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.

Live InReach webinar by Sia Baker-Barnes, Searcy Denney, West Palm Beach, and moderated by Rebekah S. Taylor, The Florida Bar Young Lawyers Division Liaison to the Solo & Small Firm Section, Snedaker Law, Lake Mary. Course number is approved for 1 CLE, all of which may be applied toward Ethics. REGISTER

Join Florida Bar Board of Governors member and Florida Bar Board-Certified Civil Trial Lawyer Sia Baker-Barnes as she shares examples of ethical pitfalls that have trapped the unwary. Also highlighted will be ways for lawyers to avoid the disciplinary system.

Rosalyn “Sia” Baker-Barnes is a Shareholder at Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, P.A., and the Chairperson of the firm’s Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee. Ms. Baker-Barnes is Board-Certified in Civil Trial Law by the Florida Bar, and is recognized by US News & World Report as one of the “Best Lawyers in America,” by Lawdragon as one of America’s “500 Leading Plaintiff Consumer Lawyers,” by Florida Super Lawyers magazine as a top lawyer in the state, by Florida Trend magazine as a “Legal Elite,” and by the Daily Business Review as one of South Florida’s Inaugural “Top 20 Women in Law.”

In her over 20-year career, she has successfully pursued justice for victims in personal injury, medical negligence and product liability cases and frequently lectures throughout the United States on catastrophic injury cases. She has achieved numerous multi-million dollar verdicts and settlements, including a landmark $20 million compensatory and punitive damages verdict against tobacco giant RJ Reynolds Tobacco Company that was affirmed by the Florida Supreme Court and reached the United States Supreme Court. Read her bio here.

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

Live InReach webinar. Course number 7844 is approved for 5 CLE, 2 of which may be applied toward Ethics; 2 Professionalism, and 1 Technology. Solo & Small Firm Section members register for only $250. View the presenter bios here. REGISTER

Annual Ethics & Professionalism Update:  Scary Tales of Unprofessional & Unethical Conduct
October 27, 2023
8:00 AM–12:35 PM

8:00 AM–8:10 AM
Welcome
Michelle Garcia Gilbert and Bill Curphey, Co-Program Chairs

8:10 AM–9:00 AM Tricked or Treated: White Collar Ethics Issues for the Unwary Lawyer Professor Ellen Podgor, St. Petersburg

9:00 AM–9:50 AM Villainy or Virtue: Unmask Your Client’s Story to Avoid Unethical Surprises Andrew J. Oppenheim, Tampa

9:50 AM–10:05 AM Break

10:05 AM–10:55 AM Toil or Trouble: Ensure that Technology Works Ethically for You – Not Against You Marck Joseph, Miami

10:55 AM–11:45 AM Hocus or Pocus: How to Prevent and Defend Professionalism and Ethics Complaints Scott Tozian, Tampa

11:45 AM–12:35 PM Friend or Fiend: Building & Maintaining your Reputation Ethically & with Professionalism Ret. Judge Greg Holder, Tampa

Ret. Judge Emmett (Lamar) Battles, Tampa

Live Zoom webinar presented by Christopher Johnson, FordHarrison. Moderator:  Denise A. Mutamba. Course number and 1 CLE pending approval. Solo & Small Firm Section members register for only $50, with 90-day, on-demand access. Registration opens soon.

Solo & Small Firm attorneys have a lot on their plates. It can be easy to forget one of the most critical hats that a business-owning attorney wears: employer. This CLE by FordHarrison employment law partner, Chris Johnson, is designed to identify common employment laws that apply to small businesses, including law firms, and how to avoid issues that, if left unchecked, might result in you having to become the client to defend your business against an administrative charge or lawsuit from your own employee.

Free Wednesday Wisdom Zoom webinar for Solo & Small Firm Section members* by Katie Young, Assistant Director of The Florida Bar’s Henry Latimer Center for Professionalism, and moderated by Judge Jennifer Kuyrkendall Griffin. Course number and CLE credit pending approval. REGISTER

DESCRIPTION: While the holidays can be a beautiful time, many attorneys struggle with stress, depression, anxiety, and loneliness.

*Registration will be approved when section membership is confirmed.Free Wednesday Wisdom Zoom webinar for Solo & Small Firm Section members.

Katie Young is the Assistant Director of The Florida Bar’s Henry Latimer Center for Professionalism. She joined the Center in January 2020.

Before joining the Florida Bar, she was a Program Specialist with the Florida Department of Education, focusing on School Improvement Grants. She also managed all aspects of Florida’s School Advisory Council (SAC) program. She is a Tallahassee native and a graduate of Florida State University, where she earned her Bachelor’s in English Literature with Minors in Business and Education. After graduation, she worked as an elementary school teacher before pursuing leadership opportunities by obtaining her Master’s in Educational Leadership from the University of West Florida.

Since becoming the Assistant Director, Ms. Young has become a Certified Everything DiSC Workplace® Facilitator. She serves on the Board of Directors for the National Legal Mentoring Consortium and staffs the Florida Bar’s Special Committee on Mentoring New Lawyers. Ms. Young regularly speaks to legal professionals and Florida Bar staff on general professionalism and time management.

Live InReach webinar presented by Jonathan Grabb, The Florida Bar Director of Ethics & Advertising. Moderator:  Camara Williams. Course number and 1 CLE; 1 Ethics and 1 Technology credit pending approval.

