better systems, Jordan can usually be found either playing disc golf, eating with friends, or with his wife and son -enjoying Sea World, the science center, or just digging in the dirt with toy construction vehicles–which his son likes to play with too.
Apr
26
Wed
Apr 26 @ 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Free Wednesday Wisdom Zoom webinar for Solo & Small Firm Section members* by Bill Curphey, Curphey & Badger, P.A., Palm Harbor, and moderated by Judge Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin, Third Judicial Circuit. Course number 7396 is approved for 1 CLE and 1 Civil Trial certification credit. Members may self-report CLE credit through The Florida Bar member portal.
In this webinar, you will learn from a successful civil trial lawyer, Bill Curphey, tools and strategies to employ during jury selection and how to most effectively create and deliver your opening statement.
*Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed.
Bill Curphey has been practicing for over 45 years, beginning as a trial attorney for the US 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. He will share his insights on building a successful practice and keeping clients.
May
24
Wed
May 24 @ 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Free Wednesday Wisdom Zoom CLE for Solo & Small Firm Section members* by Zach Bloxham, Sandberg, Stettler, & Bloxham, Kaysville, Utah, and WealthCounsel. Moderator: Judge Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin, Third Judicial Circuit. Course number 7399 is approved for 1 CLE; 1 Elder Law certification credit. REGISTER
*Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed.
In order to better understand a practice area like elder law, it can be helpful to walk through what a case file looks like from beginning to close. During this webinar, we will illustrate the life of both Medicaid crisis and proactive planning cases from the initial consultation to funding considerations for an EC Medicaid Asset Protection Trust®. Join WealthCounsel’s Zach Bloxham, J.D., as he takes you on this exciting legal journey.
Zach Bloxham is WealthCounsel’s Elder Law Faculty, where he assists attorneys and other stakeholders from around the country in navigating the world of public benefits planning, consultation, and strategy. Zach works to provide comprehensive and cutting-edge legal education, supplying attorneys with practicable solutions and positive outcomes for the clients that they represent. Before following his passion for education and joining WealthCounsel, Zach spent nearly a decade as a partner in an elder law firm which specialized in planning for Medicaid, VA Pension with Aid and Attendance, Special Needs, and Estate Recovery. Zach is licensed to practice law in Utah where he lives with his wife and their four children. In his free time, Zach enjoys writing, history, sports, and serving on his local City Council.
Jul
26
Wed
Jul 26 @ 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Free Wednesday Wisdom CLE for Solo & Small Firm Section members* by Mark Doble, CEO and founder of Alexsi, a software company that uses artificial intelligence (A.I.) to produce legal research memos on demand. Moderator: Judge Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin. Course number and Technology CLE credit pending approval. REGISTER
It is commonly noted that “AI is not here to replace lawyers, but lawyers who use AI will replace lawyers who don’t”. AI is being used by solo lawyers and small firms across the USA to help them compete with larger firms, without the need for significant overhead or an army of associates. It can increase their output, while minimizing their non-billable time spent on repetitive tasks like legal research. Mark Doble, will outline some of the benefits of leveraging AI in your practice.
*Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed.
Mark Doble is the CEO and founder of Alexsei, a software company that uses AI to produce legal research memos on demand. Mark received his J.D. from Queen’s University in Canada, where he split his time between building software and completing the requisite law school readings. During his brief stint in a law firm, Mark became convinced that software would positively impact the legal profession in ways not yet seen due to the rapidly evolving nature of AI, so he quit his job to start Alexsei.
Aug
23
Wed
Aug 23 @ 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
UPDATE: Due to a schedule conflict, Rebecca J. Bandy is unable to serve as a presenter.
Free Wednesday Wisdom Zoom webinar for Solo & Small Firm Section members* by Don Blackwell, Lake Mary, and moderated by Judge Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin. Course number 7911 is approved for 1 CLE and 1 Mental Health & Wellness credit.
*Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed. REGISTER
A candid and intimate look at some of the mental health challenges confronting our profession, including reflections on a ground-breaking panel discussion highlighting the lived experiences of several highly-accomplished legal professionals, aimed at inspiring attendees of the webinar to be more attentive and responsive to the mental health and wellness of their colleagues and loved ones.
Don Blackwell is a trial lawyer at Bowman and Brooke, LLP, in Lake Mary. Read his full bio here.
Sep
27
Wed
Sep 27 @ 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Free Wednesday Wisdom Zoom webinar for Solo & Small Firm Section members* by Megan Murray, Underwood Murray, P.A., Tampa, and moderated by Judge Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin. Course number and CLE credit pending approval. *Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed. REGISTER
This seminar will provide an introduction to bankruptcy nondischargeability and why it matters in state court. Megan Murray will discuss the framework surrounding nondischargeability and relevant bankruptcy laws, how to identify nondischargeable debts early in a case, how to manage the risks of a judgment debtor filing bankruptcy, and eliminating a judgment through the bankruptcy process. Judgment creditors who do not consider dischargeability in state court risk losing their judgment in bankruptcy if the debt is of a kind that may be subject to nondischargeability. Careful advance consideration is key.
Megan Murray, a founding shareholder of Underwood Murray, has over twenty years of reorganization and workout experience advising individuals, business owners, debtors, trustees, creditors’ committees, secured and unsecured creditors, and asset purchasers and sellers. She has experience both on the legal side and on the business side in a global financial institution. She counsels individuals and businesses and owners in a wide variety of disputes and industries including but not limited to real estate, hospitality, pharmaceutical, medical services, construction, insurance, transportation, logistics, aviation, and financial services.
In addition to her broad range of representations in core bankruptcy matters, Ms. Murray counsels her clients in making critical business decisions, while prosecuting and defending complex business disputes. She has been involved in director and officer liability litigation, bondholder disputes, shareholder and partnership disputes, court-appointed receiverships, assignment proceedings, recovery of large and small business assets, and lien priority disputes related to a variety of collateral including real property, equipment, aircraft and logistics-related assets.
Oct
25
Wed
Oct 25 @ 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM
Free Wednesday Wisdom live Zoom webinar by Michael Prendergast of FordHarrison, and moderated by Judge Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin, 3rd Judicial Circuit. Course number 8083; 1 General CLE. Open to all members of The Florida Bar. REGISTER
While the Occupational Safety & Health Administration has not yet issued regulations specifically addressing heat-related injuries and illnesses, OSHA has published an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking proposing an OSHA standard specifically related to these hazards. In the meantime, OSHA continues to address these issues through inspections, citations and enforcement proceedings under the Occupational Safety and Health Act’s “General Duty” clause. This course addresses the current and anticipated impact of these general industry enforcement procedures and regulations on agricultural employers and their workers in the Sunshine State.
Mike Prendergast is a partner in the Jacksonville, Florida office of FordHarrison LLP. Mike and his firm represent and counsel employers in litigation, administrative proceedings, and other matters related to employment law. Mike’s practice includes advising employers concerning their obligations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. Mike also represents clients during OSHA inspections and in response to citations and enforcement proceedings brought by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
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