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.
Details coming soon. This meeting takes place during The Florida Bar Annual Meeting.
Free Wednesday Wisdom Zoom CLE that is open to all members of The Florida Bar. Presented by Tom Boyle, CPA and Co-founder TrustBooks, Raleigh. Course number 6119 is approved for 1.0 General CLE credit. Moderator: Renee E. Thompson, Upchurch, Watson, White & Max Mediation Group, Ocala. REGISTER
Join us to learn about the trust accounting needs of solo and small firms. Tom Boyle will explain how TrustBooks trust accounting software program, a Florida Bar member benefit, can help streamline the record-keeping process to help attorneys better maintain compliance.
Tom Boyle, CPA and Co-Founder of TrustBooks (now part of Paradigm):
- CPA in NC – past experience with Deloitte & Touche and McGladrey & Pullen
- Founded Boyle CPA, PLLC in April 2010 (sold CPA practice in June 2014). Boyle CPA provided outsourced accounting services for small law firms.
- Presented over 100 webinars and CLE presentations on trust accounting and legal accounting to over 10,000 attorneys and legal staff over the past 5 years.
- Co-founder of TrustBooks – software created specifically to help attorneys manage, record, and reconcile their trust accounts. TrustBooks was acquired by Paradigm in January 2022 and now helps lead the TrustBooks team at Paradigm.
August 10, 12 – 1 PM, free Wednesday Wisdom Zoom CLE open to all members of The Florida Bar. Presented by Third Judicial Circuit Court Judge Leandra G. Johnson, Lake City, and former General Magistrate Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin, Live Oak, and moderated by Joshua Hertz.
Join Circuit Court Judge Leandra Johnson and former Magistrate Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin as they discuss professionalism tips from the bench. Everyone has encountered a situation where opposing counsel acts with less than professionalism, but how do you handle it when it happens in court? Join this panel discussion to hear about different situations, tactics, and suggestions that these veteran officers of the Court have to offer. Course 6244 is approved for 1.0 General; 1.0 Professionalism credit. REGISTER
The Honorable Leandra G. Johnson has served as a circuit judge in the Third Judicial Circuit for more than 16 years, during which time she has presided over several divisions, including criminal, civil, juvenile delinquency, family, and dependency. Before becoming a circuit judge, Judge Johnson was a prosecutor for 17 years and subsequently practiced law in Lake City for 7 years in the areas of civil litigation, family law and criminal defense. Judge Johnson has served as chief judge and as family law administrative judge in the Third Judicial Circuit. Additionally, Judge Johnson served for more than 10 years, by appointment of the Supreme Court, on the Trial Court Performance and Accountability Commission.
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 then as the General Magistrate, where she presided 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.
Details coming soon.
Oct. 26, 12 – 1 PM, free Wednesday Wisdom Zoom webinar for Solo & Small Firm Section members.* Presented by Peggy Hoyt, Law Offices of Hoyt and Bryan, LLC, Oviedo. Moderator Joshua Hertz. Course number 6633 is approved for .5 General CLE credit; .5 Technology, and .5 Ethics. REGISTER
*Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed.
Peggy R. Hoyt, J.D., M.B.A., B.C.S.* is a Stetson University graduate receiving her B.B.A., cum laude, in 1981, her M.B.A. in 1982, and her J.D., cum laude, in 1993. Her work experience includes time as a college recruiter, financial consultant, account executive, and chief financial officer before entering law school. She is a founding partner of Hoyt & Bryan, LLC. Peggy is dual certified by the Florida Bar in Wills, Trusts, and Estates and in Elder Law.
Peggy describes herself as “an attorney, animal advocate, and pet mom.” Her love for animals was developed as a child when her father, John A. Hoyt, was the President and CEO of The Humane Society of the United States.
She is the author of All My Children Wear Fur Coats – How to Leave a Legacy for Your Pet, a book for pet parents on the importance of including their pets as part of their estate plan. She also hosts a weekly “paw-cast” on Buzzsprout called All My Children Wear Fur Coats.
Peggy is the Founder and CEO of Animal Care Trust USA, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to helping pet parents keep loved pets in loving homes. The organization offers several Forever Loved Pet Trust solutions including Forever Home, Forever Family, and Forever Sanctuary. Animal Care Trust USA can act as a corporate Pet Trustee and is leading the animal estate planning world with the creation of the Forever Loved Pet Trust, a community Pet Trust.
*Board Certified Specialist
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.
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.
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.
Live GoToWebinar. Course number 6826 is approved for 4 General; 2 Technology CLE credits. Webinar registrants have 90-day,on-de,and access; Solo & Small Firm Section members register for only $245. REGISTER
Thank you to Conference Chair Camara Williams of Orlando.
This seminar will cover automating your practice; simplify on boarding and collections; from lawyering to leading: knowing the numbers that matter most; funding your law firm and how to get financing; website best practices and educating different customer groups.
8:00 AM – 8:10 AM
Welcome
Camera Williams, Program Chair
Gary Lesser, The Florida Bar President
8:10 AM – 9:00 AM
Automating your Practice
Conti Moore, Conti Moore Law, PLLC, Orlando
9:00 AM – 9:50 AM
Simplify On Boarding and Collectons
Marko Skarica, Conti Moore Law, PLLC, Orlando
Nikie Lomax, Conti Moore Law, PLLC, Orlando
9:50 AM – 10:40 AM
From Lawyering to Leading: Knowing the Numbers That Matter Most
Leticia DeSuze, Elite Wealth Enterprises, LLC
10:40 AM – 10:55 AM
Break
10:55 AM – 11:45 AM
Funding your Law Firm – How to get Financing
Scott Leitner, SVP, Centeral Counsel, Climate First Bank
11:45 AM – 12:15 PM
Website Best Practices and Educating Different Customer Groups
Robin Cardella, Titletap