Jonathan Grabb is the Ethics Counsel for The Florida Bar. He previously served the department for eight years as an Assistant Ethics Counsel. He’s fielded more than 20,000 calls on the ethics hotline, reviewed thousands of lawyer advertisements, and issued dozens of staff opinions during his employment with the Bar.

Live Zoom webinar by Nicole Black, MyCase. Moderator:  TBA. Course number and technology credit pending approval. Solo & Small Firm Section members register for only $50, with 90-day, on-demand access. Registration opens soon.

This webinar offers a comprehensive exploration of AI and ChatGPT in the legal field by renowned legal tech author, Nicole Black. You’ll learn about the technology’s evolution, 10 practical applications, including document summaries and drafting assistance. You’ll also gain insights into additional AI use cases within the legal field, while examining potential challenges like ethical concerns, algorithmic bias, accuracy issues, and the relative infancy of this rapidly evolving technology. This presentation will equip you with the knowledge to harness AI’s power and implement it into your legal practice.

Nicole Black is a Rochester, New York attorney, author, journalist, and Senior Director, SME and External Education, at MyCase, legal practice management software. She is the nationally-recognized author of “Cloud Computing for Lawyers” (2012) and co-author of “Social Media for Lawyers: The Next Frontier” (2010), both published by the American Bar Association. She also was the co-author of “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.

Make plans to join your Solo & Small Firm Section friends and colleagues at the TradeWinds Island Grand Beach Resort for meetings, networking and fun! The agenda and details will be available soon.

Save the Date! The annual Solo and Small Firm Conference is an excellent opportunity to learn pro tips on best practices to take your firm to the next level! Course number and 5 CLE; 1 Mental Health & Wellness; 3 Ethics; and 4 Technology credits pending approval. Registration opens soon.

Agenda and Presenters

8:00 AM – 8:10 AM:  WELCOME
Camara Williams and Stephanie Cagnet Myron, Program Chairs
F. Scott Westheimer, The Florida Bar President (Recorded Message)

8:10 AM – 9:00 AM:  UNPLUG BEFORE YOU PLUG IN: 10 STRATEGIES TO HELP YOU LIVE A HAPPIER, HEALTHIER, MORE RESILIENT LIFE
Nora Riva Bergman, Real Life Practice, Tarpon Springs. Technology and the advent of AI have given lawyers the tools to live the lives we choose and work when and where we want to. But to make the most of what technology and AI can offer, we’ve got to first take care of ourselves. In this interactive presentation, author, attorney, and business coach Nora Riva Bergman will share 10 strategies from her book 50 Lessons for Happy Lawyers: Boost Wellness. Build Resilience. Yes, you can! If you’re feeling burned out, stressed out, or just want to be happier and healthier, this presentation will give you tools to make positive changes in your life. You’ll not only learn these strategies, but you’ll also get tips on how to start living them right now. Get ready to shift your thinking and begin experimenting with research-based strategies to increase your personal and professional happiness.

9:00 AM – 9:50 AM:  HOW AI WILL MAKE YOU A BETTER ATTORNEY
Mark Doble, Toronto, CEO of Alexi. AI can take the most stressful, tedious elements of being a lawyer, and provide you with a head start in everything you do. From the moment you open a file to the moment you settle or receive a verdict, AI can remove stress, automate frustrating and tedious tasks, and increase your bandwidth to provide better service to your clients. Mark Doble, CEO of Alexi (an AI company for litigators) will walk you through some tips and tricks on how to properly think about, and leverage AI.

9:50 AM – 10:40 AM:  AI  IN THE PRACTICE OF LAW
Tom Martin, Vancouver, Founder & CEO of LawDroid, a Generative AI Legal Technology company. AI is taking the world by storm, but how can it best be applied to the practice of law? In this session, Tom Martin will explain how generative AI works, discuss the ethical issues it raises, demonstrate a real use case, and explore the practical ways you can use AI today to get more done with less to grow a more profitable law practice.

10:40 AM – 10:55 AM:  Break

10:55 AM – 11:45 AM:  GENERATIVE AI FOR LAWYERS: WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO USE IT IN YOUR PRACTICE
Carolyn Elefant, Washington, D.C. Generative AI has infiltrated the legal profession faster than any legal tech change in recent memory. And while generative AI carries enormous promise, the speed of adoption has overwhelmed many lawyers. After providing the basics of generative AI technology, practice management specialist, Carolyn Elefant, will provide real-world examples of how generative AI can power substantive research, client relations and marketing and best practices for choosing the appropriate generative AI tools and incorporating them ethically and responsibly into your law practice.

11:45 AM – 12:35 P.M.:  THE FLORIDA BAR AND NATIONAL PERSPECTIVE ON ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
E. Duffy Myrtetus, Richmond, VA and Gordon Glover, Ocala, Co-Chairs of Florida Board of Governors Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence Tools & Resources. The Co-chairs of the Florida Board of Governors Special Committee on Artificial Intelligence Tools & Resources, Gordon Glover and E. Duffy Myrtetus will recap the Committee’s work while providing an update on The Florida Bar and Committee efforts in the areas of Lawyer Regulation, ethics and the Courts as impacted by AI.  Additionally, they will share information on notable trends in AI affecting lawyers, ethics and on general developments in courts around the country involving the use of Artificial Intelligence.